Market Research Biz News: Why is the barn painted red?

A dairy barn in Waitfield, Vermont, built around 1890. Thomas Wisser, CC BY-ND

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Why is the barn painted red? – Elijah B., 13 years old, Waverly, TN

There are three reasons why there are so many red barns in the United States. It’s traditional, practical, and looks pretty in color.

The main reason for painting wooden buildings is appearance, but painting protects the wood and makes it last longer.

From the 1700s to the early 1800s, barns on family farms in the northeastern United States were usually covered with thick vertical plates. When they were left unpainted, the boards slowly weathered to brownish gray.

However, since the mid-1800s, in order to improve barn efficiency by reducing drafts and keeping winter animals more comfortable, many farmers have barned wooden clapboards horizontally nailed to the barn’s outer walls. I tightened. These clapboards were very thinly sawed, so painting them provided the necessary protection and dressed up the barn look.

Horses are grazing on a farm near Pullman, Washington. Wolfgang Koehler / Light Rocket via Getty Images

In the 1800s, it was common to mix pigments with flaxseed oil made from flaxseed and other ingredients to make your own paints. Pigments are dry materials that add color.They were available in a variety of colors, but the shades commonly found in old American barns were called. Venetian red..

“According to the 1884 editionEveryone’s paint bookAccording to FB Gardner, Venetian Red was “suitable for general work, or brickwork or annexes.” This red pigment penetrates well into wooden barn boards and resists fading when exposed to sunlight, so it can age gracefully for generations.

The name Venetian Red comes from the fact that this pigment was historically made from natural clay found near Venice, Italy. The clay contained an iron oxide compound that produced this red color.

Details from the barn — Details from a barn in Grafton, Vermont. John Graeme / Light Rocket via Getty Images

However, similar iron oxide deposits were found in many other places, making “Venetian Red” a generic term for pale red pigments with no purplish tint. By the 1920s, such “earth pigments” used to make red paint were dug in Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Alabama, California, Iowa, and Vermont.

By the late 1800s, in addition to red, it was popular to paint barns with other color schemes, especially those designed to complement the architectural style and finish of the owner’s home. These included different shades of yellow, green and brown. Also, barns and homes were generally painted white.

Released on January 24, 2021, these stamps show a round barn surrounded by dim light and warm autumn colors. Summer mansard roof barn. A barn in Maewan in the countryside in early spring. And on winter nights, a western barn. Artwork by Kim Johnson, USPS, CC BY-ND

However, red paint was popular on many farms because it was the most affordable. In 1922 Sears, Lowback Catalog Red barn paint was offered for only $ 1.43 per gallon, while other color house paints sold for at least $ 2.25 per gallon. This is almost double.

Today, many modern barns do not resemble the classic version. A very large barn with hundreds of cows and pigs looks like a hangar or warehouse. metallic.. However, the tradition of painting small barns red — is so powerful that the United States Postal Service is now celebrating the barns red. stamp..

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Thomas Durand Wisser receives grants and contract funds from the National Endowment for the Arts. National Park Service; Ministry of the Navy, Navy Facility Engineering Command; Museum Service Organization, managed by the Foundation of the American Institute for the Preservation of Historical and Artistic Works. Vermont State Capitol; Vermont Conservation Trust. He has a contract with the United States Postal Service, Photoassist, Inc. Provided technical assistance to. He is currently a member of the American Institute for the Preservation of Historical Arts (AIC). International Conservation Technology Association; National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Forum; Heritage Canada; International Council on Monuments and Sites / American Commission; Important Heritage Research Association; American Alliance of Museums.

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