What is Milk Paint – How Do You Use It Correctly?

Are you planning a painting project at home? If so, it’s important to get ready and prepare properly by first assessing the surfaces you’ll be painting—whether it’s furniture, flooring, walls, or the ceiling.

Each surface requires a specific type of paint to ensure a good finish and durability. Among the various options, milk paint has stood out as one of the best choices for decades because it gives your surfaces a vintage appearance that can last for many years.

For this reason, I love experimenting with these paints all the time when I need to redo the furniture and other surfaces in my home.

What is Milk Paint?

Milk paint is a kind of non-toxic, biodegradable paint comprised of all-natural ingredients, such as casein milk protein, clay, lime, and water. It’s basically designed to be used on furniture made up of wood (like your kitchen cabinets) but you can use it on various other surfaces as well.

Unlike other paints, Milk paint doesn’t come as liquid paint in a bucket. Instead, it is sold as a powdery substance that you have to liquefy by mixing water.

With these paints, you don’t even need to wait 24 hours for the paint to dry as you do with oil-based paints – milk paint takes under 30 minutes to dry.

Plus, there are no toxic chemicals, VOCs, or ingredients in milk paint, which means there are no dangerous fumes that emit from it while painting. This also means that the paint is safe for small children and pets.

Benefits of Using Milk Paint

The major benefit of using milk paint for painting furniture and other items is it requires no sanding of the surface, mainly if you mix the paint with an equal part of a bonding agent.

It also doesn’t require you to add a coat of primer beforehand. You can apply milk paint straight onto any surface. Besides wood furniture, some of the other most common projects for which people use milk paint are for painting wooden kid’s toys, drywall, plaster, concrete, brick, terra cotta, metal, glass, plastic, laminate

Using latex paint on a furniture surface would require you to prime, sand, and clean the surface before you paint it. Plus, it would take many hours for the latex paint to dry.

As for oil paint, the wait time is even worse because oil paint takes an entire day to dry. You would also have to do the same preparatory work on the surface.

The only thing that oil paint and latex paint have in common with milk paint is their ability to change the color of your furniture. Aside from that, milk paint has completely different attributes than those other two paints.

The special qualities and its characteristics make milk paint so much easier to apply to the surface of your furniture. You won’t be hurting the environment either because all the ingredients in the paint are 100% natural.

Just in case you want to paint latex over milk paint in the future – you can do that as well. However, this would be possible if you haven’t sealed or waxed the surface.

Mixing milk paint with latex paint is also possible if you want to do so to achieve a soft, smooth, and creamy look.

With so many advantages, there is no reason not to use milk paint, regardless of the type of project you have. With a quart of it, you can easily cover around 50-70 square feet or about 280 square feet per gallon.

Did I mention that milk paint is also much cheaper than latex and oil paint? That’s right; you can enjoy the extra benefits of milk paint for a much cheaper cost.

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How to Use Milk Paint on Furniture?

If you love the idea of using milk paint on your furniture and are ready to start, there are a few things you will need to keep in mind…

First of all, you will need to wear gloves (if you have sensitive skin) and protect your eyes. Although non-toxic, if it gets into the eyes, it may cause a burning sensation due to its lime content.

Secondly clean and sand the surface to remove all the dust, dirt, grime or paint finish on the furniture piece. If required you can use a mild soap solution or a degreaser.

Once you have cleaned the furniture, you are ready for milk paint preparation and application.

Step 1 – Preparing the paint

When you purchase milk paint, it will appear as a powdery substance. So, you will need to mix one part of water with one part of powder to create a thick liquid substance.

Use a mini whisk, milk frother, or your old kitchen blender, and keep stirring the mixture for about 20 to 30 minutes to make the paint thicker. Ensure that the paint powder dissolves completely and you get smooth mixes without lumps. It should be smooth and easy to apply without being too runny. If necessary, adjust the water-to-powder ratio to achieve the desired thickness.

