To protect the Eiffel Tower, workers periodically strip old paint from the structure, treat the surface with rust-proofing chemicals, and then repaint the entire monument. This happens about every seven years and is done mostly by hand. It takes about 61,000 liters (16,100 gallons) of paint to cover all 250,000 square meters (2.7 million square feet) of the tower. That’s an area the size of 47 football fields!
Over the years, the tower has been painted a variety of colors, including reddish brown, yellow, chestnut, and bronze. The structure’s most recent paint job began in 2019 and is set to be completed this year. The latest coat is a new golden hue in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.