Using materials of the past, such as old-fashioned milk paint, can give your home a warm, nostalgic feeling. Milk paint, used for centuries before the advent of commercially produced solvent-based paints, is biodegradable, nontoxic and available in a variety of soft, earthy colors. Use this authentic finish on old or new furniture for a durable, nonfading finish. Milk paint is made by mixing pigmented milk-paint powder with milk and powdered lime, which binds the pigment and the liquid (figure A). Mix 12 parts milk and 1 part lime with the pigmented powder. Less powder makes a thin mixture that leaves a more translucent, stainlike coating on the wood, allowing the grain to show through. More powder makes a thicker mixture that covers the wood like conventional paint.
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