Friday
27Jun
Milk Paint
When using traditional materials in the workshop I'm sometimes suprised by just how good they can be. Its tempting to think that modern products are inevitably better than old ones due to the relentless march of progress. Sometimes they are of course. Often, though, the older product will be just as effective and nicer to use. A case in point is milk paint, which I have been using in a current project. Made from entirely natural materials (essentially casein from milk, and lime) entirely non toxic, and can be sanded to a lovely smooth finish. Much beloved by the Shakers, it has a subtle mottled colour variation which just seems to sit perfectly next to the natural variation of timber. No modern paint can match it for character. It also bonds incredibly well to the wood as I discovered when I needed to remove some! It seems a shame that attractive and very effective materials such as this are so often overlooked.
If you want some milk paint in powdered form you can get it from here.
Jun 27, 2008
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