Customer Spotlight: How RMP Finishes Pigments Help Bring Climbing Walls to Life
Pigments are often used in wood finishes, decorative coatings, concrete, and resin art. Our customers keep showing us how much more these concentrated colorants can do.
One standout example comes from The Circuit Bouldering Gym in Bend, Oregon. Its climbing walls work hard every day, taking repeated contact from climbing shoes, chalk, cleaning, route setting, and steady gym traffic. When sections began to look faded and worn, the team did not want to rebuild the walls from scratch. They wanted to restore the color, preserve the working surface, and get those walls ready for more climbs.
Their solution pairs epoxy resin with RMP Finishes Pigment Powders, pure, binder-free colorants that give makers control over opacity, saturation, and custom color.
Meet The Circuit Bouldering Gym in Bend
The Circuit operates several Oregon climbing gyms, and its Bend location welcomes beginners and experienced climbers across varied terrain. In bouldering, the wall is more than a backdrop: its angles, texture, color contrast, and route layout shape how climbers read each problem. A refresh must look cohesive while supporting the gym’s textured wall system.
Nathan, the Bend Gym Manager, explained why the team began the project:
“Some of the walls looked a bit worse for wear, so we wanted to perform some retexture maintenance,” Nathan explained.
The Challenge: Refresh Worn Walls Without Starting Over
The existing walls were built with epoxy resin and a textured finish. After heavy use, some areas had become scuffed, faded, or uneven. Instead of rebuilding entire wall sections, the team looked for a maintenance approach that could work with what was already in place.
The new coating needed to:
- Cover the previous wall colors
- Produce rich, even color
- Work within the gym’s epoxy system
- Prepare the surface for a renewed glass-bead texture
- Help existing walls look fresh and visually unified again
Color coverage was the deciding factor: a translucent tint might shift the hue without hiding the old finish beneath it.
Why Dry Pigments Delivered the Opacity They Needed
Before choosing RMP Finishes pigments, Nathan experimented with oil-based dyes. In his epoxy system, however, the amount of dye he could add was limited, and that made full coverage difficult.
“You can use an oil-based dye, but you can only add up to 10% of the total weight of Part A, meaning the colour will not cover up the previous walls, which is our ultimate goal.”
For this project, the difference between a dye and a dry pigment came down to hiding power. RMP Finishes Pigment Powders are finely milled mineral and iron-oxide colorants with no binder of their own. They can be dispersed into compatible media such as epoxy, concrete, plaster, oils, waxes, and putties, with the medium providing structure and the pigment supplying color.
Nathan found that the dry pigment gave his team greater control over both saturation and opacity:
“It turns out that true dried pigment, like the types you have, offers the best opacity and colour choice.”
The team could cover the older finish with bold color and adjust shades for different sections of the gym. To help with color planning, our Pigment Powder Color Comparison tool lets users select two pigments and quickly view their differences side by side.
Pigment Powders
Project note: The process and ratios below are specific to The Circuit’s materials, equipment, and workflow. Epoxy formulations vary. Always make a small compatibility sample, follow the resin manufacturer’s pigment-loading and curing instructions, and use the ventilation and personal protective equipment specified on the product label and safety data sheet. The CDC’s guidance on epoxies and resins also recommends reviewing safety instructions and limiting contact with uncured materials.
The Circuit’s Five-Step Wall-Refresh Process
1. Scuff the Existing Surface
Good adhesion begins with preparation. Before applying fresh material, the team uses a concrete grinder to roughen the existing epoxy surface.
“We use a concrete grinder to scuff the surface before adding the new colour.”
This creates a more suitable profile for the next coating. The crew then clears away dust and debris.
2. Mix the Pigment Into Part A Resin
Once the wall is prepared, the team blends the dry pigment into Part A of its epoxy system. Because the goal is to completely cover an older color, Nathan uses a much heavier pigment load than many decorative projects require.
“We are using a 1:1 ratio of Part A resin and pigment, which seems like a lot, but the color really pops.”
That ratio is customer-specific—not a universal starting point. Pigment strength, resin chemistry, cure behavior, and desired opacity all affect the right amount. For any new system, begin with a small test, record every measurement, and confirm that the epoxy cures as intended before scaling up.
3. Work in Small Batches
Batch size is another important part of The Circuit’s workflow. Rather than mix a large volume for an entire wall, the crew prepares smaller amounts it can apply within the available working time.
“We use small batches because epoxy reacts much quicker when it’s in a larger volume.”
For the team, smaller batches mean better control and less material at risk if a mix cures sooner than expected. Recording pigment and resin weights helps ensure the color is consistent from batch to batch.
4. Roll On the Pigmented Epoxy
After mixing, the crew applies the colored resin with a roller similar to a standard paint roller. This helps distribute the pigmented mixture across broad, textured wall sections.
The strong pigment load gives the coating immediate visual impact. Instead of adding several translucent layers, the team can often reach its target color with a single carefully applied coat.
5. Restore the Glass-Bead Texture
Color is only one part of the maintenance process. After the pigmented coating goes on, the team adds its glass-bead texture as a separate finishing step.
“With the percentage we use, most of the gym will require only one coat, followed by our glass bead texture.”
That final step restores the tactile quality of the wall system and adds visual depth. Keeping color and texture separate gives the crew control over both.
The Result: Bold Color and New Life for Existing Walls
The refreshed sections now have stronger opacity, cleaner color, and renewed texture—without requiring The Circuit to replace complete wall panels. More walls are planned as the maintenance project continues.
Nathan summed up the result this way:
“So far I have painted a few walls with many more to come this summer. I am so happy with the end result!”
That is what we love about customer projects: a straightforward material can become part of a specialized solution. In this case, RMP Finishes Pigment Powders helped a working climbing gym preserve existing surfaces, build custom color, and bring worn walls back into the action.
What Makers Can Take From This Project
The Circuit’s process offers a few useful lessons for any custom pigment application:
- Start with the medium. Make sure the pigment is compatible with the epoxy, oil, wax, plaster, concrete, or other binder you plan to use.
- Test before scaling. A sample reveals color, opacity, dispersion, and cure behavior before you commit to the full project.
- Measure and document.Record pigment ratios by weight so the color can be repeated across batches or repaired later.
- Mix thoroughly. Fully dispersed pigment helps reduce clumps, streaks, and uneven color.
- Build the finish for the job. Color, adhesion, texture, and durability may come from different parts of the system.
RMP Finishes pigments can also create tinted oils, colored waxes, decorative concrete, plaster, putty, and other custom finishes. See how makers tint Pure Tung Oil with pigment or explore another mineral-based application in our guide to adding color to hempcrete.
Bring Your Next Color Idea to Life
When strong color, custom mixing, and flexible application matter, RMP Finishes high-quality Pigment Powders give you room to experiment. Crafted from non-toxic iron oxides and natural earth minerals, these binder-free colorants offer ultimate creative freedom. Start small, test your complete finishing system, and build the color that fits the work in front of you.
Explore RMP Finishes Pigment Powders, or contact our team for help choosing products for your next project.
