Chalk Paint Vs Milk Paint and the One I Prefer
I remember the first time I purchased chalk paint. I was in a little boutique about 30 miles north of where I lived. I kept staring at all the furniture painted with this new “chalk paint” style and I had to try it. My thoughts were “wow, am I really going to pay Forty dollars for a quart of paint?” And what would I paint? All I knew was that I loved this new style and I had to try it.
THIS WAS THE BEGINNING OF MY FURNITURE PAINTING JOURNEY.
SINCE I OFTEN GET ASKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHALK PAINT VS MILK PAINT I DECIDED IT WAS TIME TO WRITE DOWN SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT IT.
Time: 2 Hours Cost: $45 Difficulty: Medium
SO HOW ABOUT MILK PAINT?
After I’d been using chalk paint a few years I started hearing about a similar product called milk paint. I knew both paints were made of different ingredients, but both were still primarily used to paint furniture. So which one do I like better? That’s a hard question.
Above is picture from my milk painted tv stand project.
Before I give you my opinion, I want to share some facts about chalk paint vs milk paint and their differences.
CHALK PAINT:
- One of chalk paints biggest draws is that it does not require a primer because it will stick to almost any wood finish. In the furniture refinishing business this was huge. You could paint over polyurethane, wax, even glue and it would stick! Gone were the days of stripping and sanding and preparing wood for paint.
- Chalk paint distresses easily with a little sand paper. It comes off in a fine powder, which also makes it very forgiving.
- Chalk paint is {mostly} made of latex paint, calcium carbonate and water. The calcium is what makes gives it the chalky finish.
- Because chalk paint “dusts” off easily, I always recommend adding a top coat of wax or varnish. Speaking from experience, the paint does not hold up well to without a top coat.
- You can make your own chalk paint, but most people buy it already mixed in a quart size can.
- You can mix chalk paint colors easily. The paint can also be diluted for a smoother finish or for use in a paint sprayer.
- A little chalk paint goes a long way. I was fearful when I purchased the $40 quart size can that I was wasting my money, but I covered about three full pieces of furniture with it!
- For those of you who like the convenience of a spray paint, you can find chalky spray paint in any big name store.
MILK PAINT:
- Unlike Chalk paint, milk paint has been around for years. The ingredients are natural and eco friendly.
- You will find milk paint {mostly} in the powdered form. All it requires is to be mixed with water.
- The main ingredients for milk paint are quark (Quark is a type of fresh dairy product made by warming soured milk) and lime. The downside to these ingredients is the smell!
- The powdered form of milk paint will require the addition of a bonding agent if you don’t want the “chippy” look.
- Speaking of adding a bonding agent, this is the bonus for vintage lovers like myself. If you want the aged chippy wood look, all you have to do is apply milk paint without the boding agent and you will find that the paint will chip naturally over a period of just a few hours.
- The downside to the powdered form of milk paint is that it can be rather tricky to mix the perfect consistency. Most new furniture painters would rather buy milk paint in a ready to go can. There are a few brands that come already mixed like General Finishes milk paint. unfortunately, with the “ready made” milk paint cans the bonding agent is already mixed in.
- In my opinion, milk paint with the bonding agent does not always require a top coat. If the piece of furniture I’m working on doesn’t get a lot of wear and tear, I rarely use a top coat.
- I have found that milk paint does show brush strokes much easier than chalk paint.
- Milk paint does cost less than chalk paint, but one can of milk paint does not cover near as many projects as chalk paint. So then the question is, does milk paint really cost less? I’m still undecided on this one.
Which type of paint do I prefer? Chalk paint vs milk paint…
I love the smooth finish of milk paint and the fact that I can create that chippy look by forgoing the bonding agent. I even used milk paint to paint my kitchen cabinets.
On the downside, milk paint does show brush strokes easier than chalk paint and does not bond as well (in my opinion).
Back to the question, which paint do I prefer? It depends on what I’m painting.
I DO PREFER APPLYING CHALK PAINT TO A FURNITURE PIECE THAT HAS MANY LAYERS OF OLD PAINT OR VARNISH. IT WILL GIVE A BETTER COVERAGE AND MORE “EVEN TONED” LOOK. THE ONLY DOWNSIDE IS THAT IT WILL REQUIRE A GOOD WAX OR TOP COAT.
Milk paint is my go-to paint for that chippy look. Otherwise, I prefer using chalk paint because of it’s better coverage and ability to hide most brush strokes.
And thats it for my full review of chalk paint vs milk paint. Do you have any questions? Please feel free to drop them below.
Lindsey**
Materials used for this project:
- Chalk Paint (Amazon)
- Milk paint (amazon)
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