Barn/Farm buildings colour

[Canardly]

Anyone know why lots of farm buildings in the UK are painted black?

[rafletcher]

Allegedly it was left-over paint from shipbuilding at one time, and then became the defacto colour. Before that multiple colours were used. I remember a Grand Designs where the ownetrs wanted some brighter colour but planners said it had to be black.

[giropaul]

I can answer for the Dutch barns and the like.
The metal roofs were/ are treated with a tar - type of coating, typically repainted every few years.
Going back there were teams, often from Ireland, who moved around the country painting the barns. I believe that it wasn’t nice stuff to work with, and could cause nasty burns.
On the curved Dutch barn roofs they used to work in pairs, tied together with ropes around their waists. As one walked down the roof the other walked up.

[Kim]

I thought this was going to be an info control question   

[Cudzoziemiec]

I'd presume it's part of a general cultural preference, possibly caused by the prevalent weather, along with the general preference for black and dark clothing.

[mrcharly-YHT]

On the Raby estate, all buildings on land belonging to the estate have to be painted white.

Agricultural buildings have to look 'weathered', so, after repainting (or building), they get sprayed with a very dilute solution of water, yoghurt and slurry.

This dates back to some lord, who, lost in a terrible storm, saw a light. A farmhouse! Threw the door open, staggered in, demanded food etc.
The farmer, who happened to own his farm (rather than being one of the lord's tenants), told him where to go.

In a rage, the landlord declared that henceforth, all of the buildings on his land would be painted white (so he could easily identify them).

[BFC]

Dates back to Victorian era: There was a significant quantity of cheap (free?) coal tar as a by product of making "town gas" from coal, critters that like boring into wood don't like coal tar.

Prior to then most protective treatments on wood/buildings were lime based to deter the critters, laced with animal by products to get the lime to set rather than having it wash off the first time it rains - animal blood for "suffolk pink", urine or slurry for off white and beige.

[rogerzilla]

Dates back to Victorian era: There was a significant quantity of cheap (free?) coal tar as a by product of making "town gas" from coal, critters that like boring into wood don't like coal tar.

Prior to then most protective treatments on wood/buildings were lime based to deter the critters, laced with animal by products to get the lime to set rather than having it wash off the first time it rains - animal blood for "suffolk pink", urine or slurry for off white and beige.

Farrow and Ball need to get onto that.  "Abattoir Pink", "Wazz White" and "Barnyard Beige".  Make it £50 a tin, and the twats will line up to buy it.

[Wombat]

All of which neatly reminds me I need to buy a bloody great tin of black paint, for my barn.  How the hell I paint the roof of the corrugated iron barn is anybody's guess...  House built in 1985, its attendant barn (standard issue for houses round here) built by 1880.

[giropaul]

All of which neatly reminds me I need to buy a bloody great tin of black paint, for my barn.  How the hell I paint the roof of the corrugated iron barn is anybody's guess...  House built in 1985, its attendant barn (standard issue for houses round here) built by 1880.

I refer you to my post earlier in this thread. Get a friend and rope yourselves together.
( I don’t think HSE would be impressed with the method these days, maybe a cherry picker might lose you less friends)

[Regulator]

All of which neatly reminds me I need to buy a bloody great tin of black paint, for my barn.  How the hell I paint the roof of the corrugated iron barn is anybody's guess...  House built in 1985, its attendant barn (standard issue for houses round here) built by 1880.

Is the barn listed?  If so, you'll need to check with the local planners which paint you can use...

[cygnet]

All of which neatly reminds me I need to buy a bloody great tin of black paint, for my barn.  How the hell I paint the roof of the corrugated iron barn is anybody's guess...  House built in 1985, its attendant barn (standard issue for houses round here) built by 1880.

Is the barn listed?  If so, you'll need to check with the local planners which paint you can use...

Just don't ask Johnny Nice to paint it #FastShow

[Wombat]

All of which neatly reminds me I need to buy a bloody great tin of black paint, for my barn.  How the hell I paint the roof of the corrugated iron barn is anybody's guess...  House built in 1985, its attendant barn (standard issue for houses round here) built by 1880.

Is the barn listed?  If so, you'll need to check with the local planners which paint you can use...

No, its not listed, and not in a conservation area.  There is only one possible colour to paint it, and that is standard Welsh barn black bitumen (or modern close equivalent of).  Powys planning probably wouldn't notice if I doubled its size and painted it fluorescent cerise, and also they don't seem to keep much in the way of records (they don't have the deposited plans for my 1985 bungalow, and apparently only keep the records for 15 years!).  Apparently at the time of building my bungalow, they insisted on it not being more than 4m ridge height (according to the couple that it was built for) however this means it contravenes building regs, because the flue is well under the required 4.5 metre length from top of fireplace opening.  I will be saying "stuff you" to the planners and extending my chimney stack, to help the pathetic draw on the thing.  That doesn't help the feeble cramped loft space caused by the 18 degree roof pitch, though.   Why they made that requirement considering both the barn and next doors house are well over 5.5 metre ridge height, I do not know. Oh, and the oak tree in my garden is over 20 metres high!