I popped over here to read your full review after seeing the pics of your beautiful wall color - thanks for the great info!

Having only recently discovered Aura paints, full spectrum paints, & now seeing the results of this milk paint, I wish I was only just getting started at painting my house!

awm, it's because of those quirks that it can not be on my list of go-to paint resources. Full spectrum throws enough painters for a loop, can you EVEN imagine if I handed them powder and told them to go mix it. Oh. My. Goodness.

All the paints mentioned, FS, F&B, Aura, Milk have a *visual hand* that is unique; a visual nuance of depth. They offer a multi-dimensional texture that comes from magical pairings and blendings of paint bases and colorants which delivers that notion of texture first to the sensation of vision and eventually touch. Regular paint samples people hold in their hands and tilt and turn to look at them at different angles and eventually run their hand across them. The uber brand's samples garner a touch almost instantly after the first glance. I find that interesting.

Anyone who says all paints are equal and a regular paint can deliver the same kind of visual experience as the uber boutique paints have some kind of visual deficit -- their intuitive notions of what color is suppose to look and feel like -- even before you actually touch it-- is messed up. I'm not trying to be provactive or a smart azz. I seriously believe that there are varying levels of visual ability with specific degrees of color intuitiveness. Some people are more attuned to the wavelengths of color and some are less sensitive. Color vision takes place in your brain automatically, without awareness -- your eye/brain team sees and computes color effortlessly. Color is a natural, intrinsic response. So, I guess the question is: is it fair to expect every response to be identical? Very similiar to a great extent? Sure. But all identically intuitive and completely, totally equal? I personally think not.

Which is why the buffet of paint choices we have available to us is the greatest thing ever -- ever! We are so lucky. There's a paint out there for everyone and it's so much darn fun! when someone finds their fit like awm and milk paints.

"can you EVEN imagine if I handed them powder and told them to go mix it. Oh. My. Goodness."

LOL! that's a funny picture :)

Actually, mixing was the easy part. I'm fairly hausfrau-ish, so I used my immersion blender & an empty laundry bucket. No harder than pureeing soup. Keeping the consistency was a little trickier. But now that I have some experience, next time I'll let it do all of its congealing for an hour, adding water to keep the creamy consistency. It thickens the most that first hour. Then I'll paint.

You've described the essence of the magic very well, funcolors. I am so happy with the milk paint rooms. This paint just glows.

When testing colors, I got a beautiful deep warm red by mixing 2 oz. salmon with 1 oz. barn red. Think I might use that for the dining room. Creating your own colors is fun!

Utterly beautiful (and similar palette to DH's and my first home 26 years ago). The terra cotta color is wonderful. We had paper white silk sofas, a dark wood chinoiserie table, and touches of slate blue here and there. I love the kind of color you can sink into. You'll enjoy this for a long time!

Thank you, kitchend.

Have seen milk paint on furniture and historic walls but not on contemporary. Lovely effect!

How did you apply? Can it be rolled or only brushed? What consistency was ideal? F.ex. cream or pureed soup? (I always find food analogies work very well).

Did you use your scale to mix the powders? I love the salmon living room. It's just terrific. So exciting to see this project.

It looks like a lovely matte surface which is what I prefer.

And agree wholeheartedly with FC about the variation in how we see things. When you get the perfect color and also exactly the right surface quality I think there's triple satisfaction.

I have a plaster wall painting project ahead. I swear by F&B but this looks verrrrry interesting.

Thanks, r_g. I still remember your wonderful kitchen back splash. You have a great eye for color.

I used a roller, using a brush to cut in. I've also used a paint pad. Whatever you prefer. The paint has enough body, though, that whatever tool you use will affect the final texture, so don't start with a paint pad and decide to switch to a roller or brush half way, or you'll get a different look on the wall. This would be true for all paints, but would be more pronounced with milk paint.

I mixed the solution to what I thought was regular paint consistency -- heavy cream, I suppose.

I didn't need a scale. The powder comes in pint, quart, or gallon sizes with instructions on the right amount of water to add. A gallon sized package is 48 oz. of powder, to which you add 2 quarts of water, mix, then add a little more water as needed. When I made my BR color, I used a gallon package of Oyster White (48 oz.), then used kitchen measuring cups to add Sea Green just until the color started to change. A 1/8 cup size = 1 oz., and I used three of these. The one gallon size will cover 300 square feet, so the coverage is not as ample as a gallon of paint in a can. Two coats were needed.

I think the color depth & vibrancy compares to anything F&B makes. What some may not care for, though, is that milk paint has a cruder finish than F&B. It is rougher to the touch, can have bits of undissolved minerals in it, and in some places where applied too thickly, can craze (so can F&B). These imperfections are subtle, though. It's a more rustic finish, actually quite attractive, with much character. Some people, probably, would not find the imperfections charming. If you're the type who eyeballs every square inch of a wall for finish flaws and would fret over occasional brush/roller marks & slight shading variation, then F&B would be a better choice for you.

Thanks so much for your kind words. I am fascinated by paint and color and trying to learn more -- your post was so informative and daring. I just love that plus the results are great.

What excellent technique and measuring comments. Very useful. I have seen a lot of very old milk paint on Shaker and Swedish furniture and it has a very special look, I agree. (the Swedes used a combo of pigment and egg yolk for binder plus linseed oil).

I can see how you would compare it to F&B due to the matte finish. I have some test packets around that I've been saving for a furniture project -- I should mix them up and do side-by-sides to see the differences. F&B, as you know, is formulated to have superior hiding qualities. I'm very devoted to it but there are most definitely color limitations and one of their strengths -- very dark colors -- is not something of interest to me for my own home.

But life has flaws and I like them along with crazing, wear and even chipping. Natural character is always welcome. The milk paint on walls idea is very interesting and doesn't sound as if you struggled with it at all.

I have plaster walls (old) that will be needing painting and it could be a very interesting solution to explore.

Awm03 - Thank you for your thorough review. I am thinking of using milk paint on some wood paneling in our new house. It sounds beautiful and I am thinking of doing a grey/blue/green color very similar to you description. Would you mind posting pictures again? The pictures you posted previously are not showing up (I recognize this is an old post) and it would be wonderful to see how it turned out. Thanks!