The Pros and Cons of Painting with Milk Paint

I’ve been curious about milk paint for awhile now and how it works and what it even is. When we made our outdoor dining table, I decided to try it out since there will be food on and around the dining table. The more natural, the better. And that should always be the case so although the paint was the most expensive thing we bought for our table project, it was a good “splurge.” It also gave the painted benches and table the perfect distressed look that I was going for without using any other products! So although I’m all for this non-toxic paint, it does have a few cons that you might want to consider. Read below for all the pro and cons of painting with milk paint!

The Pros of Milk Paint:

• non toxic, environmentally friendly
• colors aren’t limited like some people think
• doesn’t mask the grain in wood
• comes in a powder so you just have to add water
• isn’t so “latex-y” so less spilling/dripping
• dries so much quicker (30 min – 4 hrs)
• I found it easier to sand for the distressed look (you can use beeswax underneath milk paint for the chippy look but I haven’t tried that)
• no primer needed on raw wood and porous surfaces
• no strong odor
• if you want to paint furniture but don’t want it to look brand new, this is the perfect paint

The Cons of Milk Paint

• have to shake super super well to get rid of powder clumps then wait 20 min.
• as you paint with a brush, the paint might dry into little specks of powder on your surface from the brush
• pricey
• brush strokes are easy to see if you don’t brush on evenly
• once you mix the powder with water, you have to use it within a minimum of 2 weeks (so don’t mix it all at once you’re sure you will use it all at once)
• painting surface must be clear of wax, grease, and oils for paint to adhere
• there’s a possibility that if you use wood filler, the water from adding to the milk paint powder, might make a colorful reaction from the wood filler
• updated* I have to seal the dining table I painted bc every time I wipe it, some powder from the paint would come off as well. However, I will say that the benches I also painted with the same paint do not do this so I’ll be emailing the company as to why this happens

*I purchased my milk paint (I’ve also purchased natural stain from them)  at The Real Milk Paint Co.