What do perfume, popcorn, and paint have in common? They are products we use today that date back THOUSANDS of years! Milk paint, usually made from milk protein, lime, and pigment, is one of the earliest known forms of paint and was commonly used in Colonial America for both indoor and outdoor painting (history nerd here). And it's making a major comeback! So for the first time in my furniture artistry career, I decide it was time to try it out and see if the hype is actually worth it.
The Real Milk Paint is a kid-safe, environmentally-kind paint that has no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) so it was the perfect choice for my 2-year-old son's room. When do kids grow out of the everything has to be licked phase again?? I've been sitting on a small antique chest for over a year with little inspiration. Recently I was scrolling inspo photos for our new house and saw a beautifully painted, deep-colored antique that showed the wood grain. I fell in LOVE with the idea and finally had a plan for the chest! I selected The Real Milk Paint in color Blue Spruce for this project.
You mix the paint yourself with the provided powder, water, and a marble that comes in the can. This allowed me to tailor my paint to the consistency I wanted in order to still see the texture of the wood through it. I applied it with a natural hair brush and sanded in-between coats with high grit sanding pads which left me with no brush strokes. It's no secret that I prefer a sprayed finish for this reason, but RMP did not disappoint!
The real test was my usual scratch test as I do between coats on every piece. Full transparency, I expected it to come up, but my mind was BLOWN when it didn't budge! This stuff is staying! It is recommended that the paint still be top coated, however, so that water or oils do not compromise the finish. You can do this with a wax, paste, or good old fashioned Tung Oil .
But would I recommend it? I think this is an extremely beginner friendly paint option. With proper prep and work between coats as you should with any paint, you can get a beautiful finish that is DURABLE. Its customizable consistency allows you to achieve a viscosity that is most comfortable for you to work with without compromising the durability or integrity. So yes, I would!
You can't beat the therapy that comes from an afternoon outdoors hand-painting.
To finish this piece off I buffed in dark brown wax for depth and aging!
Be sure to check out the full process of the piece on my instagram or facebook!