StripAll Antique Sales & Refinishing

StripAll Antique Sales & Refinishing RR#1 Long Sault Ontario, K0C 1P0 Canada 1-613-534-8494 or email StripAll Antique Sales & Refinishing

Real Milk Paint FAQ pg 1

1. What is milk paint?
Before commercially prepared paint was available, paint was made at home based on formulas handed down from generation to generation. Milk paint was made from old curdled milk or cottage cheese, lime and earth pigment for colour.

2. How much will a quart of milk paint cover?
35 - 45 square feet per quart, 140 - 180 square feet per gallon.

3. How long will milk paint last after its mixed?
Milk paint will achieve the strongest bond when applied fresh, but it will keep in a sealed container two weeks to a month.

4. Is milk paint dangerous?
Milk paint is very environmentally friendly, you can throw old paint in your garden with out harm. Caution should be used when applying paint to prevent paint from getting in the eyes. Burning may occur because of the lime content. Also wear gloves if you have sensitive skin. Always flush and wash eyes and hands thoroughly with water.

5. What will milk paint stick to?
Real milk paint is best applied to raw wood or unsealed or wall board. When refinishing antiques, be sure the surface is very clean, a light sanding would be necessary. Tri sodium phosphate is a good cleaner after a piece of furniture is stripped to remove any impurities left on the surface. Milk paint does not stick well to new metal surface, plastics or oil based paints or finishes.

6. Can milk paint be painted over other surfaces?
Milk paint can be painted over fully cured (30 days) latex paint. The surface must be clean without any wax or silicone. Clean with Tri sodium phosphate then scuff with sandpaper ans always test for compatibility.

7. Can Real milk paint be used outdoors?
Real milk paint is very durable to the weather. For furniture we recommend painting to your liking and allow furniture to sit under a covered porch for two weeks before full exposure. The paint will continue to get tougher as the moisture passes through the paint. For exterior use, a few weeks without heavy precipitation is recommended.

8. Can you top coat milk paints?
Any finish can be used to top coat Real milk paint: Oil based finishes such as polyurethane will darken the colour, test to see results.

9. Is there a simple home test that can be made to determine if a wooden object has been painted with milk paint?
If the paint is old over a year normal stripper will not touch it. Due to verbal formula`s passed down, some milk paints are stronger than others. Paint stripper is still a good test.

10. Is it possible to get milk paint that is white with a touch of red in it, so its the slightest shade of pink?
Yes its possible. You would have to start with white as the base and gradually add red till you get the colour you want.

11. Is white milk paint good to use to get that sanded (worn edges) distressed look on furniture?
Yes you can get the washed worn look with milk paint. The first coat of paint usually soaks into the wood allowing some grain to show. The second part would require that you do some rubbing with steel wool while the paint is still wet to get the raw corners. Many people develop their own techniques for distressing.

12. Which of the pigments shown correspond to the milk paints offered? I am interested in yellow ochre, red and blue and white. What would be ther diffence between Titanium Dioxide and Chalk whites?
We offer milk paint prepackaged in 13 colours, just add water and mix. The pigments are in powder form, they do not have any binding agent to hold them to the surface. Pigment can then be added to a binder, shellac, laquer varnish or milk paint. There are two different productsTitanium dioxide is the pigment commonly used with white paint. Chalk whiting is sometimes used as a filler. Chalk whiting has a gray cast amd is not as opaque as titanium.

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