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In the modern world residential and commercial painting is a major part of the building trade and everyday life, but how many of us know when and how this important trade began? Let’s take a brief look at the history of house painting.

The Caveman

Even back in the caveman days of some 40,000 years ago man had been decorating his living space. In the case of the caveman he would have used substances like soot from the fire and blood from animals as a form of paint. Coloured earth mixed with animal fat is thought to be another way the caveman derived colour for his crude cave wall art. What the caveman used as a paintbrush, no one really knows.

The Egyptians

The Egyptians had many artisans who would be commissioned to paint brightly-coloured murals around the cities and in the tombs of the Pharaohs. Apparently the Egyptians created different colour paints by blending oil or fat with substances like: animal blood, ground glass, ground gemstones, earth and lead. Their colour palette included: Blue, black, green, yellow, red and white.

Traditional House Painting

There is enough evidence to suggest that traditional house painting grew roots in the 1200s, and by the 14^th century, house painting became officially recognised as a trade in England. Those in this new profession organised themselves into guilds and their paint mixing techniques and application skills were a closely-guarded secret for quite some time. They did this in order to protect their way of making a living.

Colonial America

The practice of house painting was largely avoided during the early settlement of America, as the Pilgrims considered the act of painting one’s house a form of vanity to display one’s wealth. Despite these early objections, the demand for house painting grew in America. Both oil and water became the standard bases for paint, and colours were created by mixing in substances such as: Coffee, copper oxide, fruits, berries, and other earth and vegetation. Painting tools very similar to today’s tools evolved, with brushes with wooden handles and animal hair used for bristles.

1700s And Beyond

When a machine for grinding colours was invented in 1718 by Marshall Smith, a revolution in the painting industry began. There was a race for innovative ways to improve the process of making and mixing paints. Paint mills formed. Linseed oil started being used as a base. It was less expensive and protected the wood being painted. Ready-to-use paint first came onto the market in 1866, and later a man named Henry Sherwin developed a paint tin that could be resealed. 1982 saw the advent of the computer-based colour matching system for paint.

For Painters Brisbane Call DR Paint

Now, while head painter, Darran Russell, at DR Paint in Brisbane hasn’t been painting for thousands of years, he does have over 30 years professional painting experience. So get in touch today with one of the most experienced painters Brisbane has to offer. Quotes are free and customer satisfaction is guaranteed.