Home » Misc » Milk painted furniture

Milk painted furniture


Here's How And Why You Should Do It

Skip to content

One of the greatest things about milk paint is that you can achieve such an incredible range of looks and finishes with the medium. Suitable for numerous projects on porous surfaces indoors and out, milk paint like Real Milk Paint offers smooth, even coverage that stays put on old furniture and is safe for kids and pets. This incredible versatility makes milk paints the go-to choice for furniture makers, designers, and do-it-yourselfers when they want to achieve a professional-looking finish makeover of your wood piece.

A short visit to Pinterest can provide endless inspiration for milk paint furniture refinishing projects to work on if you’re looking for a practical way to spend your weekend. In fact, you may already have a furniture paint to-do list on your phone or notepad. But if you don’t know just where to begin when it comes to painting furniture using milk paint, we’ve prepared a few easy tips to get you started with this nontoxic medium that utilizes natural pigments.

Refer to this primer on using milk paint for furniture to learn how to bring new life to old pieces, but keep in mind these tips work equally well on most any milk paint project. No matter if you want to add color to raw wood chairs you’ve built, refinish furniture like china cabinets handed down from family members or restore an old table you snagged at a tag sale, Real Milk Paint has you covered.

Paint Furniture With Milk Paint

Reasons abound for using Real Milk Paint in your furniture makeovers rather than other paints like chalk paint. Made from all-natural ingredients including milk protein, lime, and pigment, our milk paints offer complete environmentally friendliness with a formulation that’s free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The mostly odorless formulation also makes our medium safe to use in areas without a lot of ventilation where you want to paint furniture with milk paint.

Since Real Milk Paint comes in powder form and you mix it yourself, it’s likely thinner than other paints you’ve used, so it may take you a bit of time to get used to it. This variable consistency, however, helps you achieve the right thinness or thickness for your projects. Unlike milk paint brands that come ready to use, our milk paint powder lets you mix paint to the perfect consistency and create only as much or as little as you need to paint furniture, and it simplifies storage of the milk paint powder between projects.

Painting Wood Furniture Technique: Untreated or Raw Wood

There’s no need to use a primer or do much prep work before using milk paint to paint furniture or home decor, but keep in mind that it’s always best to follow the grain when painting raw wood. Since this medium comes in a powder form, you must first mix milk paint before you begin your project. To do this, you need water and an empty container in which to shake or stir the water and milk paint powder formulation.

Typically, our milk paint mix has a 1:1 ratio with water. Tap water is suitable, but for best results use distilled water. Simply add the mixture to an empty container, then mix it up until the contents are blended completely. After you mix milk paint, let the paint sit for roughly 20 minutes for any naturally occurring foam to settle. If you’d rather avoid letting the paint sit, add our Anti-Foaming Agent to the mixture according to the instructions so you can use your mixture immediately.

Painting Two Colors for a Rustic Look

Choose two complementary yet contrasting paint colors, like blue and white milk paint. For this DIY project, start painting the undercoat color. Lightly sand the surface to which you’re applying milk paint to help the paint adhere, wipe away the dust, then use a paintbrush to apply one coat thinly.

Let that first coat dry for a half hout to an hour depending on the ambient conditions, then apply a second coat. Allow the freshly painted surface to dry overnight, because allowing the undercoat color to dry completely usually prevents the colors from mixing or muddling.

Next, apply one coat of paint in the second color and wait 20 minutes to an hour for it to dry. Then, dip a clean cloth in a bucket of water, wring it out well, then wipe it across areas where you’d like the undercoat color to show. Usually, those areas, including edges and spaces near handles, are best suited to distressed paint techniques. The cloth should slowly lift some color from the painted surface for a unique look.

If you’d like the rustic appearance to be more pronounced and look more antiqued, you can use fine-grit sandpaper to rough up a tough coat of milk paint a bit. Keep in mind, however, that sandpaper is much harder to control during the distressing process.

Painting Over a Finished Surface

In most cases, you can apply milk paint directly over an already finished surface. To get a uniform and not a distressed finish, however, you may need to add a bonding agent like our Ultra Bond Adhesion Promoter to your milk paint powder mixture to ensure the paint adheres well to your surface. On the other hand, if you prefer a distressed or chippy look, apply the paint directly to the finished surface, making sure it’s clean first. When using true milk paint, chipping or flaking can occur when applied to a finished surface, giving you a natural antiqued look.

Getting a More Distressed Look

When painting your piece of furniture, if you want to achieve an even more rustic look, you can apply some Chippy Paste where you want it to look like the paint has chipped off for an authentically antique look.

For a crackled look, apply two thin coats of Natural Crackle Paint Finish as a topcoat over the first coat of milk paint you want to show through, allowing each coat to dry. Then, apply two coats of the top color of milk paint. The first coat should still be a bit wet when you apply the second coat. When you’re done, you can protect the existing finish of your painted furniture with a coat of pure tung oil, a finishing cream, a glaze or furniture wax.

