Why do they paint barns red??

Centuries ago, European farmers sealed the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil, which was a sort of tawny-colored oil made from flax seeds. They painted their barns with this linseed-oil mixture, often adding milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. Today, linseed oil is still used to seal wood.

Historically, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories:

Sometimes 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.

Some 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. So it made a lot of sense to add rust to the paint, which would also give it a red tinge. Having a red barn became a fashionable thing, in sharp contrast to the traditional white farmhouse.

As European settlers arrived in North America, they brought the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.

And that's the story of why barns are red.

Why Are Barns Painted Red

Why Are Barns Red

Economics is the reason behind red barns. As farmers are in the business to make money, using the least expensive paint on a barn cut overhead. As ferric oxide (rust), a primary component of red paint, is relatively inexpensive, red paint was the logical choice.

If you've ever driven through a rural area, it's likely that you've seen the red barns that speckle the farming landscape. There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.

Centuries ago, European farmers would seal the wood on their barns with an oil, often linseed oil -- a tawny-colored oil derived from the seed of the flax plant. They would paint their barns with a linseed-oil mixture, often consisting of additions such as milk and lime. The combination produced a long-lasting paint that dried and hardened quickly. (Today, linseed oil is sold in most home-improvement stores as a wood sealant.) Now, where does the red come from?

In historically accurate terms, "barn red" is not the bright, fire-engine red that we often see today, but more of a burnt-orange red. As to how the oil mixture became traditionally red, there are two predominant theories:

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.

As European settlers crossed over to America, they brought with them the tradition of red barns. In the mid to late 1800s, as paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy. Red was the color of favor until whitewash became cheaper, at which point white barns began to spring up.

Today, the color of barns can vary, often depending on what they are used for.

I heard that the reason was originally something to do with the fact that the dye once used for red paint was cheap, so the red paint was cheaper. Even after they changed dye the paint continued to be cheaper simply because so much was sold. And so much was sold, because it was cheaper. And on and on.........since then it's just customary to paint barns red

Back in the days before modern paint, farmers put ox blood in the mixture that they painted their barns with. This turned them reddish-brown. The habit continued after modern paint became available.

So when a farmer had to go out in bad weather, storms and such, he could easily make out the barn - same reason many farmhouses had red doors.

it is so back in the olden days on farms the cows could see the contrast against the snow. Cows cannot see color but in an all white area the red would stand out. Therefore the cows could come home and not get lost out in the fields. Remember...this is just before barbed wired came into invention and fencing was too costly for a large farm.

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They used to put rust in the paint to keep the wood from rotting and to keep fungus from growing on the wood.