Painting the Eiffel Tower
The repainting campaign is an important event in the life of the monument and takes on a truly mythical nature, as with everything linked to the Eiffel Tower. It represents the lasting quality of a work of art known all over the world, the colour of the monument that is symbolic of the Parisian cityscape, the technical prowess of painters unaffected by vertigo, and the importance of the methods implemented.
The Tower's protection
Constructed using puddle iron, the Tower is protected from oxidation by several coats of paint to ensure that it lives forever.
In 1900, in his book " The 300-Meter Tower ", Gustave Eiffel wrote:
We will most likely never realize the full importance of painting the Tower, that it is the essential element in the conservation of metal works and the more meticulous the paint job, the longer the Tower shall endure.
In 136 years, the Eiffel Tower has already been repainted 20 times—an average of once every 7 years. In 2019, the monument began its 20th painting campaign, an unprecedented effort due to its scale and complexity, which, for the first time, included stripping parts of the structure. For the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the entire world got to admire the Tower proudly displaying its new and radiant yellow-brown color!
The current color of the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower has regained its yellow-brown color, which Gustave Eiffel chose for the monument in 1907. A shade that will continue to shine over the city of Paris for many years to come!
How many times has the Eiffel Tower been repainted
In 136 years, the Eiffel Tower has been repainted 20 times, an absolute necessity to ensure its longevity.
20
The number
The history of the colors of the Eiffel Tower
The painting campaigns have occasionally transformed the Parisian landscape. From red to yellow, with various shades of brown in between, here is the surprising story of the Tower's 8 first colors.
The first color used on the Eiffel Tower was applied directly at Gustave Eiffel’s workshops in Levallois-Perret. Venetian red was the color that made the Tower shine during its assembly in 1887 and 1888. This was quickly covered for the 1889 World’s Fair with a thick coat of reddish brown.
In 1892, the Tower traded that shade for a more ochre tone and became ochre-brown. In 1899, just before the 1900 World’s Fair, the Tower turned yellow: five gradient shades, ranging from orange-yellow at the base to light yellow at the top, were applied to create a uniform look against the Parisian sky.
When the Tower became a permanent fixture in 1907, Gustave Eiffel chose the yellow-brown color that remained for 47 years. The 1954 campaign marked a subtle return to the Tower’s early days with a reddish-brown color. In 1968, a specially designed color created exclusively for the Iron Lady was chosen to harmonize with the Parisian landscape—a bronze-like hue known as “Eiffel Tower brown”, which lasted over 50 years.
For its 20th painting campaign started in 2019, the monument returned to the historic 1907 shade: yellow-brown. This tone reflects the original choice Gustave Eiffel made when the Tower became a lasting symbol of Paris.
Background of the Eiffel Tower's colours:
- 1887/88 : "Venetian red" paint, applied in the workshop before the parts were assembled.
- 1889 : Application of a very thick, reddish-brown coat.
- 1892 : The Tower turns "ochre brown".
- 1899 : A coat of 5 colours is painted in shaded tones from yellow-orange at the base to light yellow at the top. It was after this repainting campaign that the 7-year cycle was adopted for the renewal of the paintwork.
- 1907-1917-1924-1932-1939-1947 : The colour is called "yellow-brown". The 1917 repainting was delayed because of the war.
- 1954-61 : A new colour for the Eiffel Tower: "brownish-red".
- 1968-2019 : The colour “Eiffel Tower Brown” is chosen for its harmony with the Parisian cityscape. It was applied in three shaded tones, with the darkest at the bottom and the lightest at the top.
The colour is made up of three different tones
Darker at the base and lighter towards the top to create a visual impression of uniformity.
tones
3
The numberA few figures
- About 50 painters – all of them specialists in work on metallic structures at great heights and on towers, and completely unaffected by vertigo;
- 60 tonnes of paint;
- the weight of eroded paint between two painting campaigns is estimated at 15 tonnes;
- 55 kilometres of safety line;
- 250,000 square meters are repainted.
A Guide to the Repainting Campaigns:
First things first: security equipment
Before the painters begin, specialists in work on tall buildings first fit safety nets and safety lines.
Safety Lines
Painters are equipped with harnesses to work on the Eiffel Tower's beams. Their security is ensured under the best possible conditions thanks to the systematic installation of safety lines (lignes de vie), which allow the workers to move around freely while staying attached to the structure at all times.
Safety nets
Safety nets are fitted to secure the work areas (against falling objects) and to catch any paint flakes. In 2009 they were equipped with an “anti-drip” system for the first time, using polymer film.
Tool safety
All of the tools used are attached to the painters’ belts or wrists, including paint pots and brushes.
The Painter’s Work: Diagnose, clean, apply paint
Each campaign provides an opportunity to check the condition of the structure in detail and replace any small corroded metal parts if necessary.
The scale and complexity of the work requires a rigorous methodology that includes a preparatory phase to identify the most corroded areas, expose these areas, carry out any necessary structural repairs, then apply a first coat of rust-proof primer, followed by a second coat of rust-proof reinforcement. Finally, a coat of finish paint is applied.
It is important to note that painters still work today using traditional methods that were already in use in Gustave Eiffel's time: most of the paint on the Eiffel Tower is applied manually with a guipon brush.
Depending on its complexity, a painting campaign can last between 18 months and more than three years, with interruptions due to weather conditions in both winter and summer potentially disrupting the process: it is impossible to paint on structures that are too cold, and paint does not adhere well to wet structures.
