One of the greatest things about milk paint is that you can achieve such an incredible range of looks and finishes with the medium. Suitable for numerous projects on porous surfaces indoors and out, painting furniture with milk paint like Real Milk Paint offers smooth, full coverage that stays put on old furniture and is safe for kids and pets. This incredible versatility makes milk paints the go-to choice for furniture makers, designers, and do-it-yourselfers when they want to achieve a professional-looking finish makeover of your wood piece.
A short visit to Pinterest can provide endless inspiration on how to use milk paint for furniture refinishing projects to work on if you’re looking for a practical way to spend your weekend. In fact, you may already have a furniture paint to-do list on your phone or notepad. But if you don’t know just where to begin when it comes to painting wooden furniture using milk paint, we’ve prepared a few easy tips to get you started with this nontoxic medium that utilizes natural pigments.
Refer to this primer on using milk paint for furniture to learn how to bring new life to old pieces, but keep in mind these tips work equally well on most any milk paint project. No matter if you want to add color to raw wood chairs you’ve built, refinish furniture like china cabinets handed down from family members or restore an old table you snagged at a tag sale, Real Milk Paint has you covered.
A Step-by-Step Guide to How to Paint Wood Furniture with Milk Paint
Step 1: Prepare the Surface
Proper preparation of your wood surface ensures the best possible adhesion and a long-lasting finish when you paint wood furniture.
- Clean the Surface: Wipe down the furniture with a damp cloth to remove any dust, dirt, or grime. If the piece has been previously painted or varnished, use a mild soap solution or a cleaner and degreaser to thoroughly clean the surface.
- Sanding: Lightly sand the surface using medium-grit sandpaper (120-150 grit) to create a slightly rough texture for better paint adhesion. If your furniture has been painted or sealed before, a deeper sanding might be required to remove the existing finish. For raw wood, a light sanding will suffice to smooth out any imperfections.
- Dust Removal: After sanding, remove dust by wiping the surface with a tack cloth or a vacuum with a brush attachment. Ensuring the surface is dust-free will prevent imperfections in your painted finish.
- Priming (Optional): If you’re working with unfinished wood, you can skip priming, as milk paint will adhere well to porous surfaces. If you decide to use a primer, we recommend a water-based primer like Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3. If you are not using a primer to achieve a more even finish on pre-painted or glossy surfaces, consider applying a bonding agent like Real Milk Paint’s Ultra Bond Adhesion Promoter.
Step 2: Mix Your Milk Paint
The versatility of Real Milk Paint comes from its powder form, allowing you to control the consistency for different finishes when painting wood furniture.
- Prepare Your Tools: You will need a clean container, water (distilled is best for consistent results), and a stirring stick or shaker bottle.
- Mix the Paint: Measure equal parts powder and water (1:1 ratio) and combine them in the container. Stir or shake vigorously for about a minute to ensure the powder fully dissolves and blends with the water. For smoother surfaces or a wash effect, you can add a bit more water for a thinner consistency. If a thicker coat is desired, use slightly less water.
- Let the Mixture Sit: Let the paint mixture sit for about 20 minutes to allow any foam to settle. If you are in a hurry or wish to avoid the foam altogether, add a few drops of Real Milk Paint’s Anti-Foaming Agent to the mixture, and it will be ready to use immediately.
- Check Consistency: Before applying, stir the mixture again and check the consistency. It should be smooth and easy to apply but not too runny. Adjust the water-to-powder ratio if needed.
Pro Tip: Start with a slightly thicker consistency by adding less water. Adding water to your mixture makes it easier to achieve the desired consistency.
Step 3: Apply the First Coat
- Choose the Right Paint Brush: Use a high-quality natural bristle brush for best results. Real Milk Paint’s round or flat brushes are perfect for smooth application, as they hold the paint well and provide an even coat.
- Paint with the Grain: Always apply the paint following the grain of the wood to enhance the natural beauty of your piece. Brush the paint on in long, even strokes, making sure not to overload your brush to avoid drips, uneven coverage, or brush marks.
- Light, Thin Coat: The first coat should be thin. Milk paint is very forgiving, so don’t worry if the first coat looks streaky or uneven. This is normal, as subsequent coats will build up the color.
- Dry Time: Let the first coat dry for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on humidity and temperature. You’ll know it’s ready for the next coat when it feels dry to the touch.
Step 4: Add Additional Coats
- Light Sanding Between Coats: For a super-smooth finish, lightly sand between coats with fine-grit sandpaper (220 grit) and wipe away any dust. This step is optional but recommended if you’re aiming for a professional, high-end look.
