Barn Paint Colors

Barn Paint Colors | Washington State Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation (DAHP)

There are several theories as to why barns are painted red.  One belief is that barns are red so a farmer's cows can find their way home, but if so, that's a failed strategy since cattle are colorblind to the colors red and green. Others believe the popularity of red barns came from copying Scandinavian farmers, who painted their properties in rusty hues so that they would appear to be made of brick, a material they considered to be a sign of wealth.

The truth is barns weren't originally red, in fact, they weren't painted at all. The early farmers that settled in New England didn't have much extra money to spend on paint, so most of their barns remained unpainted. By the late 1700s, farmers began looking for ways to shield their barns' wood from the elements and began experimenting with ways to make their own protective paint.  Reportedly Virginia farmers were the first to become paint-conscious. In Pennsylvania, the Dutch settlements latched on to the custom of red bricks, red barns, red geraniums, even reddish-brown cows. Painting your barn a red color caught on. Inasmuch as ready-made paint was not available, a farmer mixed his own paint. He discovered that skimmed milk, lime and red iron oxide made a plastic-like coating that hardened quickly and lasted for years.  Linseed oil was subsequently added to the recipe to provide the necessary soaking quality. Thus American “barn red” was born. It came into being through function and utility, rather than decor or superstition.

So 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 was known to kill many fungi, including mold and moss, which were known to grow on barns. By mixing oxide into paint it not only protected the wood, but gave it its deep dark red coloring.

Regardless, farmers also noticed that painting their barns with the homemade paint kept the buildings warmer during the wintertime, since the darker color absorbs the sun’s rays more than plain, unpainted wood. Red paint spread in popularity due to its functionality and convenience, becoming an American tradition that continues to this day.