In the Middle Ages, pine tar was the only known method for preserving wood. It remains the best.

Extracting tar from wood has an almost unimaginably long history. There are indications that Neanderthals used tar. Much later, but still 7,000 years ago, tar was used in Mesopotamia. Since then, many have discovered the protective properties of pine tar—from the ancient Greeks to the Vikings. Since 1928, Auson has carried on the tradition. Today, pine tar is primarily used for houses. It’s a good idea.

During the Middle Ages, tar became a Swedish export product, growing into an important one in the following centuries. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Sweden was the world’s leading producer of tar and had an almost monopoly at times. We had plenty of forests. We still do. Demand steadily grew, not only abroad. Domestic demand was high, but since tar was such an important export product, the state tried to get Swedes to start painting with distemper paint instead. It was a successful propaganda, which, however, led to the much less protective and much less preservative red distemper paint taking over. That’s how it went. What we today refer to as red paint is actually a poor substitute for the genuine original product.

Red tar is the origin of all red paints. Original red paint. It consists of tar, red pigment, and balsam turpentine—which is also extracted from wood. Similarly, Black tar is the original of all black paints. Tar is the most original way to treat wood to preserve it. That’s why our oldest and most valuable cultural buildings can only be painted with pine tar paint. There is no better, more natural, or more sustainable way to preserve living wood. And none more beautiful, either.

Human history is fascinating. Today, more and more people care about sustainability. A thousand years ago, everything was organic. Now it’s an exception. But the original is still organic. Auson’s pine tar paints are a tribute to sustainability, beauty, and the forest.