Milk Paint Help Needed

[Dick Platt]

I am refinishing an old 2 board farm table. I would like to match the original (? I assume the current finish is the original - it looks old enough to be) finish which I think is a red Milk Paint. I have looked at some of the manufacturers' web sites and have found latex based milk paint, oil based milk paint and supposedly the Original real Milk Paint available. I have not found any info from actual users. I am interested in hearing from anyone with any information which might help me decide which to use.

Thanks for the help which I know is on the way.

Dick

[gwyneth]

I don't know if any of these will help, but as it happens, I have some links with milk paint info. I have encountered it in ancient Maine houses and furniture, and it's really, really hard to get off. (The casein that binds the pigments is also a very effective glue.)

My own feelings are that if it's prepared correctly, it doesn't look that much different from modern paint...what we attribute to the paint is really the natural pigments. In other words, iron oxide in latex paint would probably be difficult to distinguish from iron oxide in milk paint.

Anyway, here are the links, and if you need info on places to get natural pigments I've got it somewhere.

http://www.canadianhomeworkshop.com/...re_milk2.shtml
CHW Online - Restoration Workshop - Milk Paint

http://www.doityourself.com/stry/oldstylepaints
Old Style Paints: Milk Paint Bonds | DoItYourself.com

http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/...es/recipes.htm
homestead recipes

http://painterforum.com/milk.html
milk paint recipe

http://www.milkpaint.com/about_history.html
A brief history of milk paint

http://www.realmilkpaint.com/recipe.html
Real Milk Paint ® - Homemade Milk Paint Recipe

[Dick Platt]

milk paint

gwyneth, thank you very much for the helpful information and links.

dick