Now that you understand the basics of distressing furniture, here’s an expert at the craft — Christina from Pretty Distressed — to help you learn more. If you’re looking for more painting tips, check out the blog for tons more DIY painting techniques and tips.

What is your business or online name?

Pretty Distressed

What is your first name?

Christina

If you had to give a 140 character summary of who you are and what you do, what would that be? (Don’t worry, you can cheat a bit on the character count!)

I’m a full time YouTuber and the creative force behind Pretty Distressed. You can find me making over thrifted furniture on my YouTube channel with over 385K subscribers as well as on Instagram and Tik Tok. I started Pretty Distressed in 2014 as a creative outlet from my day-to-day duties as a stay-at-home mom and have grown my brand into an authority in the furniture flipping space across all social platforms.

Could you explain your journey in how you came to be in the craft/trade that you are currently in?

I started thrifting and flipping furniture as a hobby back in 2014. We had recently relocated to be near family, and bought quite a fixer upper. After new floors, carpet, lights, etc. there just wasn’t any budget left to furnish our home. It gave me the push I needed to start making over furniture we had and things I thrifted. I quickly fell in love with transforming old, discarded furniture. And it wasn’t long after that I started doing furniture flips for clients and selling online.

What is your favorite part about your craft/trade?

I love the symbolism behind what I do. I’m taking things that are discarded that someone thinks don’t hold value anymore, and redeeming them and giving them new life for someone else to enjoy. I love the message that anything can be brought back to life with a little love and care.

How did you find out about Real Milk Paint Co?

I found the Real Milk Paint Co through some amazing projects on Pinterest. I’m based in Tennessee where it is made, and just love the intention behind the brand and its products.

What is your favorite project to do with our products?

I’m a sucker for a chippy, old world finish, so I love using The Real Milk Paint Co. on really old furniture to give it that lived in look.

Do you have a particularly favorite product of ours? If so, what would be one tip/trick to offer to others that you have found produced great results?

I love all sealing waxes and how they give a rich finish free of brush strokes. I recently used the Wood Wax on a two toned piece that had natural wood and milk painted portions. I love that it is all natural and even food safe, and gave a beautiful finish on both substrates. When I’m applying it to a dark color, I like to use a dark old t-shirt to reduce any white lint popping up on my piece.

If you had to give one tip to those looking to “follow in your footsteps” what would it be?

Just create and don’t worry about what other people think. You will have people who love your projects and some that really hate them. You don’t have to please everyone, so don’t be afraid to be creative.

Where can people see your work or contact you?

https://www.prettydistressed.com/ https://www.instagram.com/pretty_distressed/ https://www.facebook.com/prettydistressed
https://www.youtube.com/christinamuscari https://www.tiktok.com/@pretty_distressed

Products Used:

Milk paint Mustard, Soft Wax Clear, Milk Paint Cheesecake, Arabian Night, Wood Wax

What is the best email to contact you by? This will only be used by us if we need additional information, clarification, or notifying you about your feature.

[email protected]

Trustpilot

Page load link

Painting Furniture with Milk Paint

Milk paint is such a fun paint to play with! It dries fast, creates an authentically old finish and is made of natural products. Here are the best tips and tricks for painting furniture with milk paint!

Get more tips and ideas for painting furniture here.

If you haven’t tried milk paint, and you love old things, you are missing out!

What is Milk Paint Good For?

Milk paint creates a fantastically authentic old world look on your freshly painted furniture!

You can create a chippy old finish, or you can create a solid painted finish that looks like it was painted a long time ago.

The best part is that it dries super fast, so you can go from start to finish before you know it!

And it’s made from natural products that are safe for your family. No need to worry about fumes that will give you a headache!

Something to be aware of though! If you are a perfectionist that needs to be in control, this is not the paint for you. Milk paint has a mind of its own!

Sometimes it will chip, other times, it won’t chip at all. Even if you are intentional with what you do before you paint.

The exception to this rule is when you paint over a factory finish from a store like Ikea.

That factory finish will always always always make all of your milk paint chip off. Seriously, don’t try that at home.

Learn more about painting IKEA furniture here.

Use milk paint with an old piece of WOOD furniture for the best results.

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. I also may earn from other qualifying purchases with other companies or get free product to review and use. All opinions are my own.

How to Paint Furniture with Milk Paint

Prepping for Milk Paint

The way you prep furniture for milk paint will depend on what type of finish you’re going for.

Do you want a super smooth, modern and perfect finish? (Powdered milk paint might NOT be the right choice for you!)

Check out the best paints for furniture to pick a better paint for your furniture.

Or do you want a chippy old world looking finish?

