Milk paint

Stools painted with milk paint

Milk paint is a nontoxic, milk-based paint bound with casein. It can be made from milk and lime, generally with pigments added for color.[1][2][3] In other recipes, borax is mixed with milk's casein protein in order to activate the casein and as a preservative.[4][5] The paint adheres best to porous substrates such as wood, its common traditional use, but will adhere also and with greater sheen to non-porous ones, especially if mixed with appropriate bonding agents.[6][7][8] It has been in use for thousands of years. Traditionally, and usually still, made wholly of natural ingredients, it is extremely durable, often lasting for centuries if protected from the elements.

History, production, and uses

The ancient history of milk in paint is attested by a primitive combination of wild bovid milk and ochre used on a stone tool found in a South African cave and dated to 49,000 years ago, tens of thousands of years before the Neolithic domestication of cattle.[9] Goats’ milk provided the binder for lacquer paint used on the Ancient Egyptian tomb of King Tutankhamun.[10]

Before the invention of acrylics, most house paint binders not made from oil instead used casein. Abundant historical production documents outline the manufacture of milk paint on an industrial scale.[11] However, because oil-based and acrylic-based paint resins have come to be made in vast quantities with common oils, such as linseed, and petrochemicals, their price can be much lower than that of milk paint, which commercially is now made only on a small scale.

Borax-casein milk paint combines the advantages of an all-natural paint with the convenience of a ready-made paint, as it keeps for six months or more if sealed very tight to retain the moisture, although in time the casein binder will break down. Lime-casein milk paint does not come pre-mixed but is sold as a powder;[12] once water is added, the lime activates the casein and yields a durable paint that is caustic till it dries but safe and odorless thereafter. Once lime-casein milk paint has been mixed, it must be used within a day, or a few days if refrigerated.[13]

Today, milk paint is used not just on antique furniture and accurate replicas of it but on pieces of modern style.[14] The resulting finish has depth of color and a mottled appearance that may be used to give furnishings and rooms a rustic, shabby chic character.[15][16]

See also

References

  1. ^ Beecher, Henry Ward (1859). "Milk paint". Plain and Pleasant Talk about fruits, flowers and farming. Harvard University: Derby & Jackson. pp. 187–188.
  2. ^ "Useful facts and figures for farmers and fruit growers". The Transvaal Agricultural Journal. Vol. 4. Transvaal Department of Agriculture. 1906. p. 876. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  3. ^ Baird, Henry Carey (1867). "Painting in Milk". The Painter, Gilder, and Varnisher's Companion: containing rules and regulations in every thing relating to the arts of painting, gilding, varnishing and glass-staining (10th ed.). Philadelphia: Henry Carey Baird. pp. 97–99. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  4. ^ "Magic of chemurgy duplicated in the home laboratory". Popular Science. February 1942. pp. 199–201. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  5. ^ Wailes, Raymond B. (March 1940). "How is it Made". Popular Science. pp. 209–211. Archived from the original on February 23, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2020.
  6. ^ Melkin, Nina. "All About Milk Paint". This Old House. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  7. ^ Erickson, Alexa (20 August 2023). "What is Milk Paint and Should You Be Using It?". family handyman. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  8. ^ Dickson, Chiana (15 February 2024). "What is milk paint? And how to use it in your home". Homes & Gardens. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  9. ^ "Paleolithic Milk-Based Paint Discovered". Archeology. 1 July 2015. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  10. ^ Evelyth, Rose (31 January 2014). "Making Paint Out of Goat's Milk Is an Ancient Idea". Homes & Gardens. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  11. ^ Robert, Scherer (2010). Casein: Its preparation and technical utilisation. Nabu Press. ISBN 9781178313543. OCLC 944390964.
  12. ^ "A BRIEF HISTORY OF MILK PAINT". The Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  13. ^ Hurst-Wajszczuk, Joe (2006). Furniture You Can Build: Projects That Hone Your Skills. Del Brown (photography). Taunton Press. p. 52. ISBN 1-56158-796-6. Milk paint spoil.
  14. ^ Terri McGraw Additional Tips: Milk Paint[permanent dead link‍] Prime Painting Tips Tuesday, September 29, 2009 Central Florida News 13
  15. ^ Erickson, Alexa (20 August 2023). "What is Milk Paint and Should You Be Using It?". family handyman. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  16. ^ Dickson, Chiana (15 February 2024). "What is milk paint? And how to use it in your home". Homes & Gardens. Retrieved 5 March 2024.