Easy Milk Paint Tutorial

Milk Paint Tutorial,

We’ve been selling Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint since it was first introduced and we’ve yet to have a post totally dedicated to instruction. This is a complete milk paint tutorial from how to mix and use this wonderful paint to sealing the final results.

If you’ve followed us for any amount of time, you know that Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint is my go to paint. If you ask me why, I will tell you it is because it is so versatile. It is the most natural paint I know of and it does an awesome job! The number of painting techniques you can accomplish with this paint is endless! In this easy milk paint tutorial we’re going to show just two different applications of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint for your home done by Miss Mustard Seed.

*For this milk paint tutorial we will abbreviate Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint as MMSMP.

How to Mix MMSMP

Milk paint is a powder which you mix with water. It’s a one to one ratio to start with. Mix it and then let it set for 10-15 minutes for the water to absorb the powder. After that continue to stir as you paint to keep the pigments from settling to the bottom.

After you’ve mixed it one to one, you can then decide if you want it a bit thinner [add water] or if you prefer a thicker consistency [add more milk paint powder]

Rather than re-invent the wheel here is a video made by Marian aka Miss Mustard Seed showing you how to mix her milk paint. I always add the paint to lukewarm water but you can do it either way. This video mixes the paint and then adds the water. It’s a super quick video just to show how easy it is to mix milk paint!

Once you start painting more with milk paint you will have a preference of water first or powder and then water. This next video will show you when to do prep work before painting. We love the chippy, shabby chic or farmhouse style. But there are times when you might want to add the bonding agent if you want to be sure of a non-chippy finish. The hutch in the video had a stain on it and was prepped for milk paint.

MMSMP Over Previously Painted or Stained Surfaces

*Medium Grit Sandpaper is 120-150 grit

*The picture on the right is the finished hutch after 2 coats and a top coat. The video below shows Marian painting the second coat of this same hutch with tips on using milk paint.

MMSMP Over Raw or Unfinished Wood

Milk paint is the perfect paint for raw wood. It goes right in to the wood and acts like a stain as it binds with the substrate. When we do our clock and sign classes we  begin with raw wood. Our students are always impressed to see how the paint soaks right into the wood. The potting bench below is getting its first coat of milk paint. No need for bonding agent when you use raw wood.

Our clock faces begin as unfinished 24″ tabletops which we paint with typewriter MMSMP as the base coat. Then we use a wax puck [simply rub the wax over the previously painted areas before the second coat]to create a resist for the next layer of paint. Allowing the black to show through when lightly sanded. We continue this paint and resist sequence till we have the look we want.

How to Seal MMSMP

Milk Paint is a porous finish which needs to be sealed for protection and durability. The three most popular finishes are wax, hemp oil and tough coat.

MMSMP WAX

Our waxes are super smooth, no odor and easy to apply. The finish when buffed has been referred to as “European Hand Rubbed Finish  

Hemp OIL

Hemp oil is the next line of defense after wax when durability and protection is important. Hemp oil is also our wood finisher and old wood reviver. We’ve used it on leather boots and old cast iron scales to clean and polish. We use hemp oil to bring dried out wooden spoons and cutting boards back to life. Because hemp is food safe you can use it to protect all wooden utensils in your kitchen. Hemp Oil is incredibly versatile and has tons of practical applications.  It can be used as a finish over Milk Paint as a topcoat that seals your project and gives you the deepest and richest color of all our finishes.

Tough Coat Sealer

Tough Coat is the second liquid finish in our collection.  While Hemp Oil is an oil finish that is designed to soak into the surface and cure, Tough Coat is a water-based acrylic polymer resin that is formulated to lay on the surface and dry hard.

It comes in one size (500 ml) and once you start using it, you’ll wish it came in gallons!  Tough Coat is our favorite finish to use on pieces that have a chippy finish.  Whether that chippiness comes from original paint or a MMS Milk Paint finish, Tough Coat is the perfect finish to keep chippy paint in place for good!

Tough Coat dries to the touch quickly and like all of the other finishes, it needs 20-30 days to fully cure.  It should not be used in addition to any of our other finishes, but rather it’s to be used instead of our other finishes.  It should not be combined with waxes or Hemp Oil.  Tough Coat is a stand-alone finish that is intended for interior use only and is not food safe.

The best method of application is with a bristle brush or a foam applicator pad on flat surfaces. Tough Coat can be likened to a clear coat of nail polish.  It is meant to be applied over top of a surface and should not be over worked.  It is designed to lay down and dry hard on the surface.

Final Words

If you ever have any difficulty with any of our MMSMP products please feel free to contact us through this website. We’re here to help and we want every diy project you put your time into, to have the results you’ve intended! All of the products in this Milk Paint Tutorial can be found right here on this site MMSMP PRODUCTS

Thanks for visiting,

Peggy

*If you have time you may find these pages of interest containing more milk paint information.

*Frequently asked questions about milk paint found HERE

*Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint Facts found HERE