- Apply the Second Coat: After the first coat has dried, apply the second coat. You can either apply it thinly for a more layered effect or slightly thicker for fuller coverage. Again, follow the grain of the wood to keep the application smooth.
- Customize the Finish: Depending on the look you want, you can stop at two coats for a lighter, more natural finish, or add a third coat for complete coverage and a more saturated color. Milk paint naturally distresses over time, so if you prefer a more rustic, chipped look, two coats might be enough to achieve that effect.
- Stir the Paint Frequently: Stir your milk paint frequently throughout your applications. This keeps your milk paint smooth and ensures the best results.
- Final Drying Time: Allow the final coat to dry overnight for best results. This will ensure the paint fully cures and adheres to the surface, providing a durable finish.
Painting Wood Furniture Technique: Untreated or Raw Wood
There’s no need to use a primer or do much prep work before using milk paint to paint wood furniture or home decor, but keep in mind that it’s always best to follow the grain when painting raw wood. Since this medium comes in a powder form, you must first mix milk paint before you begin your project. To do this, you need water and an empty container in which to shake or stir the water and milk paint in powdered form.
Typically, our milk paint mix has a 1:1 ratio with water. Tap water is suitable, but for best results use distilled water. Simply add the mixture to an empty container, then mix it up until the contents are blended completely. After you mix milk paint, let the paint sit for roughly 20 minutes for any naturally occurring foam to settle. If you’d rather avoid letting the paint sit, add our Anti-Foaming Agent to the mixture according to the instructions so you can use your mixture immediately.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
- Paint is too thick or thin: If your mixture seems off, adjust the water or powder ratio until you reach a smooth, consistent texture.
- Uneven finish: Sand lightly between coats to ensure the next layer adheres smoothly.
- Chipping paint: This is a natural characteristic of milk paint on non-porous surfaces. If you prefer a more uniform finish, add our Ultra Bond Adhesion Promoter to your paint mixture.
How To Paint Wood Furniture To Get A Rustic Look
To begin painting, choose two complementary yet contrasting paint colors, like blue and white milk paint. For this DIY project, start painting the undercoat color. Lightly sand the surface to which you’re applying milk paint to help the paint adhere, wipe away the dust, then use a paintbrush to apply one coat thinly.
Let that first coat dry for a half hout to an hour depending on the ambient conditions, then apply a second coat. Allow the freshly painted surface to dry overnight, because allowing the undercoat color to dry completely usually prevents the colors from mixing or muddling.
Next, apply one coat of paint in the second color and wait 20 minutes to an hour for it to dry. Then, dip a clean cloth in a bucket of water, wring it out well, then wipe it across areas where you’d like the undercoat color to show. Usually, those areas, including edges and spaces near handles, are best suited to distressed paint techniques. The cloth should slowly lift some color from the painted surface for a unique look.
If you’d like the rustic appearance to be more pronounced and look more antiqued, you can use fine-grit sandpaper to rough up a tough coat of milk paint a bit. Keep in mind, however, that sandpaper is much harder to control during the distressing process.
How To Paint Finished Wood Furniture And Surfaces
In most cases, you can apply milk paint directly over an already finished surface. To get a uniform and not a distressed finish, however, you may need to add a bonding agent like our Ultra Bond Adhesion Promoter to your milk paint powder mixture to ensure the paint adheres well to your surface or piece of furniture. On the other hand, if you prefer a distressed or chippy look, apply the paint directly to the finished surface, making sure it’s clean first. When using true milk paint, chipping or flaking can occur when applied to a finished surface, giving you a natural antiqued look.
Getting a More Distressed Look
When painting your piece of furniture, if you want to achieve an even more rustic look, you can apply some Chippy Paste where you want it to look like the paint has chipped off for an authentically antique look.
For a crackled look, apply two thin coats of Natural Crackle Paint Finish as a topcoat over the first coat of milk paint you want to show through, allowing each coat to dry. Then, apply two coats of the top color of milk paint. The first coat should still be a bit wet when you apply the second coat. When you’re done, you can protect the existing finish of your painted furniture with a coat of pure tung oil, a finishing cream, a glaze or furniture wax.