If necessary, adjust the water-to-powder ratio to achieve the desired thickness. You can always thin the paint by adding a bit more water, particularly for a wash effect on a smoother surface.

If you see any foam starting to form because the two parts are not mixing properly, you can add some anti-foam solution to smooth out the mixture.

Be careful with how much anti-foam you add to the mixture. You don’t need to add more than a couple of drops for every pint of paint. If you make the paint too smooth, it won’t have that old-fashioned texture appearance to it.

Step 2 – Applying the milk paint

Milk paint is a versatile choice that is easy to apply with different paint brushes and even a paint sprayer. It mainly comes down to your budget and personal preference.

• A natural bristle paintbrush (or a standard chip brush) works best and is the most economical option for milk paint application.
• Use it to apply the paint following the grain of the wood.
• Allow the first coat to dry for 30 to 50 minutes. Once dry, lightly sand the surface and apply the second coat.
• After the milk paint application, use a dampened foam brush to smoothen the surface and get that perfect finish without any brush lines.

If you are working on a project that needs premium finishes, you can use a higher-end specialty brush like oval paint and glazing brushes. Although these brushes will cost extra, the money spent is well worth the extra investment as, with proper care, you can use them for more than one paint project.  

While you can use a bit thicker paint with a paintbrush, it’s a different story when you plan to use a paint spray gun.

For spraying milk paint (instead of brushing), you will need a 35-psi paint sprayer gun that comes with about a 2-millimeter sprayer tip. This type of paint sprayer will work well with most milk paint brands – just ensure you have the right paint consistency that can flow freely.

Step 2 – Sealing the milk paint on furniture

Sealing the applied milk paint using a tough milk paint sealer such as wood furniture wax is important if you want to get a soft, smooth finish that can last for a long.

Using a quality wax brush, you can easily apply it over the milk-painted surface. Once applied, do not forget to wipe off any extra wax using a clean rag.

If working with raw wood, you can use the wood wax in combination with a soapstone sealer that dries and protects the surface very well. When applied, it soaks down into the pores of the painted surface, which hardens over time to create a smooth finish.

A few other Eco-friendly products you can put over milk paint to seal it are:

• Hemp Oil
• Brown wax
• Pure tung oil
• Zero VOC wax
• Myland’s wax
• Clear Carnauba wax
• Water-Based Polyurethane

Once the project is complete, disposing of the left-out milk paint and water is easy. Since it’s environmentally friendly in nature, you can simply throw the old paint in your backyard garden or into the compost pile without any issues.

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Can You Use Milk Paint Outdoors?

Yes, milk paint can be used unlimitedly to paint your exterior objects, including outdoor garden furniture, deck, or patio.

Due to the pigments and ingredients included in the paint, the color and effect it creates won’t fade away fast, even when exposed to the UV rays of the sun.

To make the milk paint washable, you can additionally use an Outdoor Additive. It comes as a non-toxic, finely ground borax compound that can be mixed in your milk paint before application. Not only does it make the painted surface nearly waterproof but will help in protection from UV rays, stains, mold, and bacterial growth.

While porous surfaces like raw wood can be painted as such, you will need to use a product like UltraBond adhesion promoter and outdoor additives if you are painting over nonporous surfaces like plastic, metal, etc.

This will allow the paint to bond well and provide extra surface protection from outdoor mold, mildew, humidity, and temperature.

Where Can You Buy Milk Paint Powder From?

There are various brand stores where you can find milk paint online. Some of the most popular ones include:

• Sweet Pickins
• Miss Mustard Seed
• Old Barn Milk Paint
• The Real Milk Paint Co. (rebranded as RMP Finishes)

The RMP Finishes milk paint is my top favorite, as the paint you get here is available in 56 unique colors for everyone. Enjoy 10% off your order by using the coupon code: repaintnow.

Whether you prefer traditional, old-world tones or modern, vivid hues, their exclusive milk paint formulation consists of 100 percent organic, non-toxic ingredients, food contact safe, VOC free, and even biodegradable/compostable. This powdered paint can be combined with water just before use and it remains active for up to two weeks when in liquid form.

