When matter becomes emotion: stone in ultra-matt paint that speaks to the touch
Processing:
The ‘Stone Effect‘ project was born as an in-house proposal by Indeco to the beauty brands: a new finish not requested by the customer, designed to offer an extremely matt, rough and strongly textured finish. The aim is to replicate the sensation of stone both to the eye and to the touch, with a deep and three-dimensional rendering.
The formulation employs a high-density varnish, fine-tuned to generate controlled micro-roughness and a uniform ultra-matt effect, while maintaining aesthetic consistency across the component.
Problem:
- Seeking very intense roughness without compromising the paint’s resistance: marked opacity and texture tend to make it more delicate.
- Managing the application and drying of a dense paint, with non-trivial parameters to be stabilised online.
- Achieve a finish suitable for perfumery/cosmetic quality tests (resistance and durability) without losing tactile thickness and visual homogeneity.
Solution:
To combine high tactility and robustness, we started a test campaign with several suppliers, evaluating additives and formulation variants until we defined the most suitable mixture.
At the same time, we optimised the process: application parameters (thickness, speed, pressure/nozzle), drying times and modes, so as to stabilise the film even in the presence of high micro-asperities.
Colorimetric fine-tuning ensured a colour reading consistent with ultra-matt, avoiding unwanted lightening or ‘dustiness’.
The result is an extremely opaque and textured stone finish, designed to meet the quality requirements of the beauty industry, with good wear resistance and a marked tactile perception.
NEWS:
The ‘Stone Effect’ introduces a textural finishing platform that can be combined with other techniques:
- in combination (to emphasise touch): flock or thick screen printing on selective elements;
- in contrast (to enhance the details): glossy screen printing or hot stamping on an ultra-matt base. A first project for a major brand was developed precisely with a stone effect base + thick screen printing + hot stamping, resulting in a richer and more elegant piece while maintaining the material soul of the finish.
