Create a Shabby Chic look in your home

Do you have wood furniture you are tired of, but don't have the budget to replace?

Well, painting it might be the way to go. You can completely change your dining room by paining your table and chairs. Give your room a breath of fresh air by painting the bed and nightstand. There are no rules.  You can paint your bed cream and have a pale blue nightstand. You decide.

Here is how you can make milk paint at home to achieve this look.

As one of the oldest forms of paint, milk paint is one of the most versatile and eco-friendly paints that you can use in a home. Used for centuries to paint furniture, this completely natural paint is extremely durable once dry.

ABOVE: Shabby Chic uses a specially formulated milk paint for all their vintage distressed furniture.

You can use milk paint on any wood furniture to create a whitewashed look that is perfect for cottage, country or Shabby Chic decor.

You will need:

4 litres Skim milk (or milk with no cream fat) - at room temperature
2 cups white vinegar
3/4 cup hydrated lime powder (112 g)
Cheese cloth or muslin

This mixture will make enough paint for 2 to 3 coats on a small piece of furniture.

Here's how:

1. Mix the milk and vinegar together in a saucepan and leave to stand in a warm spot for a couple of hours.

The vinegar causes the milk to curdle and separate, creating 'quark'.

Do not stir the mixture while it stands, as this will disturb the process.

2. Strain the mixture, letting it drain into a jug. Rinse the quark with tepid water to neutralise the vinegar. Repeat this process three times.

3. Strain the mixture again, letting it drain until there is no water dripping through the cloth. You now have a nice thick amount of quark [see below], which is the base of our milk paint.

4. Place your lime in a plastic or glass [not metal] container large enough to hold two to three cups.

Be careful not to inhale dust or allow dust to get on hands or in eyes.

Slowly pour 1½ cups of water into the lime and stir into a creamy paste making sure all the lime has been wetted

5. Pour the lime mixture over the quark and gently stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture in nice and creamy.

If some curds do not dissolve readily, the mixture can sit for 15 to 30 minutes to help break them down.

6. If you need to add color to your milk paint you can use natural powder pigments, powdered craft paint, or food colouring.

Mix the powered colorants into water to make a smooth paste and then add to the paint mixture. You can buy pigments at your local home improvement and art stores.

Avoid using pigments made from toxic compounds, otherwise you’ll defeat the purpose of making your own paint.

NOTE: Don't worry about any undissolved matter in the mix as you need to strain again before use.

ABOVE: Shabby Chic uses a specially formulated milk paint for all their vintage distressed furniture.

Finish off your project by applying Woodoc Antique Wax to protect and preserve the finish.