Milk Paint

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Welcome to the Victorian Woodshop, Milk Paint Section.  We are proud to be an authorized dealer for the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Company, est. 1974.  If you are new to the historic accuracy of using Milk Paint as an authentic finish for Victorian era products and reproductions, I have included quite a bit of information below including a video on using Milk Paint.  I have been using Milk Paint for over 20 years and am pleased to be able to introduce everyone to the product.    

Historical Accuracy - Non-Polluting/Non Toxic - Biodegradable - Deep Rich Authentic Colors

old fashioned milk paintold fashioned milk paintold fashioned milk paint

How to use Milk Paint Instruction Video by the Victorian Woodshop

NOTE: I have split this video into two segments for faster loading

 



MILK PAINT

20 COLORS AVAILABLE - Mixed with water, each bag is enough to make one Pint of paint 

old fashioned milk paint Barn Red
BARN RED

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint Salem Red
SALEM RED

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint Salmon Red
SALMON

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint marigold yellow
MARIGOLD YELLOW

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint Mustard
MUSTARD

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint pumpkin
PUMPKIN

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint slate blue
SLATE BLUE

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint soldier blue
SOLDIER BLUE

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint federal blue
FEDERAL BLUE

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint bayberry green
BAYBERRY GREEN

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood only

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint lexington green
LEXINGTON GREEN

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint tavern green
TAVERN GREEN

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint sea green
SEA GREEN

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

 

  
old fashioned milk paint Snow White
SNOW WHITE

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint
LIGHT CREAM

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint buttermilk
BUTTERMILK

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint oyster white
OYSTER WHITE

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

 

  
old fashioned milk paint driftwood
DRIFTWOOD

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint chocolate brown
CHOCOLATE BROWN

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint Bitch Black
PITCH BLACK

Pint

For use on bare untreated wood

  PINT  $9.95 ea

Quantity:
Select:
old fashioned milk paint brushes

Set of two brushes

 To save you a trip to the hardware store I purchase these pure bristle brushes and keep them in stock.  I sell them as a pair, one- 1 inch brush and one - 1/2 inch brush.

Bristle Brushes $1.50 for set

Quantity:
Select:

 

And any color in between - Examples

old fashioned milk paint Barn Red old fashioned milk paint old fashioned milk paint old fashioned milk paint
BARN RED MIXED 50% SNOW WHITE MIXED 75% SNOW WHITE MIXED 90% SNOW WHITE
old fashioned milk paint marigold yellow old fashioned milk paint old fashioned milk paint old fashioned milk paint
MARIGOLD YELLOW MIXED 50% SNOW WHITE MIXED 75% SNOW WHITE MIXED 90% SNOW WHITE
old fashioned milk paint soldier blue old fashioned milk paint old fashioned milk paint old fashioned milk paint
SOLDIER BLUE MIXED 50% SNOW WHITE MIXED 75% SNOW WHITE MIXED 90% SNOW WHITE
old fashioned milk paint tavern green old fashioned milk paint old fashioned milk paint old fashioned milk paint
TAVERN GREEN MIXED 50% SNOW WHITE MIXED 75% SNOW WHITE MIXED 90% SNOW WHITE

Colors are only as accurate as your computer monitor and/or printer can reproduce. Actual colors may vary somewhat.  Please Note: This chart is a guide to demonstrate how you can tint colors with our Snow White. You may mix any of our colors together to create other colors

Produces an authentic Colonial or Shaker finish -  Longest lasting paint known

Painting Examples:

One of the questions I am most often asked is " how much do I need?"  I think the best example I could give is illustrated below.  Each shelf pictured is about 20 inches long, good sized....to give you scale.  You could paint about ten of each, maybe more.....with one pint of Milk Paint.  It goes a long way.  and....as you mix it up fresh for each use, it lasts forever.
Victorian home decor shelves wall and corner shelves

Marigold Yellow Shelf & Soldier Blue Box

Bayberry Green

 


WHAT IS MILK PAINT?....please read


MILK PAINT is a deep rich Victorian period authentic paint found on existing antique furniture. From a time when you didn't run down to the hardware store to buy paint...but made it yourself.

It may seem strange to us today, but not that very long ago we couldn't run down to the corner hardware store and pick out a can of paint. That's right, we used to make it ourselves.  For several hundred years now it has been called MILK PAINT.

