There are so many questions on what is the difference between Chalk Paint and Milk Paint. I thought I would answer some of your questions here!
So what is chalk paint? Chalk Paint started the craze. Just 5 years ago the only no sanding no priming paint you could buy for your furniture was only sold online and in boutique stores. Today you can walk into your local Wal-Mart, Lowes or Ace Hardware and find furniture paints that require no sanding or priming before you paint! Amazing!
“Chalk Paint” is a trade marked brand by Annie Sloan. It is 30 years old! Her line of chalk paint began in 1990! Annie Sloan developed Chalk Paint to meet her and her clients needs as a designer. Sometimes its easy to find that perfect piece of furniture but it’s the wrong color. Annie Sloan sought to come up with an easy DIY solution! One that would save time and give your furniture a beautiful look This is how Chalk paint began!
What is Chalk Paint Made Of?
Chalk paint is made out of fine minerals! If you read the can of Annie Sloan Chalk paint it will say “Ultra Low VOCS, contains organic pigments, quartz, limestone, talc and titanium dioxide and or carbon black. Chalk Paint is water based. One of my favorite things about Chalk Paint is how odorless it really is and its shelf life! I still have some cans that I bought 4 years ago (yes I tend to hoard paint. ha!) that are completely fine when you open them! They just need a little stir.
Chalk Paints last forever! They contain organic pigments that truly look authentic to old world finishes and require no sanding before painting!
What is Milk Paint
CLICK VIDEO below to watch me explain milk paint! Go to 2:28 for an awesome look at a chippy sample board!
“Milk paint is a nontoxic water-based paint. It can be made from milk and lime, generally with pigments added for color. In other recipes, Borax is mixed with milk’s casein protein in order to activate the casein and as a preservative.
Milk paint has been used for thousands of years. It is extremely durable, often lasting for hundreds of years if protected from the elements. It is made of all-natural ingredients, and is very safe and non-toxic once applied. Because oil base and acrylic paints are made in vast quantities using cheap petrochemicals, their price can be low relative to the price of milk paint, which is sold in small quantities. Another impediment to using milk paint for some is that it does not come pre-mixed.[6] Milk paint is commonly sold in the powder form, which is a combination of casein and lime. Once water is added, the lime activates the casein and yields a durable but caustic paint, that can only be used on porous surfaces.
Before the invention of acrylics, most house paints were made from casein. There is a vast number of historical production documents that outline the manufacture of milk paint on an industrial scale. [7] This type of manufacturing is being revived on a small scale, so that the advantages of an all natural paint can be combined with the convenience of a ready made paint that requires no mixing.
Milk paint made from the borax casein recipe keeps for six months or more, if sealed very tightly to retain the moisture. With time, however, the casein binder will break down. Once lime casein milk paint has been mixed, it must be used within a day, or a little longer if refrigerated.[8]
Milk paint can be used to create authentic reproductions and replicas of antique furniture, or modern pieces that do not rely on any connection with the past.” – Wikipedia
More Tips About Milk Paint
Milk paint comes in a powder form and you have to use a wisk to mix the paint with a small amount of water. Kind of fun yet confusing if you are new to milk paint!
Milk paint was really brought to everyone’s attention by Miss Mustard Seed (I’ve met her and she’s amazing!) She has her own line of Milk Paint. Milk paint has been around since the Egyptians! Milk paint many use for a chippy rustic look BUT I have seen several use General Finishes milk paint on their kitchen cabinets and they all LOVE IT! Here is a good post by Mamma & More of an unbiased opinion on using General Finishes Milk paint on kitchen cabinets.
Also Salvaged Inspirations has a GREAT post on using milk paint!
I hope this helped to clear up any questions you might have about the difference between Chalk Paint and Milk Paint! Leave a comment below if you still have a question! I’d love to add it to this post! 🙂
