In Närke, we have a proud tradition of red dye burning/production. At the estate Dylta bruk, red dye has been produced for over 300 years. Actually they started earlier than Falu copper mine. The red pigment produced here was quite a brilliant light red, the most similar is Falun's light red without linseed oil. The "regular red" from Falun has really only been used from around the 1950s when it took over for a few decades until today. But the bright red is gaining popularity again because enlightenment and because it is so beautiful!
Wood is alive and, unlike plastic and oil paints, mud paint lives with its substrate. It allows the wood to breathe, which reduces the risk of rotting, and it follows the wood's natural movements in sun, rain, snow, heat and cold.
At Ovolin we sell ready-made mud paint in several colors from Falu red and Gysinge.
It's also fine to cook your own slime paint...
Recipe for about 45 liters of red mud paint
- 50 liters of water
- 2 kg of iron vitriol
- 2-2.5 kg of rye flour or wheat flour
- 8 kg of red pigment (e.g. iron oxide red or red ochre).
This batch is enough for approximately 175 square meters of painted surface.
Leif mixes mud paint
A few things to keep in mind when painting with mud paint:
When repainting - sweep away old paint and dirt. Rinse with water. Then let dry before painting. Work in the color in thin layers. Too thick layers will cause the paint to flake off. Expect to use 1 liter of paint per 3-5 m2. When repainting, the paint can be diluted with water 15-20% the first coat. Do not paint in direct sunlight, during precipitation or temperatures below +5 degrees. Can be painted over after 1 day.
