This year I used Rust-Oleum Milk Paint to give myself a heritage day gift. This was never the intention but when Rust-oleum sent me a package that contained fast drying spray paint and a tin of navy blue milk paint the wheels in my head started turning.

Before I knew it I was in my court yard in paint splattered clothes turning the hand-me-down couches and table in the TV room (it actually came from my childhood home, hence the heritage aspect) into pieces I am truly proud of.

This was my first time using Rust-Oleum Milk Paint, any milk paint for that matter, but it is certainly not my last. The Rust-oleum brand makes it in six colours and I’m pretty obsessed with the navy which, despite being matte, has a jeweled tone to it.

What my hand-me-downs looked like before

I had planned to make this a tutorial but the process was so quick and easy that it actually seems too simple, but I had to share my findings any way…

How I used Rust-Oleum Milk Paint to update my furniture

– Milk Paint doesn’t need a primer or a top coat so I could litterally get away with using nothing but a paintbrush a wet cloth and the paint, to give these family hand-me-downs a new lease on life.
– Naturally I wore old clothes and covered anything I did not want to get dirty. The paint came off my hands with soap and water, which is good because despite my love of DIY, I am quite the messy crafter.
– No sanding was needed because the paint is super adhesive and can go on over varnish-flippen awesome right!
– I just cleaned off any dirt and grime with a cloth and warm water.
– Because the Rust-Oleum Milk Paint is water based I could use that same cloth to tidy up any mistakes.
– Initially I just painted roughly to put down a first coat, the paint builds beautifully with each layer giving a darker, deeper, hue. Two coats did the trick for me.
– The paint dries rediculously fast, this does mean you need to work fast, but it also meant that my couches were back in the house before evening.
– There is hardly any smell (I have a sensitive nose so this is a biggie)
-The Rust-Oleum Milk Paint creates a subtle matte, brushed effect with a light texture, which made my little afternoon project come out looking rather professional.

I painted two couches and a side table and only used like a quarter of the tin of paint, I really love the colour and am looking around for more things to paint. The great thing is, it is recommended for wood (raw and painted/varnished), metal, aluminum and glass so I’m sort of spoilt for choice.

Okay truth time what do you guys think…. The original furniture had seen better days, they had scratches, discolouration and banged up corners and looked very “out of the attic” now it looks pretty fancy… What do you think, is Rust-Oleum Milk Paint a win?