Achieving a solid milk paint finish. If you’ve ever used milk paint you may have run into a few snags your first time. Such as over chipping, and translucent application. These are things I myself struggled with when I first tested out milk paint on furniture. It was enough to make me want to throw in the towel and never use milk paint to paint furniture ever again. I’m much to stubborn to quit at the first failed attempt so I tried again. I am so glad I did because it has easily become my favorite medium for painting furniture. Todays tutorial is all about getting?a solid milk paint finish without chipping.

I’ve already covered how to get a beautiful chippy finish in THIS post?If you are interested in that look. But today I’ll dive further into a full coverage appearance. If you missed how I prepped this piece of furniture for a solid milk paint finish be sure to check to go back and watch/read how I prepped. That step will set you up for success as you go in with your paint brush!

How to Get a Solid Milk Paint Finish on Furniture

As I just mentioned the first steps happen in the prep work. You will have a much smoother and beatutifl application if you prep your furniture the right way. Today I’ll share with you all the steps for painting to achieve a solid milk paint finish. You will need the following supplies to get the job done and do it well!

Supplies For Painting ?a solid milk paint finish

• Milk Paint– I swear by Miss Mustard Seeds Milk Paint I’ve used a bunch of different colors and its really an amazing product!
• A quality Paint Brush
• Bonding Agent (this is the key ingredient!)
• Paint bucket for mixing and applying
• Small whisk to really mix the paint
• a pitcher of water
• 1/4 Cup measuring cup

Once you have all these supplies you’re ready to begin

Mixing your Milk Paint For a Solid Finish

Mixing your paint correctly is an important step so you want to make sure you do this part right! I like to mix equal parts water to equal parts powder. If you are unfamiliar with milk paint it comes in a powder form that you mix yourself don’t be intimidated by this. I like to mix as I go so I only mix very small batches at a time. This makes for a better mixture of paint and you only use what you need!

I mix one 1/4 cup water to 1/4 cup mixture of paint. I stir it with my whisk really well and let it stand for 5 min. This really does make a difference. after it sits for a while it binds togther better and you have a much smoother consistency. It also sets up a little thicker making for a more opaque application.

Once you have mixed your paint and let it sit you want to add 1/2 a cup of the bonding agent. This is the key ingredient for making your paint stick to your furniture with out any chipping. Its going to make all the difference! Especially in those areas where you really couldn’t sand in the prepping process.

Painting Your Milk Paint On Your Furniture

Now that you have your paint mixture ready its time to paint. Using your paint brush begin applying a very even but thin coat along the top of your furniture. I always work top to bottom. This way if there are any drips or spills I have a chance to catch them before they dry as I work my way down. You also want to only paint in one direction going with the grain of the wood

This was my first time using this beautiful pink color called arabesque. I was very worried that it would take a lot of extra coats to get full coverage because pinks and reds tend to be very hard to build. Boy was I wrong though! This pink is so pretty the variation was beautiful and it covered as well as any other color in Miss Mustard Seeds Paint line! I will defining use it again in the future! Thankfully since it covered so well I have about half a bag left after I finished!

After the First Coat

Once you have a done a nice even light layer of paint all over your entire piece of furniture. Its time to start building. The good news is the hardest part is done the first coat is the most tedious and now you will start seeing better results with the subsequent coats. Be sure to continue to mix your bonding agent in the paint as you go you will need to continue to use the bonding agent on every coat.

I will lightly sand if there are any imperfections or clumps of the powder that accumulated together. You can scrape them off with a metal putty knife or use a foam sanding block if needed between coats. I personally don’t mind these and leave them be. They add to the character when I distress and I like the look. You could also wipe them off while the paint is still wet.

Getting a Full Coverage Look with Milk Paint

For this dresser did about 4 quick coats to get a solid milk paint finish. I find that this is very typical for any milk paint color. I loved the way it covered and as you can see the coverage is solid. This is the only way I personally apply milk paint. I do not want it to be translucent at all and like a full coverage look. I think it looks more professional and lasts longer over time.

Just keep applying coats until you get a?solid milk paint finish . Milk paint will build well with additional coats so just keep going.

Let the paint fully dry between coats so that you get the best results

In Conclusion -Solid Milk Paint Finish Application

The real key to getting a Solid Milk Paint Finish?is the bonding agent and how you prep! Follow those steps and you will have a beautiful piece of furniture when your done! Next week I’ll share with you how I like to distress minimally with milk paint. I all also be sharing how I seal and add some cute finishing touches in later weeks!