When Sweden comes to mind, what do you think of? Yes, I know what you are going to say - ABBA or IKEA, but I would like to introduce you to FALU RÖDFÄRG, Sweden's beautiful natural red paint!
In the Swedish countryside, many of the wooden houses are painted in this glorious intense red that seems to 'glow' in the evening sunshine. The pigment to make the paint is found in the copper mine of Falun, Sweden, giving it a unique composition which includes iron ochre, silicon dioxide, copper and zinc which help to preserve and protect wood and gives the distinctive natural color of Falu Rödfärg paint.
I had a few outdoor projects here at our house in SW France that I thought were ideal for this paint. It is a natural water based paint and best on rough, unplanned timber, but it does work on smoother wood too. I decided to do two coats, the first being diluted about 10% and use a wide flat brush to apply the paint.
Painting the Court Yard Doors Red!
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Glowing Swedish Red in SW France
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Well, our new court yard is coming on a treat - the enclosed dry stone wall is finished and Martin even made some wooden doors to make a completely private little hot spot. So, after all his hard work (yes, he did build the wall himself - stone by agonizing stone!), it was time to think of a color to compliment the stone and plants that surround the doors and also protect the wood from the elements. I'd wanted to try the Falu Rödfärg Red paint for some time and I thought the doors would be a good place to start.
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| This is how it comes, or you can buy the pigment and mix your own. |
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| First Coat - diluted 10% |
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| Finished and I even painted the sun chair! |
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| A little glimpse of Martin's Dry Stone Wall |
I did the two coats over a couple of days, but with smaller projects you could easily finish in a day, as the paint is dry after one hour, so plenty of time to apply the second coat.
If you want more information on Falu Rödfärg Swedish Red Paint - here is the main
website where you will find where to buy the paint in your country and lots of other interesting facts about this gorgeous glowing red paint!
