With the popularity of Miss Mustard Seed (MMS) & Homestead House Paint Company, the chippy/distressed much loved milk paint “look” is a growing trend.
Up until a few days ago, I was probably one of the LAST bloggers that had NOT tried Milk Paint. No worries because the way I see it, being a Milk Paint virgin was a good thing. I had no idea what to expect and went in with an open mind. If you’re a milk paint virgin too, let’s learn this paint together!
My first try… and my end result…
Mixing the milk paint is really easy! Equal parts Milk Paint Powder to equal parts water. Having NO concept of how milk paint covers, I started off by mixing a small amount ~ 1/3 cup of each.
{To finish my coffee table I required double this amount. 2/3 cup}
The ladies at The Painted Bench forewarned me not to mix more paint than I needed because it doesn’t keep for much longer than a day or two. A day or two?….this is what mine looked like after 1 hour!
{Once it was re-mixed, the milk paint was normal again!}
When the milk paint was thoroughly mixed, it still had some lumps and bumps. Supposedly this is normal and nothing to worry about but next time I think I’ll try using my good ‘ol blender to see if it makes a difference.
Here’s the first coat which provided really nice coverage. I wasn’t expecting great coverage because of the “watery” consistency.
The milk paint dries REALLY fast. First coat within 1/2 hour and the second coat within an hour. Here’s the table after 2 coats. No sanding or waxing. I LOVE the vibrant colour and great coverage! I’m impressed!
Now here’s the kicker… the REAL fun started while I was sanding… omg…did I really just say that! As I was sanding I LOVED how the grain came to life while the colour popped!
After my 1st experience using Milk Paint, here are some of my personal pro’s and con’s. 
~Easy mixing instructions, equal parts powder/water.
~Will last indefinitely in it’s powdered state.
~Forgiving, grittiness doesn’t make a difference in the coverage or finish.
~No bad smell and environmentally friendly.
~Coverage is great.
~Colours are vibrant when dry.
~Control the opacity by adding more or less water.
~Clean up is effortless with soap and water.
~Super fast dry time.
~After mixing it has an extremely short shelf life.
~Difficult to gauge how much to mix when your not familiar with the product.
~Red tape keeping the plastic bag closed is annoying. Opened it carefully and the powder still seeps out… grrrr (twist tie please!)
…. okay… If that’s the best I can come up with… I think I’m done![/box]
My overall experience with Homestead Milk Paint was fantastic! Easy to mix, easy to use, and I LOVE the end result. I’ll definitely be adding Milk Paint Products to my arsenal of furniture make-over tools. (FYI – Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint is manufactured by the Canadian Homestead House Company. The only difference is the colour selection and the price!)
If you have any questions, suggestions or random thoughts….feel free to leave a comment.
Look forward to hearing from you!
Denise
Hello again... I'm so happy you dropped by! Let's keep in touch! Follow me on social media or sign up for a dose of furniture painting inspiration and diy tutorials. :) 
Hi Denise,
The first time i used Miss Mustard’s Milk paint i was shocked by the consistency also. I tried mixing 2 colors together (powder) because i only had sample sizes. Well the color was horrid but I did like the coverage. I don’t think i will use it again. If i’m going to use milk paint i will go with General Finishes. I love their milk paint. I’m sure its not the real thing but it says milk paint. I’m trying to read all of your blogs so please don’t think i’m crazy if you receive a bunch of comments from me. I’m just infatuated with your furniture.
I love all your comments and I’m so happy you’re finding the tutorials helpful.:) Milk Paint does take a little getting used to for sure. From the diy mixing to the feel of applying it etc but it can give gorgeous results. Sorry, you’re sample size mix didn’t turn out. I can’t tell you how many times my mixes have ‘bombed’ but I guess it’s all part of the creative process, right?! And ya, love GF paint. It’s a super durable acrylic and gives a stunning finish!
Hello I want to redo my dining room table and chairs. My table is black and I want to redo it in gray or silver.what do you suggest. Does the chalk or milk paint comes in these colors
Hi Dorothy! Both chalk and milk paint comes in gray or silver. If it’s your first time painting furniture, a chalk/mineral paint may be the easier of the two. 🙂
Denise, what is the best type of paint for painting over teak wood? I was wondering about milk paint. I; ‘ve never used it before so have no idea if it would work. Teak is very oily and I think I would need a chalk paint or milk paint but really don’t have the experience to know for sure. Any suggestions?
Lis
Would you suggest using Milk Paint on Kitchen Cabinets or Chalk Paint?
Hi Cari! For kitchen cabinets, my preference is a really good and durable easy to clean enamel paint like Sherwin Williams All Surface Enamel or Benjamin Moores Advance. But if I were to pick from the 2 you listed, Chalk Paint – with a durable poly topcoat.