If you want to buy milk paint locally near you, you can search for “milk paint retailers near me” to find the list of local retailers that deal with these paint varieties.

Can you make your own DIY milk paint at home?

Yes, preparing homemade milk paint is pretty simple – just in case you don’t want to use store-bought paint to get that stunning aged look on your furniture.

Using the ingredients (like skim milk, lime juice, cheesecloth, and powdered pigments), you can follow the homemade recipe here to make the milk paint at home in a DIY way.

The major benefit of preparing homemade milk paint is it’s even more affordable and can be used whenever you want. For example, if you are thinking of urgently painting and selling your old wooden chair for cash, you can do it quickly within a few hours on sites like Craigslist, Recycler.com, or various Facebook Marketplace.

Is Chalk Paint and Milk Paint the Same or Different?

Do not confuse chalk paint with powdered milk paint because they are two different things. The basic difference between the two lies in the ingredients they are made up of. Milk Paint is made from 100% natural ingredients and is not as thick as chalk paint.

On the other hand, the ingredients of chalk paint include pigment, calcium carbonate, and talc and its look resembles a white acrylic matte color.

Although chalk paint is more expensive to purchase than milk paint, at least you don’t need to mix it with water first. It comes liquified for you to use immediately. Also, you don’t need to apply a bonding agent to surfaces that were finished previously. The same cannot be said for milk paint.

The thicker chalk paint can be a good choice if you want to avoid having a chippy appearance on your grainy wooden surface, like your wooden mirror frame. It’ll still look like a distressed vintage surface but without the chippy appearance.

Can you use milk paint over chalk paint?

You can absolutely use milk paint over chalk paint. And also, chalk paint over milk without any problem.

It has been seen that paints like latex can only adhere well if you haven’t sealed or waxed the chalk paint. But this is not the case with milk paint. This means you can use milk paint over waxed finish chalk paint without any considerable adherence issues.

However, to get a good finish with your milk paint, it’s recommended that you apply it on the furniture after the wax has been cured (which usually takes about 30 days). Also, consider scuffing the surface lightly with sandpaper before you apply the paint.

Note: Applying milk paint over waxed chalk paint will tend to leave a distressed final finish. So, if you want a super sleek, non-distressed final finish, it’s good to remove the wax using a bit of mineral spirit before applying the milk paint.

How Long Does Milk Paint Last – Is It Easy to Remove?

Powdered milk paint in its natural dry form can last for years as long as it’s kept in a cool, dry, and moisture-free place.

Some milk paints that come with additives can be preserved for two weeks to a month if kept in a sealed, airtight container. However, when opened and mixed, it will last for only a day or two because of the ingredients it has. If kept in a refrigerator, it may last up to a week or so.

When applied on the surface, the milk paint finish will last for about 2 to 5 years depending on the factors like:

• Whether the paint is sealed or not
• How well the surface is cleaned & maintained
• Whether the paint is applied on the interior or exterior surface

Whenever needed, removing milk paint is pretty easy and safe. However, the paint removers you use for standard latex or oil-based paints are not recommended for doing so.

Instead, there are specifically designed Milk Paint Removers available on the market. Mix two parts of this milk paint remover with one part of water to create a thick pancake batter-like paste. When applied, it gradually dissolves the milk paint on the surface.

The Milk Paint Remover is non-toxic and free from harmful fumes or chemicals, though it may emit a mild, earthy scent. One half-gallon of the solution generally covers about 80 to 120 square feet.

The Bottom Line

Milk paints are versatile and are great to work with – regardless of the type of project you have in hand. In fact, by using this forgiving formulation, you can easily transform any old surface in your house into a fresh and stylish object that blends beautifully with rustic décor.

Be aware that if you do not know the right application techniques, these paint formulations can go weird and messy too. So, make sure you get all the information on how to use milk paint, how to seal it, and what brand to choose before you plan to go and repaint your next project.