First, clean the surface really well (I like to use Krud Kutter to clean old pieces of furniture).

Learn more about How to Clean Furniture Before Painting.

Do I Have to Sand Before Using Milk Paint?

If you’re looking for an authentic old looking paint job that DOESN’T have chips in it, you have to sand to make sure the milk paint doesn’t chip.

Learn more about The Importance of Sanding Before Painting Furniture

Bonding agent is kind of like a primer that is specific for milk paint. There are other primers for painting furniture, but bonding agent is the best for milk paint.

If you’re looking for an authentic old looking paint job that HAS chips in it:

If you’re trying to get a chippy finish, you’ll most likely want to skip scuff sanding. (Unless the finish on your furniture is absolutely perfect and more on the slick side. Then you might want to lightly scuff sand, or wipe it down with a sander deglosser.)

Mixing Milk Paint

Milk paint comes in a powdered form that has a very long shelf life. But once it’s mixed up, milk paint doesn’t last very long.

So, you have to mix your milk paint with water.

Get the exact measurements and tips from the pros on how to mix milk paint here.

Painting Furniture with Milk Paint

Once your milk paint is mixed up and your furniture is prepped for paint, you’re ready to paint!

It’s pretty straight forward. Brush on a couple of coats of paint with a paintbrush. Make sure to let each coat dry completely before moving onto the next coat.

Learn how to use milk paint on furniture here.

The Best Paint Brushes For Painting Furniture

As for paintbrushes, these Zibra paint brushes are the very best paint brushes to paint furniture with milk paint!

The different shapes make it SO. DARN. EASY. to get into the details, corners, and different areas of each piece of furniture.

Just trust me on this one. If you paint furniture very much, you need a Zibra paintbrush.

They are very affordable and can definitely be reused time and time again.

My favorite is the round brush, and then probably either the triangle brush or the square brush.

They are also excellent for crafts and painting walls as well!

Learn about all of the best paint brushes for painting furniture here.

Can You Spray Milk Paint?

But, if you have a paint sprayer, you might be wondering “can you spray milk paint?”

The answer is YES!! Check out the link above with exactly how to spray milk paint!

Distressing Milk Paint

Distressing is where the fun part comes in! Especially when you are wanting a chippy painted finish!

Distressing will help the resisting paint chip off here and there to create the coolest farmhouse chippy furniture. I just LOVE it so much!!

Here are Distressing Furniture: 6 Techniques Anyone Can Do

How to Seal Milk Paint

Since milk paint is porous like chalk paint, you have to seal it when it’s on high-traffic surfaces like furniture.

Don’t worry though, sealing milk paint is very easy and shouldn’t take you much time!

It’s the last step to your furniture makeover, and then you’ll be set!! Yay!!

Check out 3 ways to seal milk paint here!

Here’s how to topcoat painted furniture.

If you want to spray a topcoat on, here is how to spray polyurethane.

Mixing Milk Paint Colors

Just like with regular liquid paint, you can mix milk paint colors to create a unique shade of your favorite color.

I’m not going to lie, it’s a little bit different than mixing your typical paint.

So I decided to show you step by step how to mix milk paint colors.

Warning: It’s a little addicting to use up the last little bit of powdered milk paint by mixing it with other colors!

Milk Painted Furniture

Best Milk Paint for Furniture

I’ve tried multiple brands of milk paint. From Miss Mustard Seed, Sweet Pickins, Old Barn Milk Paint, Shackteau Interiors Milk Paint, and The Real Milk Paint.

Please note that General Finishes Milk Paint is not the same as powdered milk paint. It does not come in a powdered form, and it DOES NOT chip or create an old-world finish like powdered milk paint does.

But my go-to brand of milk paint is Shackteau Interiors Milk Paint. She actually uses her milk paint almost every single day and shares her painting adventures on Instagram Stories.

But honestly, I haven’t had any problems with any other brand of milk paint. They all seem to act about the same.

The one difference is The Real Milk Paint Company.

Their milk paint is different than any of the others. It has a gritter texture once dried, and it doesn’t chip as much as the others do. It also foams up a lot more than the others.

So it all comes down to preference and what is the easiest for you to buy. Or what color you like best!

They all have bonding agents that help the paint stick if you don’t want a chippy painted finish.

Is there a difference between Chalk Paint and Milk Paint?

Yes! Here are some differences between chalk paint and milk paint.

Milk paint (if it’s real casein milk paint) comes in a powder that has to be mixed with water. Chalk paint comes premixed and ready to paint.

Milk paint can easily create a unique chipped paint look when the surface that it’s painted on is just right. Chalk paint creates a solid painted finish without chips (unless you try to create a chippy look with it).

Milk paint has some grittiness to its texture. If it’s mixed really well, you’ll have less of it. Chalk paint has a chalky texture.

