this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2023
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Asklemmy
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Actual answer: back in the day the sealant that farmers coated barns with often had iron oxide in it because it helps prevent rot and mold, and the iron oxide would turn the sealant mixture red. Now people just do it because it's a tradition.
It also happens to be cheap. Other pigments are hard to manufacture. Rust is easy.
Even today red paint is sometimes cheaper, especially when ordered in bulk.
Wait really red pigment is mainly rust? I'd imagine that would turn a orangish brown. Or brownish orange.
It’s not mainly rust any more, they figured out a way to replicate the effect without using actual rust. It’s just pigment, and now red is probably cheaper because more people buy it because it’s traditional.