Sweet Pickins paint is so fun to work with but there is un-predictability with this paint. I've had a few pieces where it all chipped off. Yes, it can be disheartening to have it all chip off but you can repaint it. If your a type "A" person and like to have all you ducks in row so to speak. I'm a reformed type"A" and I get it. It still creeps back sometimes. Living with a chronic illness has taught me a lot! I understand your plight. Especially when comes to painting.
What I recommend when you purchase your Sweet Pickins Milk Paint is to buy the Extra Bond. This is how I was able to get used to the paint.
Add water and stir. I usually use a craft stick and a plastic cup.
For a half cup of paint I use a tablespoon or so and mix it right in the paint. What I have learned is to start with Extra Bond and then slowly taper off. I started off with some nesting tables and put a 1/4 of cup of bond into about 1 cup of paint. That was a lot of bond. They barely distressed or chipped.
Tips for using bond:
1. You only have to use the bond on the first coat. The second coat doesn't have bond in it.
2. If you leave your paint for more than 30-45 you may need to add a little more bond for your first coat. The bond loses its bonding ability the longer it stays out.
3. If you want a light distressed look light sand. Use 220. Heavily distressed use 180.
4. If you want a chippy finish or more distressing use a less bond. Use a paint scraper.. Use small pulling motions. If you do big strokes you can end with big scratches that may not be your look. You can buy it at local hardware store.
Porous surfaces- raw wood. Raw wood won't chip or distress much. The paint soaks into the wood. It gives a more stained color look.
Non-porous surfaces- Painted wood, glass, metal, or Polyurethaned or varnished pieces are more likely to chip and distress. If you choose not to use Sweet Pickins Extra Bond on these type of materials you can have were it's really chippy or all chips off. Sometimes I choose to go that way.
In this situation I usually add a splash of bond. If it is a high gloss piece of furniture or really old varnish I use bond 1/4 cup to 1 1/2 cups of paint. I can always go back and us a paint scraper. If you want no chippy at all use all use up to 1/2 cup of Extra Bond to 1.5 cups of paint.
I have painted over many previously painted pieces and haven't had to use much bond.
Pieces I've done with Sweet Pickins Milk Paint.
No Extra Bond
This had thick shiny varnish on this bookshelf. I used Extra Bond on this.
Extra Bond Used and then sanded.
Extra Bond Used.
No Extra Bond used. This had been sanded before so there was raw wood exposed. Gives a more stained look.
Used Extra Bond just a little bit.
No bonded used. Very old varnish and I was able to get a very chippy finish.
Used Extra Bond.
Hopefully this answers a lot of questions. Sweet Pickins Milk Paint is amazing. You can get many different looks with one type of paint. I love that about this paint. If you have any questions, feel free comment below.
I too am really liking the milk paint but having a hard time getting the pieces to look like what I have envisioned. I guess this is the unpredictable part of Milk Paint. What if you have a painted piece of furniture (lets say a light blue color) and you want to paint over it with a white milk paint and you want the blue to show threw in places. So where it look distresses you see the light blue color instead of wood? Would it be better to use a crackle paint finish? Thanks for helping with this question.
ReplyDeleteI would recommend not to use the bond. If you know that the blue underneath was prepared well. If you suspect it wasn't than use the bond. I had a white hutch that I painted with no bond and I lightly sand the edges and it the white peeks through. Good luck.
Delete