Udderly in Love with Milk Paint

Someone asked me to clarify what milk paint was, so I thought I'd write about it because I do love working with it. Milk paint has been used for hundreds of years, and is zero V.O.C. While you can still buy natural milk paint made with casein, I haven't done so...yet. I think I might try it, but it has to be mixed from a powder, stored in the refrigerator, and it expires in 2-4 weeks. This website says it is a textured paint which will show brush and lap lines that can be sanded. I do run 0000 steel wool over my painted pieces most of the time, anyway, so I may try it one day. The colors are very earthy and beautiful.

I've been really satisfied with an acrylic milk paint product by General Finishes. I buy it at my local Rockler store. It goes on so smooth, better than any latex or enamel I've used. I can put on several coats in one day, one right after the other, because it dries instantly. What's different about it than some of the other popular paints is that it dries nice and hard. I don't how some of the others feel (rubbery) and like they need a year to cure before using them.

I've used Antique White on the table posted above, Lamp Black on this roll top desk, and I just bought Brick Red for a bench I'm doing. Antique White needs to be thinned a little bit. For the white table (and black desk), I just used a foam roller and I love the look of it. After I got enough coverage, I distressed it, then put on one coat of topcoat (two may have been okay or better) to have something slick to work my glaze over since this paint is FLAT. (Scrubby sponges are great if glaze dries too fast and you want to take more off.) Milk paint is very chalky, and when you use Lamp Black, it will even look chalky white when you rub your hand over it, but that all goes away when you topcoat everything at the end.

Milk paint can be purchased at woodworking shops or online:

Rockler

General Finishes

I hope this helps! Let me know if you try it. I'd love to hear what you think!