Guest Columnist
European farmers for centuries painted newly built barns with various oils, particularly linseed, to help seal the wood. Some also added milk and or lime. The result was sealed wood with coloring that lasted for years. When colonists began building barns, they didn’t paint them. Paint costs money, something that was in very short supply.
Fungi was readily available on farms, and when they get on wood, they seal moisture in the wood, thus increasing decay. Ferrous oxide or rust killed and sealed fungi and moss. So, when colonists got around to putting coatings on barns to seal them, they added ferrous oxide. Thus, red barns were born!
There are several myths about why barns are red. One is that barns were painted red so cows could find their way home. The only problem here is that cows are colorblind to green and red! Another myth was that red painting barns came from Scandinavian countries where barns were painted red so they would resemble being a brick structure rather than wood. Brick was a sign of wealth.
Back to reality, early settlers had no money to paint barns. Approaching 1800, farmers began looking for ways to protect barns from the elements. Falling back on the above mentioned milk, lime, and ferrous oxide, they had a rusty red mixture that was cheap, easy to make, and lasted. At some point, linseed oil was added as a sealant. It darkened the light colored wood and sealed it.
Due to the paining, barns became warmer in the winter due to the paint/sealant absorbing sun light. The color, however, was what the literature called burnt-orange red. Wealthy farmers began adding blood from slaughtered cows, which turned the burnt-orange to a darker red. Later, red pigmented paints became the most readily available and were cheapest.
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