You’re scrolling through Instagram and an image comes across your feed. The image is a beautiful, chippy vintage piece with tons of character that looks a hundred years old. You look over to a similar piece in your house wondering how the heck you can get your piece to look just like it, and then it hits you. MILK PAINT!
Milk paint is the only natural product on the market that can replicate a naturally aged finish. Being that milk paint is literally as old as time, it’s durability, finish and performance is one that can be sure to give you a finish you’ll love for years to come.
So here are three tips for prepping your milk paint that will help make your experience easy and stress free!
Mix a big batch!
One thing you should always consider when using milk paint is mixing more than you will think you need. A few reasons for this are porous surfaces absorbing paint heavily, unexpected chipping and needing more coats for better coverage.
One issue that seems to pop up occasionally is colour variation when separate batches are mixed. Mixing yourself one big batch eliminates colour variation and gives you more than enough product to work with. You may have some paint leftover, but you can always store it for a smaller project later in the week. As your paint begins to dry, you will be able to tell if you will have chipping or need further coats for coverage.
Since milk paint is usually mixed thin, you want to have a minimum of 2 coats for more opaque coverage.
first coat is slightly transparent.
second coat gives you full coverage.
Use a handheld blender!
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There are several ways to mix your milk paint. Some of the most popular methods include shaking in a mason jar, or using a whisk or a stir stick. One way to help break up pigment chunks and give you a creamy consistency is to use a hand held blender (aka frother…but don’t drink your milk paint!). This blender is battery powered and spins at a medium speed which means it won’t make a mess while you’re blending and it has enough power behind it to break up pigments.
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All you have to do is mix up your BIG batch of milk paint with your 1:1 ratio and start blending. You will want to blend for 1-2 minutes, making sure to get the powder mixed up into a creamy consistency. You many notice a “head” start to form on the milk paint, at which point you should stop mixing.
Wait for it!
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One last tip for prepping your milk paint is to let it sit. Right after you mix your milk paint, the pigments still need time to fully dissolve and blend in with your water. This allows the pigments to fully “ripen” to their true colour and it also makes a huge difference in preventing severe colour variation.
It’s best to let your paint sit for at least 15-20 minutes. During this time you can take care of some last minute prep or cleaning,. Once your milk paint has sat for the allotted time, you can get started on painting. Dip your brush, swirl around your container just to get the pigments moving again, and you are ready to paint! You can finish your piece with any milk-paint friendly finish, but our favourite to use is the Homestead House Furniture Wax. It’s as simple as applying, and buffing with a lint free cloth.
Now that your piece is finished, it’s time to find the perfect spot for it. A place where it can shine with all it’s character and glory!
Are you ready to give these milk paint tips a try? Let us know how these tips worked for you in the comments below!
