Once there was black, then there was Blackest Black, Resene’s newest and darkest black made with finer carbon black pigment for added jetness.

Colour theory is an amazing thing, full of brain twisting facts. For example, we talk a lot about the effects that light has on colour, but colour itself is reflected light. And since the colours we see are actually missing the light waves of the hue we think we're looking at. This also means that what we collectively call 'black' is actually the absence of all colours — though not completely, at least in the world of paint.

Resene Group Technical Manager Mike Clowes says a paint colour can only be classified as black if it reflects less than 1% of incident light. Recently, he and his team formulated an even blacker black than Resene Black, the colour that specifiers would previously turn to when only the darkest would do. As it turns out, shaving down that last percentage is a very tricky thing.

"Blackness and light reflection are inversely proportional. The lesser the light reflection from an object, the blacker it is," explains Mike. "Since black pigment is the key component of a black paint colour, a range of parameters such as its particle size, concentration, surface functionalities and stabilisation influence the jetness of the black colour it generates.

We are always on the lookout for new colour pigments that will either allow us to move into new colour space or pigments that offer additional benefits.”

For those keen to specify Resene Blackest Black on an upcoming project, the colour is initially available in Resene SpaceCote Low Sheen, which was used to make the Blackest Black colour card. Mike says it is likely to be trialled in Resene Super Gloss Waterborne Enamel (which is formulated using novel waterborne alkyd technology) and over the coming months to expand the substrates the colour can be applied to.

Until then, the colour can be topcoated in Resene Concrete Clear satin or gloss for those seeking a different finish. Initially interior applications that will really benefit from the colour's depth, such as windowless theatres and cinemas, are the ideal place to specify it. Feature walls and stable surfaces like steel and concrete are other options, however it is not recommended to be used on surfaces that could warp, such as fences. If a surface such as a wooden front door is fully sheltered from the sun then Resene Blackest Black can make a stunning statement.