How to Use Milk Paint: Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint

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Learn how to use Miss Mustard Seed milk paint. You might also like this post on how to paint furniture white.

There’s just something so lovely about chippy paint. Milk paint is known for it’s ability to chip, so I wanted to try it out on an old dresser than I bought. I’ve used Miss Mustard Seed milk paint before, so Learn how I used Miss Mustard Seed milk paint on an old dresser to enhance it’s age.

tips for using miss mustard seed milk paint

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My Review of Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint

Pros

  • The chippiness. This can vary because it doesn’t chip on all pieces of furniture. But I always love the results and the science experiment feel of the process. (If you don’t want chips, you can add the bonding agent.)
  • It dries fast. I paint a lot of furniture, so a speedy drying time is helpful. On a cold day, it took less than 30 minutes for it to dry so that I could add another coat.
  • I love the consistency of the paint. It goes on smoothly and is one of my favorite paints to use. It doesn’t act look weird if you paint over a part that is starting to dry, so it’s almost fool proof.
  • It’s pretty easy to find locally (we have it at Sweet Clover if you’re local to the Frederick, MD area.)
  • It sand nicely. Even if it doesn’t chip, it’s easy to distress.
  • It sticks well. People love chalk paint because it sticks to furniture so well. Milk paint is the same way.
  • I love the matte finish. It’s just so pretty.

Cons

  • Mixing can be a bit tricky. Sometimes I have parts that turn slightly different colors because I haven’t mixed it enough. I kind of like this aspect, but I can see others wouldn’t like that. Buying an immersion blender would probably help with that.
  • The chips can be overwhelming and a bit scary. Luckily there is a bonding agent that you can add.
  • It needs a top coat. But so do chalk paints.

What is the difference between milk paint and chalk paint?

The Dresser Before

dresser before

I loved the simple lines of this dresser. It needed some repairs, so we added wood glue and braces to make it sturdy again.

How to Use Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint

Supplies Needed

  1. I painted this dresser with a light gray chalk paint as my base coat. This serves a few purposes. Gray is easier to paint white than wood. But also, I wanted gray to show under the paint instead of the orange toned wood.
    dresser painted light gray
  2. Next, I mixed the Miss Mustard Seed milk paint with water. It should be the consistency of melted ice cream, though I typically like a thinner first coat. Don’t get caught up in exact proportions when mixing. Add more water if it’s too thick, add more milk paint if it’s too thin. I used about 1 cup of mixed paint for this whole dresser, which required 2 coats and some touch up.
    miss mustard seed milk paint and jar for mixing
  3. I like to mix mine in a jar with a lid, so I can shake it to mix it. A lid is also helpful for storing the paint (it doesn’t stay good for long though!) I don’t recommend this jar type. It leaks when shaken! Use a mason jar instead, so that it’s air tight!
    mixing milk paint
  4. A whisk breaks up the chunks if necessary. You can also use an immersion blender, but I don’t have one.
    whisking milk paint
  5. Let the paint sit for about 10 minutes to thicken and mix it again. Some colors need to be mixed a lot while working, so keep a stir stick handy.
  6. Start painting your furniture. Sometimes there are chunks that didn’t incorporate 100%, so I just kind of mix them on the dresser as I work, smushing them around.
    painting with milk paint
  7. Your first coat isn’t very pretty. But your first coat isn’t very pretty on anything you paint.
  8. Mine started chipping right away. It was a sunny, but cold day and I think the temperature had something to do with the amount of chipping.
    milk paint chipping
  9. The chipping was a bit concerning, but I let it dry, brushed away the chips and painted another coat on.
    painting a dresser
  10. It cracked like crazy too. So I went with it. Normally I like a lightly distressed look, but I went heavy handed on this piece. I even used my electric sander on this piece (220 grit sand paper) to sand more away.
    chippy milk paint results
  11. It will receive a top coat of polycrylic. I say “will”, because it’s not actually done yet. This is only step one. See Step 2 here: Using Furniture Transfers

Click to read a guide on applying polycrylic.

milk painted dresser in farmhouse white

This dresser turned out so different from my normal style, but I love it.

chippy farmhouse dresser

I love how chippy the top turned out!

chippy white dresser

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tips for using miss mustard seed milk paint

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