Have You Ever Wondered Why So Many Michigan Barns are Painted Red?

Red barns... You've probably seen them dotted all over Michigan. Heck, if you've taken a road trip within the Mitten State at any point, then there's no doubt that you've seen your fair share of red barns along the side of the highway.

Red barns are a pretty common site. Not just in Michigan, but in a lot of typical depictions of barns. Even the toddler toy of a barn is red.

But why is it that every barn seems to come in red?

Why are so Many Barns Painted Red?

Sure, you see some other colors here and there, but red seems to be the most popular of all.

Well, there's a reason for red's popularity.

The Michigan Barn Preservation Network explains it like this:

In the mid-to-late 1800s, when paints began to be produced with chemical pigments, red paint was the most inexpensive to buy.

However, that was when paint came into play.

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Before that, barns were traditionally red for a whole other reason. The bright red barns we see today were a different shade, closer to a rusty red color.

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According to How Stuff Works, barns appeared in a rustier shade of red because of the "European farmers who sealed barn wood with a linseed oil mixture, sometimes adding blood from slaughters or ferrous oxide (rust) for color and protective qualities."

This is definitely one of those bar trivia facts that you'll want to stow away for later use.