Haint Blue - Contractor Talk - Professional Construction and Remodeling Forum

Dave R · 06-02-2008, 06:39 PM

I have a customer who has an old house, built in 1906. The house has a front porch and the customer wants the ceiling painted " Haint Blue". Evidently this was a popular color for porch ceilings in the South East coastal areas around Charleston SC, and Savannah Ga. during the 1800s. According to local legends, the blue colar is supposed to keep ghost away.
None of the paint suppliers around here have heard of it and therfore don't know what to mix. Have any of you ever heard of this color or have been asked to paint a porch ceiling this color? From the research I have done online, it appears to be a light, almost sky blue. I just wanted to find out if there was maybe an official "Haint Blue" color before I just randomly pick a shade of blue.

MALCO.New.York · 06-02-2008, 06:55 PM

Have a look here:

http://www.squidoo.com/haintblue

Dave R · 06-02-2008, 07:11 PM

Thanks MALCO,I checked out that site and sent the owner an email. Maybe they can help.

Sir Mixalot · 06-02-2008, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave R

. According to local legends, the blue color is supposed to keep ghost away.

I was told by a southern old timer years ago. That the blue porch ceilings kept mud dobbers and wasps from buliding their nests on them. The blue color fools them into thinking it's the sky. (In my best southern draw voice) Quote:They won't build their nest's there, if they think it's the sky.

Dave R · 06-02-2008, 07:48 PM

Yep, I heard that too. In the early days the paint had lime mixed in it. The lime probably had more to do with bugs staying away. Evidently, ghost were called "Haints" back then. The blue paint was to represent water which they were not able to cross. Some of the older more superstious people also painted door and window trim and shutters this color in an attempt to keep the Haints away.

firemike · 06-02-2008, 09:54 PM

My grandfather used to paint the ceilings/undersides of the barns, machine sheds and canopies a certain "sky" blue color to keep the birds from building nests in the buildings. From what I remember, it worked for the most part. Didn't know about the ghost or wasp thing though - very interesting.

mdshunk · 06-02-2008, 10:03 PM

I think most every old porch ceiling in my area is sky blue. I never knew quite why that was. I always thought it was to make the porch seem bigger. Now I know it was to keep away ghosts.