If you want milk paint to adhere and not chip, you’ll need to add some bonding agent to it after you mix it up.

Chalk paint will adhere and not chip as long as you prep your surface. If you don’t prep your surface, the chalk paint won’t chip, but it will scratch off very easily.

Similarities Between Chalk Paint and Milk Paint

Both milk paint and chalk paint dry to a matte finish.

They both in general have great adhesion (better than latex paint!)

And they both need to be top coated.

Where Can I Buy Milk Paint

Here is a list of where you can find milk paint for furniture online:

If you’re looking for where to buy milk paint locally, you can google search your paint of choice followed by “retailers,” and you should find a list of local retailers.

Is Rust-oleum Milk Paint Real Milk Paint?

No. Rust-oleum milk paint is not a real casein milk paint like powdered milk paint is.

But it does seem to act similar to real milk paint (it doesn’t chip like real milk paint though!)

It feels gritty like real milk paint does, and it distresses beautifully as well. It’s also really good for creating a washed look.

It’s already mixed up so you don’t have to mix powder and water together as you do with real milk paint.

Check out this post to learn more about Rust-oleum Milk Paint.

Now that you know all about painting furniture with milk paint, you’re ready to go paint your own furniture!

Follow us on YouTube to get more tips for painting furniture.

Or share your project with us on our Facebook Group and be part of our community. See you there!

Other Ways to Paint Furniture

Milky furniture: photos, interior ideas

One of the possible alternatives to gray or white furniture is milky. This is one of the universal shades that easily "fits" into the interior of the style of minimalism, modern modern, classic or even country. It blends elegantly with other colors. In fact, milky is one of the options for white, which is more saturated. There are also other options: cream, vanilla, champagne, etc. , but now about milk, and the first example is in the photo below:

Looking at this bed, you can immediately see that it is made in milky color, and not just white. Against the background of light brown walls, the model looks good, modern and light. It is pleasant to be in such a bedroom, so the idea should be taken into account.

What do you think about this very unusual sofa with a strange shape? Milky color against the background of blue wallpaper looks great. Particular attention is paid to the floor, or rather to the combination of color shades. Harmoniously in this room, the chair looks exactly the same as color and shape. And in general, it is not the color that is important in this example, but the unusual shape and design of the furniture. Hue is secondary.

And back to the bedroom. In this case, our furniture is made in white, but there are elements of dairy. As a result, the room becomes softer and more comfortable. Pay attention to the cream walls - they go well with white and dairy furniture.

Above in the photo - a warm set in a milky-colored children's room. Unlike just white, this color is more pleasant to look at, and in general, such a shade is the best fit for children's rooms.

Stylish interior of the living room, where the main color is milky. Here in the center there is a practical corner sofa, and opposite - a wall with a TV. Pay attention to the snow-white table in the center. Using his example, it is quite easy to understand the difference between these two colors - white and milky. Take note of the very idea of ​​​​the interior of the living room - it is implemented in most modern apartments.

One of the best light living room designs pictured above. White walls, no curtains and almost nothing superfluous. A milky sofa, armchairs and small ottomans that play the role of a table harmoniously fit into this snow-white interior. The wooden floor with the same warm habitual shade is also perfectly “inscribed”. Just being in such a room is already a pleasure, the hand of the designer is felt here.

Another great example of the use of milky furniture in the interior of the living room. And again, the photo shows an example of combining white with milky, and bright differences in tones are also visible here. I would like to draw attention to the presence of brown in the interior: pillows, curtains, stripes on the floor. They, it seems to me, create some "zest".

And again living rooms… they are already pretty fed up. Here you can see the beige interior, in which there is a milk-colored sofa. It again stands out from the general tone, does not merge with the interior, which is correct from the point of view of design. Lilac-colored furniture is also well-fitted. Despite the big difference in tones, it looks harmonious.

Let's move away from the living rooms a bit and move on to the bedroom. The photo shows a pronounced classic and one of the best interiors in this style. White curtains, a table, a cream bed and milky walls, from which the color smoothly passes to the head of the bed and to the bedside table. The bedspread on the bed is cream, and as you can see, it also goes well with milk.

You can't ignore the kitchen as well, and if we talk about furniture, then we are talking about kitchen sets. Photo Attention:

Very stylish set with warm undertones. With it, the kitchen becomes bright and very cozy. But the idea itself does not carry anything of value - many kitchen interiors are made in this style.

Minimalism is all the rage these days and the milky color goes well with this style. The kitchen set in the photo above is made in minimalism, but the strange inscription CUBA is superfluous here.

Well, the last interior, which will be today's final note. And again, minimalism. Incredibly bright and light kitchen with the main color - milky. I don’t want to describe too much, just enjoy the designer’s great idea and its excellent implementation.

Milky color in the interior: 5 secrets of a cozy space