WHAT's the Difference Between Chalk Paint, Milk Paint & Fusion Mineral Paint? A Comparison of REDS.

Do you ever really need a good reason to paint something red? 

At For The Love, we LOVE the colour of love...red! So we decided to use it for our informative and (hopefully) entertaining post on the difference between chalk paint, milk paint and mineral paint.

​If you're not sure what paint is best for you or your project, jump on through this post!

Clockwise, from top: Fusion Mineral Paint in Fort York Red, Old World Paint in Red Balloon, Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Tricycle & Old World Paint in Brick Lane

Old World Paint is a pure and natural clay and chalk paint
ideal for use on any surface, indoors and out.
It glides on thick, self-primes and self-levels for exceptional coverage.
It's ideal for decorative or hand-painted finishes and
comes in a colour range of more than 50 colours.

It's very easy to use, is eco-friendly and requires little to no prep.
Water-based with no odours, fumes or VOCs and
quick dries to a velvety matte finish.
Sealing is recommended to bring out the true colour
​and to help prevent marking or staining. 

There are many paints on the market now
that claim to be "chalk" or "chalk-based" that
are simply latex paints with an additive.
Always remember, there are experts in the field
for a reason and oftentimes you get what you pay for.

Vintage chair painted in Old World Brick Lane and Red Balloon sealed with Old World Polishing Wax in Natural

Old World Paint's Red Balloon is a clear, bright red with cool undertones and Brick Lane is deeper with earthier, warm undertones.

Old World Paint in Red Balloon with Fusion Antiquing Glaze & Coffee Stencil find it all in the online shop

Old World Clay and Chalk Paint in Red Balloon with Fusion Antiquing Glaze

Check out these sample boards showing the difference in the paint when unsealed, sealed with clear wax, and sealed with antiquing wax.

On the top board, painted in Red Balloon, the center is unsealed and can look a bit pink, but once it is sealed (on the left) with a clear topcoat, it becomes a gorgeous bright, clear red.

If it's too bright...use Antiquing Wax or Antiquing Glaze (far right of board) to age and deepen the shade.

​The bottom board is painted in the Old World Paint colour Brick Lane, a deeper, earthier red:

Top, from left: Old World Red Balloon sealed with Clear Wax, unsealed, sealed with Antiquing Wax. Bottom, from left: Old World Brick Lane sealed with Clear Wax, unsealed, sealed with Antiquing Wax

Painted with Old World in Brick Lane, LOVE stencil in Lumiere Metallic White, sealed with Fusion Clear Glaze and Lumiere Super Sparkle

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Milk Paint is an all-natural paint containing only five ingredients – 
milk protein (casein), limestone, clay, chalk and pigments. 
Milk paint provides a completely breathable coating and
is ideal for painting wood, plaster, drywall and a variety of other surfaces.  
It is suitable for both interior and exterior applications, is environmentally friendly,
non-toxic and contains no VOCs.

With the addition of Bonding Agent you can use Milk Paint on
even more surfaces such as previously painted walls,
varnished surfaces, ceramic tiles, metal, glass etc.  
Without Bonding Agent, Milk Paint may resist some
pre-finished or pre-painted surfaces to achieve an authentic “chippy” look.

MMS Milk Paint comes in a powder that you mix with water
to create the desired consistency for your project.
It comes in 25 vintage-inspired colours.
Sealing Milk Paint with Hemp Oil, Tough Coat or Furniture Wax
(available in clear, White or Antiquing)
seals and protects the finish as well as brings out 
​the colour and gorgeous hand-painted finish.

Mixing Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Tricycle with mini-whisk

MMS Milk Paint is used to paint stripes on this simple coir mat

Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint in Tricycle with Antiquing Wax highlights

Tricycle, and nearly any red, is a gorgeous way to layer as it's quite neutral — try it with green, blue, grey, white, black...you may just love what you find.

Tricycle layered over Shutter Grey and finished with Antiquing Wax

This is  another reason to love Miss Mustard Seed's Milk Paint...

I have this chipped blue metal drum and wanted a more subtle colour...so I painted it RED! Ha!

The plan was to layer a deeper colour over it, but I mixed the paint quite thin and it dried translucent allowing the blue to come through and perfectly deepen it...so I did nothing else but put it into its new spot outside the shop...

The rusted metal drum before painting

After: A rusted metal drum gets a quick coat of Tricycle in Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint

Fusion Mineral Paint  is a 100% acrylic paint
with a built-in topcoat that requires minimal prep work
and can be applied to nearly any surface when used with Ultra Grip.

​This paint provides a highly durable and washable result 
with a smooth satin finish.
For extra shine use Fusion Beeswax to seal and polish, 
Glaze to age or add another colour and 
if you need a particularly hardy surface, Tough Coat Sealer.

Fusion has an environmentally conscious
formula with zero VOCs and comes in 31 gorgeous colours.

Fusion Mineral Paint in Fort York Red

Fusion Mineral Paint in Fort York Red over glazed ceramic canisters

The lovely Jo B of http://fizzbubble.com.au created this gorgeous chair using Fusion in Fort York Red

Although Fort York Red can is a bright, true red, like with all of our paints, there is flexibility.
​
Here it is brushed over Coal Black to create a rich, deep brick red with semi-antiqued finish:

If you don't see something here that makes your heart skip a beat....there just isn't a red for you! 

Hopefully this has helped clear up the differences between Milk Paint, Chalk Paints and Fusion Paint. Buy some samples, have a play...see what works for you!

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It's all here...for the love...
Sada