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Milk Paint

J

john in la

Well-known Member
Location
What part of in La do you not understand
We have a child's chair.
Wife says it was her dads chair and he got it used.
This chair has got to be 100 years old.
She thinks it was originally painted with white milk paint.
She wants me to restore it to original condition or as close as I can get it so she can give it to our youngest grandchild who is actually still in the oven and the 5 yr old grandson that is visiting at our house now.

So educate me on milk paint and or other paints that would have been used 100 years ago.
 
Milk paint actually uses milk as the base. Lime and pigments are added to give it the color and texture. Borax is added as well , I think to make it set and harden. You can make your own or you can buy it. Making your own gives you more options as to match color. I don't have a recipe for it but maybe somewhere on line there is instructions on how to make it
 
You can buy milk paint. Good woodworking supply stores such as Woodcraft stock several brands. Some are a powder you add water to, others such as General Finishes are ready to use right out of the can. I have limited experience with the General Finishes product, but the results were what I wanted. I cant say Ive seen it at paint store, but you could stop by a good quality paint shop and see what the have. They may even have some tips and tricks for you.
 
I remember hearing about people painting their barns with milk paint. Basically whitewash made with milk instead of water. It would cure to a soft brown /butter colour. Doesnt sound like something to paint a high chair with.
 
If I was a betting man, I'd lay my $1 down that when new, it was either stained or varnished. And had been painted by the time your wife's family picked it up used. That's just my opinion of course.
Either way, if I went to the trouble of stripping off the old paint, I'd be hesitant about painting it again.
There's been alot of fades throughout history, when a lot of people seemed to of painted just about everything in an effort to aquire a modernized look. Makes me wonder how many people ever regretted painting thier hardwood floors, and fancy woodwork in thier homes.
 
I heard it was cow's blood mixed with plant or fish oil.
Remember when fooling around with some oils, that they will
burn by spontaneous combustion. Happens all the time that
someone will leave rags that start houses on fire.
 
We Painted an old red barn back in 1982 or 83 maybe. The women had a wooden barrel of red oxide pigment, they would mix it with raw linseed oil and turpentine back in the day, So we took it back to our shop and mixed it with linseed oil, mineral spirits and alkyd resin, made 50 gallon with that recipe and she was so very happy. We would spray it on and always follow with a 4 china bristle brush. My boss said brushing the paint in would add 5 years to the life of the job.
 
Spontaneous Combustion is a real danger, I always let the rags damp with Mineral Spirits or Tupentine....etc dry over the edge of a metal barrel, or better yet a barrel or bucket of water.....be careful when it's hot and humid and don't keep used
(wet) rags in a bunch
 
I've kind of noticed that. Antique furniture is nowhere near as hot as it use to be. China hutch's, oak tables, buffets, secretary's, and stuff are kind of out too. A piece that once would of easily brought a thousand at auction, might bring 2 or 3 hundred now. But fads change. Whether something comes back around again, is the question.
 
Might want to test this on scrap first, but I usually try to put a thin shellac coat under the paint. Comes off easier if you don't like the results.
 
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