Authentic milk paint has withstood the test of time, we can honestly say that is what makes it the perfect product for outdoor and exterior surfaces. Sealing milk paint outdoors with Hemp Oil, or Tung Oil means your project will withstand even the harshest of Canadian winters.

It’s no secret that milk paint has been around longer than any other type of paint product on the market. In fact, milk paint can be traced as far back as some of the oldest caves on Earth. Milk paint is the simplest form of paint known to man as it’s mostly a composition of casein milk, lime,  and natural Earth pigments that create a wonderful array of colours. 

SEALING OUTDOOR FURNITURE WITH HEMP OIL OR TUNG OIL

How does Milk Paint hold up outdoors? 

The answer to that question is, just as well as interior surfaces, if prepped and sealed properly!

BEST SURFACES FOR MILK PAINT OUTDOORS

The best way to ensure a long-lasting, durable finish with milk paint outdoors is to use milk paint on raw surfaces and to ensure a long-lasting finish by sealing milk paint outdoors works best with Tung Oil or Hemp Oil. The combination of raw wood and the water resistance properties of Hemp and Tung Oil ensures you have a surface or piece of furniture that can weather the outdoors for years to come.

What is unfinished wood?

Unfinished means it has not been treated with any stains or oils and has been sanded smooth enough to receive any coating. For raw surfaces like this, We always recommend sanding with 180 grit or above prior to adding any finish. 

Take a look at the piece we have chosen for this project. It’s a traditional Adirondack-style chair that came unfinished from a hardware store. 

The colour we chose is this bright ocean blue colour called St. Laurent. It’s a vibrant ocean colour with variations of periwinkle and navy! It’s definitely a colour to be celebrated outdoors!

PREPPING OUTDOOR FURNITURE

Your surface is key to making sure your finish is durable, so you want to choose a piece or surface that is raw or taken down to raw wood. Your surface should be clean from any debris or unwanted coatings and sanded smooth. 

You need to take special care that you don’t paint over an existing finish or “grey wood.” Grey wood is what happens to unfinished wood surfaces that are exposed to the environment over time. An example would be a cedar fence that has a natural pink/red hue to it when initially installed, but turns white/grey as it is continuously exposed to the environment. 

Since this wood has been exposed to water, sun, and any chemicals in the environment without any sealer, it has the potential to cause issues with adhesion or interfere with your paint consistency and colour. For best results with milk paint outdoors sand through the grey to the fresh wood underneath.

PAINTING UNFINISHED WOOD

The first coat of any finish on a raw surface will be transparent. Milk paint is also a great substitute for a stain and can provide a number of options for colours simply by mixing the paint thinner. You can see in the photo below how much of the wood grain is still visible. For this project, we wanted to go with a more opaque look, so we mixed our milk paint thicker and added a second coat. 

SANDING AFTER PAINTING

Adding water-based paint onto raw untreated wood will raise the grain. The water absorbs into the wood and swells the wood fibres. This needs knocking back and is a simple swipe over with a soft sanding grit to achieve this.  Apply your paint wait for it to dry and sand it lightly to smooth the surface.

Make sure you sand your final coat to remove any pigment clumps and to flatten the grain that was raised when the paint made contact with the wood. For this look, we wanted a rustic, coastal look so we distressed the edges and some of the flat parts of the chair to give it some age and character.

SEALING OUTDOOR FURNITURE

There are many products on the market designed for sealing exterior surfaces. Many of those products contain toxic chemicals. Over time these chemicals seep back into the Earth and the ecosystem around you. The most environmentally friendly products that you can use are natural timber oils. Hemp oil and Tung oil are our go-to finishes. Both Hemp & Tung oil requires a fresh coat at least annually. No prep is required just apply allow it to soak in for an hour or so and remove the excess.

SEALING MILK PAINT OUTDOORS

For this project, we opted for Hemp Oil. Hemp oil gives you so many benefits for your exterior surfaces. This is also true of Tung Oil.

• Water-resistant
• Conserve the colour
• Long last finish
• Matte to satin sheen
• UV stable

Applying Hemp Oil is a very simple process. Just dip and wipe! See here for the difference between Hemp and Tung as a finish.

Sealing milk paint outdoors will ensure a lasting finish. You want to apply it generously, allowing it to saturate your surface. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes before wiping the excess away. If you allow pools of Hemp Oil to sit for long periods of time, the oil could start to cure and may dry tacky.

The best part of applying oils to any surface is watching how rich with colour the surface becomes! As our Milk Paint dries you will see how the colour changes to a matte chalky look. Once you add your topcoat the colour just comes alive. You want to apply a minimum of 2 coats of Hemp Oil  (24 hours between coats) for protection, but subsequent coats will give you more protection and less maintenance and a little increase in sheen.

MAINTAINING YOUR OUTDOOR MILK PAINTED FURNITURE

If your finish starts to dull or look weathered, all that’s needed is a re-coat. There is no sanding or prep required other than a good clean. Continue to add your coats of Hemp Oil when you think your finish needs it. 

What you’re left with is a beautiful and natural finish that is both pleasing to the eye and to the environment!

Doesn’t this chair look fabulous? It’s definitely had quite a transformation from a standard store-bought chair. A custom look that is ready for many nights cozied up by the fire pit with a nice glass of wine!

We’d love to see your milk paint outdoor projects! Share them with us in the Paint It Beautiful Facebook Group

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