RED

Falu red or in Swedish we call it Faluröd is the name of the beautiful Swedish, deep red paint well known for its use on wooden cottages and barns. The paint originated from Falun in Dalarna ( copper mine) , Sweden. The traditional colour remains popular today due to it's effectiveness in preserving wood it is absolutely fantastic. Easy to paint and it doesn't smell.

The earliest evidence of its use dates from the 16th century. During the 17th century Falu red was commonly used on smaller wooden mansions, where it was intended to imitate buildings with brick facing. Except in bigger cities like Stockholm and Gothenburg, and in the extreme south of Sweden, wood was the dominating building material. In the Swedish cities and towns, buildings were often painted with the Falu red until the early 19th century, when the authorities began to oppose the paint. At this point in time more and more wooden buildings in urban areas were either painted in lighter colours (e.g. yellow, white) or sided with stucco. The number of buildings made of bricks (with stucco) also increased. However the Falu red saw a surge in popularity in the countryside during the 19th century, when also poorer farmers and crofters began to paint their houses. Falu red is still widely used in the Swedish countryside.
The actual colour may be different depending on how much the oxide is burnt, ranging from almost black to a bright, light red. Different tones of red have been popular at different times. Recently a mix giving a dark green colour, Falu Grön, has also been produced by mixing black and ochre.

The last fading beauty - Rose against the red wall on my cottage in Åkerby Village in the north of Uppland.

The paint consists of water, rye flour, linseed oil and residue from the copper mines of Falun which contain silicates iron oxides, copper compounds and zinc. The current recipe was finalized in the 1920s.

Pictures from the small village called Åkerby, this is where I am now when I'm writing this post. Åkerby bruk founded 1638

TYRA