Milk Paint

It wasn’t until the 19^th century, with the development of the resealable metal can, that commercial paint became readily available. 

Prior to that development, paint was made from pretty much anything that would bind a pigment to a surface. 

Amongst these traditional paints was milk paint which relied on casein (milk protein) and lime as the binding agent.  As every farmer had at least one cow and every village had a lime pit, milk paint was the paint that was most often made in rural communities.  If you wanted colour you added whatever was to hand.  Those famous red barns were often that colour because the paint had pig or other animal blood added to it.  Another handy brown/red pigment was ferrous oxide or plain ordinary rust.

There is nothing quite like milk paint to add instant character to timber, whether that is new or old furniture or even your decor. At Kurrajong Farm I make furniture out of recycled, salvaged and (occasionally) new plantation timbers and use a variety of finishes to enhance the beauty of the pieces I make.  One of these finishes is Kurrajong Farm Milk Paint made on the farm in the tradition of those resourceful farmers.

And now, you can use milk paint without first curdling the milk, slaking the lime, slaughtering the pig or scraping the rust off the roof and, while doing all this, offending your neighbours with all of the smells you are creating.

Before Milk Paint

Kurrajong Farm Milk Paint is formulated from powders to avoid waste and it is available in 420 gram packs.  This is the approximate equivalent of at least a litre or so of very thick paint.  The volume can vary a little as pigments can differ in weight and it is likely that you will need to dilute this further until you get the right consistency.   The consistency you are seeking depends on whether you want opacity or a thin wash.  Your Kurrajong Farm Milk Paint will be supplied with a detailed instruction leaflet which can be viewed here

After Milk Paint 

Most paints are substantially more expensive than Kurrajong Farm Milk Paint, and maybe you are buying a lot of water. With Kurrajong Farm Authentic Milk Paint

you aren't buying our water, you are adding your own.

Rendering the colours accurately is not easy considering cameras tend to darken the lighter colours and lighten the darker colours to try to achieve an accurate exposure.  I have tried to correct this as best as I can without altering the colour but colour reproduction will also depend on your computer monitor.  The painted sample boards are sections of old fence palings and no primer was used when painting them, just milk paint applied to raw timber.  Try to do that with store bought paints and have the paint stick!