Do you think it would be ok to use the milk paintibe for on a dining room table with all the use it will get? I’m about to buy some for re doing the dining room chairs and was thinking of doing the table too
Hi Rebekah! Yes! Milk Paint can definately be used on a dining room table. 🙂
Hi, I was looking for a toutorial about milk paint, and as far your result is the one I like more 🙂
I have a wardrobe that at the moment is to its natural colour, has only matte paint (I think), so the grains of the wood are perfectly visible, which I love so much. I would like to change the look of it by changing the colour, but keeping visible the grains, as you did with your table. The question is, shall I sand it before painting it can I paint it straight away? How can I bring out the grain of the wood after painting? To bring the grains visible did you use any sand paper?
So many questions… sorry… but thank you very much as well!!! 🙂
Hi Fabiana! If you paint over the existing color and then sand – the existing color will show through a bit. If you want to get rid of the existing color 100%, sanding it off would be ideal.
can you paint over already painted furniture?
Yes, you certainly can Cindy!
Nice tutorial! I just bought some MMS product back to Germany with me after discovering them on Vancouver Island last week while visiting family. I’m eager to try it on our coffee table too.
How exciting Melody, Milk Paint really does provide a nice finish and great color!! Do they not sell MMS Milk Paint in Germany?
I love the table and the color is beautiful. I am just now trying to start working with chalk paint. But i want very much to try the milk paint. Where is the best place to buy the milk paint powder. I live in the Tupelo area. Or would it be better to order it ?
Thank you
Real Milk Paint & Miss Mustard Seed’s brand can be purchased at “The Farmhouse” in Tupelo @ 126 West Main St.Tupelo, MS 38804 (662) 269-2934.. hopefully that’s close to you! 🙂
Noticed you used the milk paint over what seems to be raw or stripped wood. Was wondering what it would look like over a previously painted piece? Also, is there a homemade recipe for milk paint? And yes…itz a zoo around here!!
Linda, milk paint over previously painted or stained furniture looks great! There is a bonding agent you can buy for around $14 that you mix in with the milk paint so it adheres to finished surfaces. As for the homemade milk paint recipe, I’ve know Martha Stewart has one. marthastewart.com/272306/milk-paint-recipe. I’m curious enough to give Homemade Milk Paint a try myself. If you beat me to it, PLEASE let me know your results. 🙂
What is the name of the bonding agent that you can add to milk paint to it adheres to finished surfaces? Kim
The bonding agent I have is Miss Mustard Seeds Bonding Agent. I haven’t tried any others but there are other brands to choose from.
I read that this bonding agent is the same and glue or mod pog. Anyone else?
Thanks Denise, wonderful tutorial and advise! And your work is beautiful!
What is the color you used on this project!! Love it. I am currently working on a 1930s Pie safe which has an ugly green stained into the wood that I cannot grt off even with sanding. I am considering using a dark color (such as MMS Typewriter) as a base coat and then a turquouse such as this as the top
The colour is “Niagara Green” by Homestead House Paint Co. It was funny…when I first started applying it onto the table I thought, “This isn’t GREEN!” Good luck with your 1930’s safe… sounds like it’s going to be beautiful!
Hi Dee! Love your work, as always. Do you think milk paint or chalk paint would work better on my old outdated bathroom cabinets? I love the look of both but am not sure which one would stand up to such a high traffic area. Help!!!
Hello Sistahhhh!!<3 Because I've seen your cabinets and know the look you're after, I would say chalk-paint. Then we can seal it with a poly or varathane for easy up-keep pending on what colour you choose.
I just tried chalk paint for the first time and loved it, but after reading this, I am very interested in trying milk paint. I used paste wax after I finished antiquing my chalk paint chairs–do you do the same with milk paint?
Yes Angelique. You can use wax or hemp oil. For this table I used Minwax Furniture Paste which worked beautifully.
Great job – as usual Dee! Took me a while to get used to Milk Paint too but you’re right, I love the final look and feel to it and the colours are sensational. I also like that Homestead is right downtown close to me 🙂
Hey, you have the supplier right next door! Now I know who to come and bother if I have any milk paint question! 😉
I’d love you to compare your experience with milk paint to chalk paint. Which do you prefer? Would you choose one over the other or work with both in the future? What are the differences? Does one work/look better when working with flatter surfaces vs fancier pieces? etc. etc. Thank you!
Those are super questions Maggie!! Since this is my VERY first time using a milk-paint product, I’m not sure if I have enough experience to offer an educated answer just yet. However, after I paint a few more pieces, you’ve given me a GREAT idea for another blog post! I can tell you this… at this point, I’m much more comfortable using chalk paint. The big difference is in the consistency! It was weird working with such a watery paint but I’m VERY happy with the end result which gives me incentive to keep trying.