Bergere, one of the colors in the Miss Mustard Seed’s Milk Paint European line, is a smoky BLUE-gray (more blue than gray) named after one of Marian’s favorite kind of chairs. The European line of Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint is a special collection of six beautiful muted tones.
Milk Paint is one of the oldest methods of painting known and has been found on everything from prehistoric caves to Egyptian tombs.
Now Miss Mustard Seed has brought this ancient painting formula to the present age. It's ingredients are milk powder, lime, and pigment, so it's perfect for today's environmentally conscious age. It behaves differently from latex or acrylic paint, and comes in a powder form.
Mix it with cool or room temperature water and paint pieces with a gorgeous finish which shows off a variety of colors and hues.
Watch a video on how to mix Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint here=> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9uEBsCBSL8
Always add the water first to your container, followed by the milk paint powder. This prevents it from getting all compacted at the bottom and chunky! Adding cool or room temperature water helps with a nice even mix. Warm water may increase chunks.
Using a milk feather is great too, however make sure you keep the feather to the bottom of the container so as not to over froth. 20-30 seconds, let stand for a minute then another 20-30 seconds should be all you need!
On raw wood- milk paint will be absorbed- almost like a stain. But if working on a finished piece that has a top coat of some sort and you want total adhesion- make sure to use the bonding agent.
When using the bonding agent, we suggest to let each coat sit for about 12 hours BEFORE applying another coat of paint. The water in the milk paint reactivates the bonding agent, the longer you let it wait, the better it is.
Typically a light sanding to the problem areas, then a re-application with the bonding agent, and waiting for your second coat at least 12 hours is an excellent approach.
If wanting a chipping look in strategic spots only, try applying a thin layer of hemp oil in areas where you want the chipping to occur. Then, immediately after - you can paint with the bonding agent/ Milk Paint mixture. Where you put the hemp oil, the Milk Paint mixture with Bonding Agent should have great difficulty bonding to the piece. Once you've applied all your coats and are happy with the end finish, then apply a poly coating, OR Miss Mustard Seed's Wax or Hemp oil to really seal everything in nicely to stop all future chipping!
Homestead House- the Milk Paint manufacturer shared this information about Milk Paint that I thought was extremely helpful when asking what is the difference between Milk Paint and Chalk Paint®
"The one main difference I can tell you about is how it works on raw wood. You will see the grain and the pattern of it as it binds with the wood fibers and becomes a part of the wood, becoming one of the strongest possible paints, as it is no longer a layer on top of something, rather part of it.
Milk Paint contains, Chalk, Clay, Limestone, Casein ( Milk Protein) and natural pigments, therefore it is a completely 100% Natural product with no chemicals or off gassing at all. That is solely unique to this paint. Anything that comes premixed has preservatives, and other acrylics in it.
Milk Paint is extremely durable when the proper directions are followed, on a previously coated piece it is always recommended to use the bonding agent, even if you want a chippy look because if you don't use the bonding agent, you will not be able to control where the chippy look will occur. If you use a little hemp oil in the areas you want a guaranteed chippy look, the paint will flake off in those areas."
Here is a great 30 minute video made by Homestead House on how to mix Milk Paint and some additional tips & chips! I definitely recommend watching it!!!
Temperature To Use Milk Paint in:
Per Homestead House Paint Company, "Milk Paint actually doesn't react to temperatures like other paints as there are no acrylics or other suspenders in the product that react with temperatures. You can paint in the cold, or the high humid heat- the only thing it will affect is drying time, in high humid heat, the milk paint will just take a little longer to dry, in no humid heat, it will dry faster." However...if using a bonding agent- that should be used in a temperature controlled area for the best results possible.
I hope that this was as helpful to you as I felt it was.
STATE OF CALIFORNIA CONSUMERS:
Proposition 65 Warning for California Consumers = https://www.p65warnings.ca.gov/
Milk paint is the only product in the Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint line that is affected. To be more specific, the ingredient that is specifically triggering this classification is Titanium dioxide. This is a whitening pigment found in all paints, however Titanium dioxide in it's powder state is the ingredient in milk paint that is the basis for the prop 65 warning. Once mixed with water, this warning no longer applies. We are legally obligated to put the appropriate warnings based on how the consumer receives the product, for milk paint it is in a powdered state.