Customer Tips
There’s nothing we like better than hearing how much our customers love using their Real Milk Paint Co. products. And what a treat it is when we can learn a thing or two from our customers! Below are some extraordinary tips we’ve received from our loyal customer about everything from staining wood to how they mixed their nontoxic Real Milk Paint.
Color Mixing
Thanks for a fantastic website… the best on this subject. I thought you might like to clear up a small matter on color mixing. Your (copied) guide says:
French Gray ……. White, Blue, Lake**
It would be correct to say that Lake here most probably refers to an ancient “Crimson Lake” which has quite a lot of black in it.
The “modern” mixing schedule for French Gray (note GrAy not GrEy) would be: white, blue, black, bright red. The greater quantity in the first colour listed and diminishing quantities as you read through the list.
So the best interpretation for the French Gray listed is White (4 units) Blue (1 Unit) and Black/Red (1/2 Unit), adjusted to suit.
Ref: ,” that is, a lake which is made from the gum lac, “the dark-red resinous incrustation produced on certain trees”
Notes: by Daniel V. Thompson
Yours Sincerely
–Rod Cleasby
Floor Finishing
Hi, I’m in the middle of refinishing my floors (oak) with Soy Gel and Tung oil, and have been following Bill Layman’s How a Wood Floor Can Be Like A Cast Iron Frying Pan article. I’m just about finished with the stripping, and I thought I would let you know about some of my results.
– I bought a PVC squeegee, which didn’t work at all. It fell apart after contact with the soy gel. Maybe a “real” squeegee is a different material, but the window-washing ones they sell at Home Depot don’t work. The squeegee does work great for cleaning up after post-washing the stripper, though.
– Instead I’ve been spreading the stripper with a metal scraper/spatula. This works well for me.
– I’ve had good luck with Scotch scrubbing pads as well as a stiff brush for that post-wash.
– I’m happy to find that the stripper remains pretty active as I do the floor in strips about 3 feet wide across the room. I have to add some stripper as I move on to a new area, but it does go pretty far. It would be a waste to throw it out after using it on one strip (not obvious to me from the article).
I thought you might be interested to know about my experience with your products. I’ve done floors at three other houses in the past by sanding and polyurethane, so I’m excited to see how this “alternative” project turns out!
Regards,
–C. Erickson
Real Milk Paint®
Hi Dwayne. . .just wanted to let you know that we think we found the solution to our dilemma in sealing the milk paint without changing the color as dramatically as what was occurring with the tung oil. We’re using Minwax Polycrylic and it seems to be working out great! It goes on fairly easily and dries leaving a bit of sheen and brings out the various shades in the milk paint! So we are now really making progress!
Might I suggest that you tell folks on your website that if you plan to seal the milk paint with Pure Tung Oil it will require (most likely) more than two coats of milk paint and also will significantly darken the color.
Thanks, Dwayne!
–Andrea
The best sanding tool I have found for light sanding of milk paint is one of those foam backed contour sanders. Fine grit. Doesn’t clog and fits all the slight curves of heavy prep sanding. If it does clog, just wash it out. The only thing one needs to know when enough sanding has occurred is hearing. It goes from a harsh sanding sound to quiet.
–John and Marianne
Adams, MA
The area behind the refrigerator–great place to experiment when painting the kitchen.
–John and Marianne
Adams, MA
Pure Tung Oil
When finishing a bench with Pure Tung Oil, I initially applied six coats. Wow, what a beautiful color! After about six weeks of curing I noticed the finish felt course and seemed to pick up some dust. So I sanded it with fine sand paper 400 or 600 grit then applied another thin coat. What amazing beauty and a smooth finish!!
–Kevin
Tallahassee, FL
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Learn how to mix your own paints.