Why are most barns painted red?
Sources:
Mental Floss
Grit
The Old Farmer's Almanac
In the early days of America, most barns weren't painted because using the right sort of wood made painting unnecessary. It was only later that old school methods of barn planning and building fell by the wayside and farmers started painting their barns to help preserve the wood. Ferric oxide (rust), a primary component of red paint, is inexpensive and that appealed to the thrifty farmers of New England, where the practice began. (Rust also kills mold and other types of fungi) Besides being cheaper than other colors, the red served a functionary purpose, in that the darker color absorbed the heat from the sun and kept the barn warmer in winter.
That said, barn colors often are fairly specific to certain regions; white barns are common on dairy farms in Pennsylvania, Maryland and the Shenandoah Vally and is associated with cleanliness and purity. (and, for a while, whitewash was cheaper than red paint) In tobacco regions, such as Kentucky and North Carolina, black or brown barns are the norm, where the darker colors helped heat the barn and cure the tobacco.
That said, barn colors often are fairly specific to certain regions; white barns are common on dairy farms in Pennsylvania, Maryland and the Shenandoah Vally and is associated with cleanliness and purity. (and, for a while, whitewash was cheaper than red paint) In tobacco regions, such as Kentucky and North Carolina, black or brown barns are the norm, where the darker colors helped heat the barn and cure the tobacco.
Sources:
Mental Floss
Grit
The Old Farmer's Almanac
