I took the plunge and ordered some Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint (MMS) in four colors. I ordered Linen, Kitchen Scale, Lucketts Green, and Artissimo. I ended up using 3 of them on this cabinet to obtain an old, chippy, painted and repainted antique look. This cabinet turned out better than I'd hoped. In fact, I think my hubby actually wanted to keep it ;)
I found this Shutter Cabinet at Goodwill. I thought it would lend itself well to the chippy distressed look of milk paint. I'm also kind of a sucker for the stained top, painted bottom look on furniture at the moment. Gel Stripper time!
The top was particularly yucky. I wasn't sure if it would take stain once prepped, but figured it was worth a shot.
It was probably the fastest stripping job so far. The old clear coat & stain came up in less than 15 minutes!
Here it is all stripped, sanded, & ready for stain...
I used Minwax "Special Oak" (I think it's a new color). Painted it on with a chip brush, waited 5 minutes, & wiped it off with a clean dry rag in the direction of the wood grain. Once dry, I sealed the wood top with 2 coats of Polycrylic spray so it's good an durable.
I use old, but clean, t-shirts (the ones that get yellow in the armpits or have stains or small holes) cotton t-shirts are great for staining! It's kind of recycling, right?
The top all stained and drying.
Then I removed the shutter doors & hardware and got to painting. I brushed on Lucketts Green and Linen here and there (hoping they would just peek through). I also did the same for the front and outside of the cabinet. Then I let them dry and covered everything with 2 coats of Kitchen Scale.
I let it set overnight to do it's "chippy thing." I was so excited the next morning an almost couldn't contain myself. I'm certain I skipped breakfast and even coffee to get out to the garage as fast a possible (with 2 toddlers in tow). No worries, I did feed the kids, though then may have been in their pj's roaming the back yard that morning ;)
Before attempting this new paint I watched A LOT of tutorials online. Miss Mustard Seed's website has some great ones. They show you how to mix & apply the paint and also what to do if you do or do not want a chippy look. Check them out here if you are interested.
I took a putty knife/scraper and lightly scraped all over and let the paint chip where it wanted to. If you are a type A control freak, milk paint chippy finish is NOT going to be your friend. You really have to let go and hope for the best.
Here is one of the shutter doors. I was Super-Duper excited by this point!
I finished the inside using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in "Paris Gray" I thought it would be a nice neutral accent to the teal & green colors coming through the paint.
Once I was done "chipping" I very, very lightly sanded everything with 220 grit sandpaper, mostly just to make sure everything had a nice finish. Then I waxed it with clear Annie Sloan Wax and buffed to get that lovely sheen that AS wax gives you. LOVE IT!
I've been working on this post for a week or so, in the time it took me to finally get a blog post done (it has been a crazy busy summer) this cute little cabinet sold at my shop. If you'd like to see what else I have available, check out my Facebook page or head down to Unique Boutique in Fremont.
A better shot of the stained top.
Some chippy goodness!
The knobs are from Hobby Lobby.
I'm considering my first milk paint attempt a success. We will see what my milk paint future holds. I am much more comfortable with Annie Sloan, but I think back to when I first started using Annie Sloan and was nervous about that too. Just dive in, right?
Have you tried out any of the brands of Milk Paint out there? I'd love to hear your opinions of them.
Linking up at:
Liz Marie Blog Inspire Me Linky Party
Miss Mustard Seed Furniture Feature Friday Link Party
