The Historic District

Gothichome wrote:Mick, this may be a silly question but why red only on the back side of a home of your period?
A bit of yanks thrift maybe, red paint was the cheap paint back then, all the money was spent on good (expensive) paint for the front for all passers by to see?

Hey GH, your speculation seems to be the common wisdom on it, though I have a suspicion that it might have had more to do with it being the "business end" of a property, where red paint was more of a practical choice for being hard wearing and not showing dirt or scrapes as much. this could certainly have been a driver to use it, as commonly is, on hard working farm barns.

I always figured blood red became the tradition for farm buildings because if one were to make their own paint blood would be an easy to get

But 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 looking to shield their barns' wood from the elements began experimenting with ways to make their own protective paint.

A recipe consisting of skimmed milk, lime and red iron oxide created a rusty-colored mixture that became popular among farmers because it was cheap to make and lasted for years. Farmers were able to easily obtain iron oxide the compound that lends natural red clay its coppery color from soil. Linseed oil derived from flax plants was also used to seal bare wood against rotting, and it stained the wood a dark coral hue.

Farmers also noticed that painting their barns with the homemade paint kept the buildings warmer during the wintertime, since the darker color absorbs the sunâ??s rays more than plain, tan wood. So red paint spread in popularity due to its functionality and convenience, becoming an American tradition that continues to this day.

And the site this came from.

I'm talking nineteenth century, GH, not earlier. regardless of how or why barns were red, I think the back of the house being red is not for reasons of ecomony, more practicality... though I could well be wrong

Getting real close to done. You can see the cottage red in top coat, as opposed to the primer in the previous pic. The trim is Tudor Brown. Both will darken a little as they fully cure of course, the red ends up a deeper maroon shade and less orange than this picture makes it look - see that trim board at the very bottom left for a better rendition of the actual color

Wow looking really nice.

Gothichome wrote:But 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 looking to shield their barns' wood from the elements began experimenting with ways to make their own protective paint.

A recipe consisting of skimmed milk, lime and red iron oxide created a rusty-colored mixture that became popular among farmers because it was cheap to make and lasted for years. Farmers were able to easily obtain iron oxide the compound that lends natural red clay its coppery color from soil. Linseed oil derived from flax plants was also used to seal bare wood against rotting, and it stained the wood a dark coral hue.

Farmers also noticed that painting their barns with the homemade paint kept the buildings warmer during the wintertime, since the darker color absorbs the sunâ??s rays more than plain, tan wood. So red paint spread in popularity due to its functionality and convenience, becoming an American tradition that continues to this day.

And the site this came from.

Coincidentally I heard some more on this yesterday, apparently there used to be a place on the road I lived where a clay rich in iron oxide could be found for making barn paint!

One more pic, this project is about wrapped for the season... After clearing the woods from the slope, I snagged this shot. The top trim board and under the eaves are the only bit left, that will have ot wait for next year. Next up the center chimney is going to be rebuild to it's original design, then that will be all for this year. Next year hopefully, after the trim, will bring more work on the fare end of the house - a complete rebuild or removal of the old back porch, and possibly an addition to bring the house to it's original footprint. then it will be time for a new roof!

Looks great Mick. With the red, goldy yellow and the brown trim your well camouflaged, at least for the fall.
My posting about the origins of red bed paint was just for general interest, but it would explain it’s use on the back of homes in your area.