Pumice Powder for Artists – Fine Texture for Paint & Grounds

Our pumice is a near-white, milled volcanic glass with numerous applications in the fine arts. Add pumice to paint to achieve a matte appearance when dried, adding texture and increasing body without altering the color. Pumice can also be added to grounds to give it "tooth" and as an abrasive to smooth and polish substrates and grounds.

This grade of white pumice is used to polish surfaces, such as wood, and is added to chalk and gesso grounds to give them tooth. This grade of pumice is white, so it will not discolor grounds. Use this grade to add fine texture to paint and achieve a matte appearance.

Pumice Powder for Artistic Applications

Natural Pigments offers finely ground pumice, a lightweight volcanic rock highly valued for its texture and inert properties. Artists commonly use pumice powder to create textured painting grounds, enhance absorbency in gesso formulations, or add subtle grainy effects directly into oil or acrylic paints.

Our pumice is available in different mesh sizes to suit a variety of techniques—from coarser textures ideal for impasto effects to finer grades perfect for smoother grounds. Resistant to most chemicals and fully inert, pumice ensures long-term stability when mixed with other mediums.

Applications:

• Add to gesso or primers for highly absorbent painting surfaces.

• Mix with oil or acrylic paint for unique textured effects.

• Use in fresco and mural painting to alter surface properties.

Features:

• 100% natural volcanic pumice

• Chemically inert and stable

• Available in multiple mesh sizes (fine to coarse)

Ideal For:

• Oil painting

• Acrylic painting

• Fresco painting

• Mixed media applications

Origin of Pumice

Pumice is formed when lava from an erupting volcano flows onto the earth's surface and cools. The comparatively low atmospheric pressure at the surface results in the sudden release of steam and other dissolved gases from the still-molten mass, thereby producing bubbles. This creates the pocked appearance familiar in "lava rock" used for gas grill briquettes and landscape rock. Pumice deposits are only found within a few miles of ancient volcanoes.

Source of Our Pumice

Our pumice is from a deposit located in Espanola, New Mexico. The ore is mined from open-pit mines and then transported to the plant, where it is crushed, milled, and dried. It is then processed through a modern classification system to produce a rigorously controlled and consistently uniform product. Our pumice products are 100% natural materials. No synthetic chemicals or other materials are added during the mining or processing process. The superior properties of our pumice products result from both the unique, high-purity, low-density pumice deposit and the exacting process procedures.

Particle Size Grades

For a complete explanation of the available particle size grades and their use in artists' paints, please readOil Paint Extenders: Enhance Your Oil Painting with Texture and Transparency.

Pumice Grades for Artistic Applications

Pumice is graded based on particle size, typically measured in mesh sizes or microns. The finer the grade, the higher the mesh number and the smaller the particles. Hess Pumice Company, a leading supplier, categorizes pumice grades into several standardized types, which are essential for artists seeking specific textures and finishes in their work.

Super Coarse (Grade 0)

• Mesh Size: 16–30 mesh

• Particle Size: Approximately 1180–600 microns

• Characteristics: Extremely coarse particles, sharp and gritty

• Applications: Ideal for aggressive surface preparation, heavy material removal, and creating very rough textures.

Extra Coarse (Grade 0-1/2)

• Mesh Size: 20–40 mesh

• Particle Size: Approximately 850–400 microns

• Characteristics: Very large, angular particles with a gritty texture

• Applications: Ideal for heavy material removal, aggressive surface texturing, or creating pronounced textured grounds.

Coarse (Grade 1/2)

• Mesh Size: 40–60 mesh

• Particle Size: Approximately 400–250 microns

• Characteristics: Coarse texture for substantial surface abrasion

• Applications: Used for moderate texturing of grounds, surface roughening, and polishing preparation.

Medium (Grade 1)

• Mesh Size: 60–80 mesh

• Particle Size: Approximately 250–180 microns

• Characteristics: Balanced abrasiveness, providing noticeable but controlled texture

• Applications: Suitable for adding body to paints or achieving moderate tooth in painting grounds.

Fine (Grade 2)

• Mesh Size: 80–120 mesh

• Particle Size: Approximately 180–125 microns

• Characteristics: Fine-grain powder, smoother yet textured

• Applications: Excellent for smoothing surfaces while retaining slight texture and preparing absorbent painting grounds.

Superfine (Grade F)

• Mesh Size: 120–160 mesh

• Particle Size: Approximately 125–97 microns

• Characteristics: Fine powder with reduced abrasiveness

• Applications: Ideal for subtle texturing, absorbent ground preparation, and minor surface polishing.

Extra Fine (Grade FF)

• Mesh Size: 160–200 mesh

• Particle Size: Approximately 97–75 microns

• Characteristics: Very fine, soft-textured powder

• Applications: Used for polishing and creating smooth, satin finishes in primers and grounds.

Ultra Fine (Grade FFF)

• Mesh Size: 200–325 mesh

• Particle Size: Approximately 75–44 microns

• Characteristics: Extremely fine powder, silky in texture

• Applications: Perfect for achieving ultra-smooth finishes, fine polishing, and delicate surface treatments.

Micro Fine (Grade FFFF)

• Mesh Size: Finer than 325 mesh

• Particle Size: Less than 44 microns

• Characteristics: The finest grade available, very soft powder

• Applications: Used for the finest polishing needs, delicate surface preparation, and creating highly refined, satin-like finishes.

Understanding the Hess Pumice grading system enables artists and craftspeople to choose the optimal pumice powder to achieve the exact surface quality and finish they desire for their artistic mediums.