A few weeks ago, i scheduled a much needed week of no custom orders. In some ways i love customs, but it does limit me as far as trying out new paints, techniques, products, etc. Sometimes i just have to be free of deadlines and trying to give people exactly what they envision so i can do my own thing and play around a little :)

Ive used milk paint in the past and really like it (i posted a cute sofa table here, its actually the same color that i used on this desk). Im not a fan of chalk paint, but i love milk paint. Its very unpredictable and hopefully it gives me the chippy look that i love so much. I will do a post another day about my thoughts about milk paint vs chalk paint.

Anyways – i got this solid wood heavy duty roll top about a month ago. I really like roll tops, and this one is in great shape. And the little drawers and cubbies inside are so cute!

This is the best before pic that i had…

The best thing about milk paint, is that there is no prep work, i did not sand before painting. In this case the desk had a clear coat on it, but it wasnt super shiny and i knew that the paint would stick to the wood. If you are working with a super smooth, shiny piece of furniture you can add ultra bond to your paint and that will help with adhesion (you can find info about that here on the Old Fashioned Milk Paints website).

I just mixed up some milk paint in a plastic cup – the paint comes in a powder form and you have to mix it. I find it best to mix it with hot water, it seems to be the best to keep the lumps out. And you will have to stir it while using, sometimes the paint can start to thicken and settle at the bottom.

For this desk, i just did one coat of paint – and its brushed on (my sprayer doesnt spray it well). After letting it dry, i just took a sanding block and went over the entire desk. Some parts had already began chipping – thats my favorite part. You never know what its going to do, some parts stuck really well, some you cant even scrape off.

After sanding the desk, i lightly glazed it. I mixed up some SW glaze in van dyke brown (talked about here) with mineral spirits and went over the whole thing. With milk paint, you have to make sure and sand 1st before putting on the glaze – its so porous and flat and if you dont, the glaze will just be sucked up by the paint and will be splotchy.

The last step after sanding down and staining the top was to seal with a water based poly to protect the finish. Milk paint is super durable and doesnt need to be sealed, but i find that it just gives it a little more depth and i like the little but of shine over distressed pieces.

And the after…