Why Real Milk Paint Stands Out for Painting Wood Furniture
Unlike many synthetic paints, Real Milk Paint offers a truly natural painting experience, derived from simple ingredients like milk protein, lime, and earth pigments. This combination gives you the unique ability to achieve vibrant, long-lasting finishes that are environmentally friendly. Experts in sustainable design and restoration projects prefer Real Milk Paint for its low toxicity, which makes it safe for homes with children and pets. Furthermore, its biodegradable formulation ensures that you’re not adding harmful chemicals to your space or the environment
Real Milk Paint has been a trusted brand for over 20 years, recommended by professionals across various industries. Many designers and artisans use our products because of the authenticity they lend to furniture restoration, and our paints are featured in eco-friendly design projects worldwide.
Made from all-natural ingredients including milk protein, lime, and pigment, our milk paints offer complete environmentally friendliness with a formulation that’s free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The mostly odorless formulation also makes our medium safe to use in areas without a lot of ventilation where you want to paint furniture with milk paint.
Since Real Milk Paint comes in powder form and you mix it yourself, it’s likely thinner than other paints you’ve used, so it may take you a bit of time to get used to it. This variable consistency, however, helps you achieve the right thinness or thickness for your projects. Unlike milk paint brands that come ready to use, our milk paint powder lets you mix paint to the perfect consistency and create only as much or as little as you need to paint furniture, and it simplifies storage of the milk paint powder between projects.
Compared to other finishes like chalk paint or latex paint, milk paint offers a more authentic and rustic look. It penetrates the wood rather than sitting on top, giving your furniture a more natural finish. Milk paint is also more versatile in achieving different looks—from smooth and modern to chippy and distressed. Unlike chalk paint, which can have a thicker, chalky texture, milk paint offers a more refined, smooth finish that’s perfect for both modern and antique furniture
Learn From Wood Furniture Painting Experts: Pretty Distressed Wood
Now that you understand the basics of distressing furniture, here’s an expert at the craft — Christina from Pretty Distressed — to help you learn more. If you’re looking for more painting tips, check out the blog for tons more DIY painting techniques and tips.
What is your business or online name?
Pretty Distressed
What is your first name?
Christina
If you had to give a 140 character summary of who you are and what you do, what would that be? (Don’t worry, you can cheat a bit on the character count!)
I’m a full time YouTuber and the creative force behind Pretty Distressed. You can find me making over thrifted furniture on my YouTube channel with over 385K subscribers as well as on Instagram and Tik Tok. I started Pretty Distressed in 2014 as a creative outlet from my day-to-day duties as a stay-at-home mom and have grown my brand into an authority in the furniture flipping space across all social platforms.
Could you explain your journey in how you came to be in the craft/trade that you are currently in?
I started thrifting and flipping furniture as a hobby back in 2014. We had recently relocated to be near family, and bought quite a fixer upper. After new floors, carpet, lights, etc. there just wasn’t any budget left to furnish our home. It gave me the push I needed to start making over furniture we had and things I thrifted. I quickly fell in love with transforming old, discarded furniture. And it wasn’t long after that I started doing furniture flips for clients and selling online.
What is your favorite part about your craft/trade?
I love the symbolism behind what I do. I’m taking things that are discarded that someone thinks don’t hold value anymore, and redeeming them and giving them new life for someone else to enjoy. I love the message that anything can be brought back to life with a little love and care.
How did you find out about Real Milk Paint Co?
I found the Real Milk Paint Co through some amazing projects on Pinterest. I’m based in Tennessee where it is made, and just love the intention behind the brand and its products.
What is your favorite project to do with our products?
I’m a sucker for a chippy, old world finish, so I love using The Real Milk Paint Co. on a really old piece of furniture to give it that lived-in look.
Do you have a particular favorite product of ours? If so, what would be one tip/trick to offer to others that you have found produced great results?
I love all sealing waxes and how they give a rich finish free of brush strokes. I recently used the Wood Wax on a two-toned piece that had natural wood and milk painted portions. I love that it is all natural and even food safe, and gave a beautiful finish on both substrates. When I’m applying it to a dark color, I like to use a dark old t-shirt to reduce any white lint popping up on my piece.
If you had to give one tip to those looking to “follow in your footsteps” what would it be?
Just create and don’t worry about what other people think. You will have people who love your projects and some that really hate them. You don’t have to please everyone, so don’t be afraid to be creative.
Where can people see your work or contact you?
https://www.prettydistressed.com/
https://www.instagram.com/pretty_distressed/ https://www.facebook.com/prettydistressed
https://www.youtube.com/christinamuscari https://www.tiktok.com/@pretty_distressed
Products Used:
Milk paint Mustard, Soft Wax Clear, Milk Paint Cheesecake, Arabian Night, Wood Wax
What is the best email to contact you by? This will only be used by us if we need additional information, clarification, or notifying you about your feature.
