Colored Coffins

Have you ever wondered why funerals were mostly colored in black; from the clothes people wore right to the coffin that the deceased were to be buried in. The main argument is that the choice of the somber color was made to project the feelings surrounding the person’s death. Though deaths are said to be a joyous occasion, something to look forward to in a sense - the person is always said to have gone to a happier place. Yet people still chose to pick black as the color to express their feelings.

Why Colored Coffins?

In today’s post-modern era, a new fad has come about, that is of colored coffins! Taste is a very personal thing, and some people have grown tired of the drab black and desire to go out in more style so to speak. Hence today we can get coffins in many colors and even designs. As a matter of fact, this tradition began even before in the middle ages. Back then, a cloth called a pall would be used to cover the coffins. At the beginning the cloth used were colorful ones - each color signifying something. However the choice of color then evolved to a black cloth and later still white.

How are the Colored Coffins Made?

The process of making a colored coffin is exactly the same as any other conventional coffin. The three main components of a coffin are the shell, the lining and the handles and accessories. A wooden casket is relatively simple to make; only involving cutting and piecing the wood together and then furnishing it (inside and out). Then the color is added on. This is done by using a spray gun, with a continuous supply of paint that is piped in through hoses. First the primer is sprayed on, and then the main color is painted on - which can be green, red, blue, yellow or anything that suits your fancy, provided that the price is right. After this, the coffin is baked in order to allow the paint to set. Accessories such as the handles, interior padding and corner plates are attached once the painting is complete.

Personalization

A plain colored coffin would then be considered to be ready to put on the market and sold. However, there is also an option of personalizing it even further. If you are not satisfied with an unconventional color and think that it still does not represent fully the deceased or to be deceased (hey, he or she might have been a colorful person in real life) one can always opt to further beautify the casket by painting certain themes or motifs onto the coffin as well. Thus a blue coffin can be made to have clouds decorated over it also, or perhaps a pink colored coffin could incorporate flowers onto it.

The coffin industry however does seem to be a dying one (no pun intended) as many more people are choosing to be cremated rather than buried, which is also due to lack of space and the price of obtaining plots. Yet there are still some manufacturers of coffins out there; such retailers can be found online.