Reasons to try Milk Paint

Happy Friday! 

Today I thought I would share some interesting facts about milk paint you may not know. There are so many reasons to love it...

First of all, did you know you can mix your own colours?

Old Fashioned Milk Paint colors were developed to match the furniture and buildings shown at several restored villages in New England, and museum displays such as those in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Winterthur, Colonial Williamsburg and Philadelphia Museum of Art.The original Colonial pieces we copied were painted with home-made milk paint, with vivid colors and a most beautiful look of velvet.

But by producing batches of strong, rich colors OFMP have made it easy to adjust tinting to make pastels as well as an infinite variety of other hues by mixing our colors together. Practically any color can be matched by the user, the same way that artists have done with oil paints for centuries. You can have so much fun mixing the powders to achieve just the shade you want, in the knowledge that the colour will not change once water is added.

Other reasons to try Milk Paint 

1. Milk paint is fast drying quick drying and be applied in a few hours.
2. It’s very easy to use which is great if you are new to painting.
3. There are no fumes during use, and is safe enough to go down the kitchen sink
4. It’s hard wearing - probably the most durable paint of all.
5. Milk paint is self priming. On porous surfaces like wood it soaks right in, unlike regular paint that forms a coat on the surface.
6. If painting over old paint/varnish or any non-porous surface, milk paint needs a bonding agent added to the first coat if you don’t want to an antique or distressed look.
7. For the best effect on furniture, use thinner, not thicker coats. However you can use a thicker mix for things like stencilling, or thinner for a colour wash - just adjust the water quantity as desired.
8. You can apply it with a brush, roller or sprayer. If you use a sprayer strain the milk paint; a few times.
9. Milk paint can be unpredictable when it comes to distressing. You can get some amazing looks if you’re happy to experiment.
10. We recommend a one-to-one mix. Use a whisk or mix and shake it in a clean, wide mouthed jar which makes it easy to dip the brush. Shaking creates a paint full of air. Allow it to sit for an hour to allow the solids to settle.
11. Some like to use a blender to get a frothy milk paint while others say its best to mix by hand.
12. Stir before you start painting and regularly while you paint.  When mixing use hot water. This helps to dissolve any clumps, and gives you more paint and a more accurate color. Stir for a few minutes until you get a consistent liquid. Don’t panic about any clumps as they don’t show up when the paint dries.
13. While it doesn’t chip like normal paint it can be scratched or marked so best to seal with wax, varnish or oil if it's likely to get lots of use.
14. Oil or wax gives your piece a darker, rich color and luster and protects it from spills.
15. If you want to retain the matt chalky finish milk paint or don't want colour change, use a matt acrylic varnish.
16. Milk paint looks better as it ages. It ages beautifully, looking more polished with different levels of sheen.
17. You can mix powders and create new colors, as above 
18. Mixed milk paint also goes bad so use it on the day it is mixed or leave it overnight in the refrigerator and use the following day.
19. Unused milk paint powder should be sealed and kept in a dry area.
20. Milk paint is completely natural, non-toxic, eco friendly and odourless when dry, as well as being food safe. It doesn’t contain lead or chemicals.