Difference Between Milk Paint and Chalk Paint and When to Use Each
Even if you’ve never heard of milk paint or chalk paint before, you’ve definitely seen it. Except that the chalk paint we’re talking about here is not a dark paint that you can use to turn any surface into your own chalkboard. This is something else.
The milky paint and chalk paint we’re talking about are decorative finishes and not traditional paints. Both produce that weathered, antique patina that people love but want immediately, not decades for their furniture to age.
In fact, they are similar in other ways as well, which only adds to the confusion. Here’s what to know about the differences between milky paint and chalk paint and when to use them, from an article Lee Wallender wrote for The Spruce .
Milky paint vs chalk paint
Besides the ones mentioned above, there are other similarities between milk paint and chalk paint, Wallender said. Firstly, both are water-based, easy to mix, dry quickly, have a matte finish and contain minimal volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
In fact, their ingredients are nearly identical. In addition to water-based paint, both milk paint and chalk paint are composed of minerals, including calcium carbonate as the star of the show, as well as other minerals, as well as pigments such as ocher, umber, iron oxide and – a black lamp, explains Wallender .
Ultimately, the difference between milk paint and chalk paint comes down to one organic ingredient: milk protein. When you buy milk paint it won’t look like paint at first because it comes in dry powder form with some dry pigments and you are in charge of adding water. On the other hand, chalk paint is completely inorganic and is usually ready-made and mixed.
When to use milk paint or chalk paint
For the most part, it all depends on what kind of look you’re trying to achieve with the paint, explains Wallender . Milk paint is more liquid, so it not only mixes pigments and acts like paint itself, but can also be used as a remover. It also tends to have a finish that is slightly more matte than chalk paint, if that’s what matters to you.
Milky paint also looks lumpy, which is good if you want to create an aged striped surface. And to make the IKEA chair look even older, if you sand the surface on which the milk paint was used, some of it will peel off, giving the furniture an even more worn look.
Meanwhile, the chalk paint dries with an even … well, chalk finish. But, as Wallender points out , it can also be used to “create a modern, smooth, streak-free texture by sanding multiple layers with fine sandpaper,” so it can be more versatile.