Milk paint

Traditionally, and usually still, made wholly of natural ingredients, it is extremely durable, often lasting for centuries if protected from the elements.

The ancient history of milk in paint is attested by a primitive combination of wild bovid milk and ochre used on a stone tool found in a South African cave and dated to 49,000 years ago, tens of thousands of years before the Neolithic domestication of cattle.

[9] Goats’ milk provided the binder for lacquer paint used on the Ancient Egyptian tomb of King Tutankhamun.

[13] Today, milk paint is used not just on antique furniture and accurate replicas of it but on pieces of modern style.

[14] The resulting finish has depth of color and a mottled appearance that may be used to give furnishings and rooms a rustic, shabby chic character.