Featuring Milk Paint
I have to admit, when I hear the expression ‘milk paint,’ it conjures up kitchen concoctions for the kids to use for artwork (or eating - whatever). Honestly, though, I’m not that far off base, I was just channeling my cave-mama ancestors. Milk paint is as old as human beings and scientists and explorers have noted various ancient relics that have one form or another of milk paint designs on them, including cave drawings and items in King Tut’s tomb.
Apparently daddy was right, the good ‘ol days really were good and today with the movement toward environmental friendliness people are realizing the benefits of using milk paint, including having those old fashioned hues, being completely biodegradable, and containing no volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nauseating odors, hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), or EPA-exempt solvents. In fact, it’s so safe you can drink it right from the can, but that could produce a totally different kind of artwork.
So what IS in milk paint, you ask? Obviously, you mean - aside from milk. The milk in milk paint can be skim or buttermilk and the recipe also includes crushed limestone and natural pigments from items like clay pits, chimney soot, and minerals.
The downside to milk paint used to be that it would go bad, just like a jug of milk will, if not used in a matter of days. In order to prevent this from happening, manufacturers started using all dry ingredients, replacing the milk with a powdered form of the milk protein called casein. An order of milk paint will often be shipped still in its powdered form, but all you have to do is mix in a certain amount of water and it’s ready to be applied.
Items decorated with milk paint will have fainter, more muted hues than the bright vivid colors we’ve grown accustomed to, but they are easy on the eyes and reminiscent of homey antiques. Milk paint produces a finish that is also flat and course, offering instant character to walls or furniture.