The Best Milk Paint
Milk paint is the oldest interior finish in continuous use in North America. The formula is simple: casein protein (from milk), lime, mineral pigments, and water. American colonial furniture was painted with milk paint. The Windsor chairs in Independence Hall were painted with milk paint. It is the finish that is still being mixed and applied the same way it was in 1760. Genuine milk paint comes as a powder that is mixed with water -- no petroleum, no solvents, no vinyl resins.
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How to Choose
Powder milk paint has better color depth and better adhesion than pre-mixed versions. Mix it to the consistency of heavy cream for a first coat; the second coat can be slightly thicker. Milk paint adheres well to bare wood and previously milk-painted surfaces. On previously painted surfaces, lightly sand or use a bonding agent. The finish will chip on high-wear surfaces unless topcoated with a wax or oil: beeswax gives a soft sheen; linseed oil gives a more durable matte finish. Milk paint is the correct choice for antique furniture reproduction and restoration.
The Real Milk Paint Co. Powder
The Real Milk Paint Co. produces a genuine casein-lime-pigment formula available in over 50 colors. Their powder mixes to a smooth, lump-free paint in two minutes. The colors are historically accurate -- they are taken from pigments available in 18th and 19th century America: barn red, tavern green, Federal blue, mustard, pitch black. No petroleum, no vinyl, no acrylic.
Powder milk paint gives you control over consistency that pre-mixed cannot. Thin for a wash, thick for full opacity -- the same pigment does both.
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Old Fashioned Milk Paint Federal Blue
Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Groton, Massachusetts has been producing historically accurate milk paint since 1974. Their Federal Blue is a deep, slightly grayed blue taken from documented 18th-century American interiors. Like all their colors, it ships as a dry powder that mixes with water and adheres to bare wood without primer. Apply with a China bristle brush, allow to dry completely between coats.
Federal Blue is one of the most historically documented American interior colors. Old Fashioned Milk Paint has been making it correctly since 1974.
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General Finishes Milk Paint Water-Based
General Finishes produces a pre-mixed water-based milk paint that delivers the flat, chalky appearance of traditional casein milk paint with improved chip resistance and easier application. It is not a true casein formula -- the base is acrylic -- but it is the correct choice for furniture that will see regular use where traditional milk paint would require frequent topcoating. Excellent adhesion over previously painted and lightly sanded surfaces.
For furniture that will take daily use, an acrylic milk paint formula provides the aesthetic of traditional milk paint with the durability of a modern binder.
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