Our Story

THE TICHACEK FINISHES STORY…

began in 1960 in Richmond, Virginia with the purchase of a concrete St. Francis statue. Betty Tichacek wanted to beautify and weather-proof concrete garden statuary by giving it an antique bronze finish that would mimic that of the famous weathered statues found in shaded gardens so often written about by the romantic poets of the 19th century.

Bill and Betty Tichacek developed a two-step antiquing process which gave ordinary concrete statuary the appearance and patina of old, oxidized metal statuary. Word of mouth and the antique-finished St. Francis statue itself created tremendous interest and excitement for the product throughout much of Virginia and beyond. Soon people were using the Weathered Bronze Finish process to paint other items as well – clay pots, outdoor furniture, plaques and more.

Because of the product’s terrific response, the Tichaceks created Tichacek Finishes, Inc. and began to market the product in 1965, calling it Authentique Weathered Bronze Finish. They called the base coat Franciscan Brown and the wash coat Verde Patina.

The rest is history.