Our DIY Milk Paint Formula, Color Tinting and Milk and Chalk Paint are Good for the Environment!!

First of all let me tell you I am a closet scientist but not a very good baker.  Since embarking on making my own milk paint from scratch I have found you might do better if you like to bake.  There are measuring and mixing options galore.  It can seem overwhelming at first but once you get focused and see how it is working, making milk paint becomes a whole lot of fun very quickly.

Our formula was very simple.  After researching and reading other DIYer's experiences with milk paint I found that a simple formula below works really well:

4 parts dry milk from the grocery store
1 part borax from the grocery store
1 part color pigment from online pigment stores (I shop from Earth Pigments mostly)
6 parts water (you can tweek the water, less or more depending on the finish you are trying to achieve.  A watery wash to a thick paint that is almost as thick as a latex paint.)
I let it sit for about 10 minutes before painting.  Keep mixing in your cup, bowl or can as your painting since the solids separate and sink to the bottom.  I just do this with my brush as I go along.

 whisk and bowl

 

  Sifted - O feel like I'm baking a cake!

 

 

The color and the paint will be used on my next project......a basket tray with a particle board bottom.

 

~The most important thing I found to create quality homemade milk paint is to sift the dry milk first into a bowl into as fine a powder as you can get.
~The next most important thing is to mix the pigment and borax completely into the powder milk by smooshing the borax as fine as possible. 
~The next important thing is to make sure and mix all the powders over and over until the tint is thoroughly through and through.  You'll see what I mean when you start mixing.  I do not use a blender but I have used a whisk.
~Then you can add the water and voila.  You have a great looking paint that covers well and doesn't have any clumps.

You will always need to do 2 coats but the paint dries so fast you don't have to wait long before you can apply the second coat.

RECYCLING WITH THE PAINT WE ARE USING! HOW AWESOME..............No more adding kitty litter to cans and cans of paint and hoping you aren't hurting the water table with your paint waste because so many of us are now opting for milk and chalk paint at this time.
 Milk paint and chalk paint are non toxic and good for the environment.  In this environmentally "green" time we live in it is nice to know we are doing our part by creating for generations a finish that will not hurt them or their world.  The Earth Pigments Company also uses Non Toxic ingredients for their tints.  It's Very Cool!!