fyi

[starbaby]

Why are barns red?

A.J. says the practice of painting barns red goes back hundreds of years when farmers used to make their own paint using a combination of linseed oil, milk and rust. The rust was added to prevent mold from growing in the mixture—and that's what gave it the red color. In keeping with tradition, many barns are still painted red using modern-day red paint instead.

 

[Herefordcross]

never knew that

 

[MrGale]

Never heard that one....live and learn I guess!

 

[dac1]

thats a new one on me

 

[cfpinz]

So if what you're saying is true, my old farm truck is red, not rusty.

cfpinz

 

[CowgirlUpNY]

Saw that on Oprah the other day!

 

[Rustler9]

I read several years ago that barns were traditionally painted red because sheep's blood was used to paint them with when they slaughtered.

 

[dun]

http://www.thebarnjournal.org/stories/story006/

From MEN
* Wealthy farmers added blood from a recent slaughter to the oil mixture. As the paint dried, it turned from a bright red to a darker, burnt red.
* Farmers added ferrous oxide, otherwise known as rust, to the oil mixture. Rust was plentiful on farms and is a poison to many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grown on barns. These fungi would trap moisture in the wood, increasing decay.

Regardless of how the farmer tinted his paint, having a red barn became a fashionable thing. They were a sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse.

 

[onthehoof]

That is very interesting. I didn't know that. We have a road not to far from us that we refer to as 'red barn road' - every barn on it is red, there are at least 150 or so.

 

[coolpop]

neighbors barn is red, ours a cedar stain. Thanks for the history, I enjoy those types of detail to history.

 

[groveman14]

After reading all the info on red painted barns, it made me look around and, esp. in the South, we have noticed many painted black. Anyone have any ideas on the reason for that? Could it make them warmer in the Winter? thanx.

 

[KMacGinley]

Tobacco barns are painted black to help dry the tobacco.

 

[cypressfarms]

Nice info there starbaby.


I've always wanted to have a red barn with white trim. I've been working on building a solid cypress barn, and when finished I plan on painting it red. I'm about half way through now. I've been taking some flack for painting cypress red, but hey you only live once.