In all fairness I should say that this project which you see below was my first time using milk paint. I knew nothing about how to use milk paint or how it would react. Of course that didn’t stop me from trying it out.
I wanted to revisit the mirror and redo it with my newfound skills. But not being one to leave things alone, this time I decided to use the original Old Fashioned Milk Paint – the one that gives us the chippy look. You see in the other projects I mention I had used the SafePaint version which does not chip.
And what is the difference you ask?
The original milk paint was designed for use on porous surfaces such as wood or masonry. The one that I had used up till now the Safepaint version, was for non-porous surfaces. It can also be used on metal, like when I painted a metal trunk, two of them! The bonding agent is what makes this paint stick to the non-porous surfaces.
What I Used:
- Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Snow White the original formula without any bonding agent
- Extra Bond
- Daddy Van’s All Natural Decorative Wax in Dark Nior
- Brushes
- Clean Cloth
And so I was feeling rebellious now and used the original formula of Old Fashioned Milk Paint without the bonding agent. I wanted to go for some chippy goodness. I also used another color. This is snow white which is a bit warmer from the oyster white I had used originally.
The How To:
I mixed up my snow white with equal parts luckwarm water and painted the mirror. I added about three coats of the milk paint.
And then I waited…
…and waited.
After an hour it dried into this chippy goodness you see below…
At first I was excited but then I realized that if I blew on it the paint would all come off and I’d be left with … a mess.
It turns out I was getting excessive chipping because I had applied a wax to this mirror a year ago and the wax was not allowing the paint to stick.
Some suggested I strip the old paint and start fresh. But I was not about to go outside in the cold and try to sand anything down. So I did what any lazy, sane person would do! I added Extra Bond to the original milk paint. Yes you can buy the bonding agent separately. (You can see my affiliate links for all these products below)
Whew! Lucky for me I had a bottle. I had no idea when I had bought it a year ago that I’d be needing it but you see sometimes the old noodle thinks ahead.
After letting it dry overnight, I sanded it down and added a bit of distressing on the edges.
After a good buffing with a clean piece of cloth it was all done. See the pretty shine?
…but in a good way!
See the layers and the peeling? I tell you, I hated this look when I first started blogging but now I think that the mirror is speaking to me!
“Thank you for letting my personality shine through.” Of course!
It is so much better than it was with the brown wood.
And now a warmer look, more layers and much more depth.
So don’t be afraid to try new things. Even if you mess up, like I did, you are only one chat away from help. 🙂
Linking up to these Link Parties
This blog is for entertainment purposes only; my DIY tutorials are not professional advice. Read my full disclaimer here.
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Mary I have not yet tried out Milk Paint, but you are making me want to go and buy some. The mirror looks stunning, I love the chippy look. I also love the endless decor possibilities you got with this!
It’s beautiful and you could not have chosen more beautiful flowers for it!
Jeannee
I love this old mirror Mary. I expect that New York is a treasure box of thrift stores and vintage architectural stores. This piece is gorgeous. Thank goodness you had extra bonding available to fix the paint.
I have never worked with milk paint, I tried chalk paint a few times but don’t like the final finish at all. I may try milk paint someday so this was a lesson learned for me. Thanks.
Hi Mary,
Great job. I haven’t worked with milk paint in years. There’s something so nice and organic about it and I love that you chose to put spring tulips in the base. So pretty.
Nice! My husband does not like the chippy look, so I have to sneak bits in and hope he doesn’t notice.
It turned out beautiful Mary! Love the rustic chippy look! I haven’t tried the milk paint yet, but I’m going to have to buy me some.
I have never used milk paint, so I pinned this in case I ever try it out. Your mirror turned out beautifully, and the tulips are gorgeous.
I love the new look. I really think it is a learning process. Yeah we make mistakes but in the end you saved this mirror. It looks fantastic.
I think it would be speaking to m too. I like the final look. What a cool piece your hubby found in the first place. I really like the chippy look you created Mary!
I’m so glad you kept moving forward, even with the original over-chipping issue. The mirror looks great! Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
I love this, what a nice find. I also love what you did to it
Mary – I received an education. I see all you DIY’ers talk about milk paint and now I know what it’s for. Love the final version of this and the cheery flowers!
Mary, this is so pretty! I can see it hanging at the end of a long hallway! So lovely and feminine!
Jeannee
I love it! Truthe be told: I’d have put a lid on the box (making it a secret’s chest) and a really oldfashioned candle or oillamp in front of the mirror (of course on a crochet doily). A few days ago I found the most lovely little oillamp (doesn’t work anymore) hidden in my husband’s cellar (the one with the heating installation in – I usually never go in there, but…) and that idea popped up as soon as I saw your work.
Have a lovely week,
Marjan
Great makeover and so much better than the brown!
It looks really pretty filled with tulips.
Thank you for your great tutorial and showing us that all up-cycles aren’t super successful the first time around. I have had some FLOPS! I love how the flowers are reflected in the mirror-making the bouquet look twice as big!
Don’t you just love the magic that milk paint does? Thanks for sharing with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
What a beautiful job you did on this! I love that you redid the mirror. I have several projects that I haven’t finished because I wasn’t happy with the end result. Your beautiful mirror has inspired me to finish some of my projects. Welcome and Thank you for sharing at Celebrate It!
Beautiful! I love how it turned out even if you had to go through some extra stressful steps! I will be featuring this post tomorrow at Thursday Favorite Things. Hope you will stop by and link up again this week!
Love it the second time around! The extra steps added such depth with the long lived layered look, came out great Mary! Thanks for sharing it at #FridaysFurnitureFix!
Hi Mary! I’ve never used milk paint and I didn’t even know that a bonding agent that you can add to paint was a thing, so I really learned a lot from this post! It turned out beautifully, and the tulips have me dreaming of spring.
Thanks so much for sharing this at The Farmhouse Friday Link Party – I’m featuring it at tomorrow’s party! 🙂
Love how you share your learning curve with us, Mary. Loads of vintage charm second time around – pinned.
Mary, the mirror looks wonderful! I love that chippy farmhouse look you gave it.
Mary you did such a great job on this mirror, the tulips are a perfect addition. So pretty and almost regal looking, love it.