It is mixed in small batches from powder and uses true earth pigments. This paint was also very popular on Shaker and Colonial furniture. The formula itself dates back to Ancient Egypt and relatively more modern frescos from the Renaissance forward.  Until the turn of the last century, this is the paint people used.   And like the paints used hundreds of years ago...the color will not fade...ever. Modern paints just can not compare. I have been experimenting with this paint for some time now and am pleased to be able to offer it here.

 PICTURED LEFT  - BARN RED MILK PAINT SHELF

The paint is composed of milk protein, lime, clay and earth pigments such as ochre, umber, iron oxide, lampblack, etc. It is completely environment safe and non toxic...and dries hard as a rock....I'm not kidding.   Since the paint is entirely made from earth pigments, lime and protein,  it is completely environmentally friendly.  Great for toys, furniture, trim, cabinets or anything you want to have an instant vintage look.

I mix and apply the paint in the traditional style. That means with a true bristle brush. It is a thick rich paint, and the reaction from each mixed batch with each piece of wood is unique. Where modern  oil and latex based can and spray paints tend to give a smooth even cover, the traditional Milk Paints tended to show the brush strokes, dried with streaks, and looked hand painted.  If you are a purist, looking for that true authentic Country or Victorian painted look, texture, and color, the Milk Paint finish may fit your decorating needs.


For you Shabby Chic collectors, this is where it all started. The traditional Milk Paint is a heavy lime and clay based paint that will not fade.   Over time, a piece would have been painted several colors and little bits rub off to show the color under the latest cover. These pieces are now highly collectable.

I can't express enough here how beautiful this paint is.  So different and so traditional.  I have been using this brand of Milk Paint for over 12 years now.  It is without a doubt the best and most authentic Milk Paint on the market.   I wouldn't use anything else....and I have tried them all.    Made completely from scratch and pain staking attention to original formulas.

History of Milk Paint

Paint has been used by mankind since before recorded history, first as decoration, and much later as a protective coating. The oldest painted surfaces on earth were colored with a form of milk paint. Cave drawings and paintings made 8,000 years ago, even as old as 20,000 years ago, were made with a simple composition of milk, lime, and earth pigments. When King Tutankhamen's tomb was opened in 1924, artifacts including models of boats, people, and furniture found inside the burial chamber had been painted with milk paint.

Because the original formula for milk paint was so simple to make and use, it was for thousands of years a major form of decoration throughout the world. Over time, and in various places, different recipes, including milk protein(casein), lime, and pigments were tried, producing varying results in durability. Many of these coatings also provided weatherproofing, while others disintegrated, leaving only a permanent stain on the painted surface. The variations included adding substances such as olive oil, linseed oil, eggs, animal glue, or waxes. Over the centuries, better recipes were found that could produce a durable coating, which could last indefinitely. The colors on the walls painted at Dendaras, even though exposed to the open air for centuries, are as vivid today as they must have been 2000 years ago.

How to use

Mix in small batches, a little goes along way  To paint a good sized shelf I use about three table spoons of powder....maybe two, mix with just a touch of warm water until pasty then add just drips of water until it turns soupy....mix  for about 2-3 minutes....the more you mix, the better and richer it gets.   I like it about the consistency of a nice thick pea soup.  If your batch is too runny, add another spoon of power to thicken it up.   Let it sit for a couple of minutes and apply a nice thick coat with a bristle brush.  Milk paint is naturally somewhat streaky, this is normal and part of the beauty and dries with a texture.  You can apply it using a smooth  foam brush, but I am a purist and it sort of defeats the purpose of Milk Painting.

After you apply a good coat, put your unused paint in the refrigerator, it will keep for a day or two, that way if after your piece dries  and you discover that you missed a little spot, you can touch it up with the same batch, personally I have never found a second coat to be necessary as Milk Paint is such a nice thick rich paint.  Your piece will dry very quickly to the touch, but give it several hours to really dry.  It dried dead flat for a beautiful look, however, you may want a little shine, if so,  I recommend DEFT brand Clear Gloss Lacquer, available at any hardware store.  This will bring out even more detail.

 

BAYBERRY GREEN
Example picture 1 - Example picture 2 - Example picture 3 - Example picture 4

BUTTERMILK
Example picture 1 - Example picture 2 - Example picture 3


MARIGOLD YELLOW
Example picture 1 - Example picture 2 - Example picture 3
[Bayberry Green] [Marigold Yellow] [Soldier Blue] [Barn Red]

Some of my doll furniture in example colors.  Here I have taken the same piece of furniture and Milk Painted it in four different colors. 

Click on any picture for larger view.  Bayberry Green, Marigold Yellow, Soldier Blue and Barn Red



 
 

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