Painting Furniture with General Finishes Milk Paint

Painting furniture with General Finishes Milk Paint is a cinch! Learn how to prep and paint your old furniture easily with General Finishes Milk Paint!

I love a beautiful white painted piece of furniture!

White furniture always looks so fresh and clean, doesn't it?

I shared this White Painted Buffet Makeover and these Vintage White Painted Nightstands several months ago. I even painted a piano with white chalk paint®. That was a FUN project!

PAINTING FURNITURE WITH GENERAL FINISHES MILK PAINT

I love painting furniture with General Finishes for two reasons.

1. General Finishes paint is durable.

2. Their paint also gives amazing coverage! Unless you are painting over a light finish, you usually need a few extra coats when you're painting furniture white. However, I need fewer coats when I'm working with General Finishes Milk Paint!

Disclaimer: This post is NOT sponsored by General Finishes and I did not receive anything in exchange for this post. I just love the product so much that I wanted to share it with you! This post does contain affiliate links which means I may receive a small commission for any purchases you might make which usually provides me enough money to buy a Dr. Pepper with ice. ;) Please read my full disclosure.

GENERAL FINISHES WHITE PAINT

General Finishes Milk Paint offers two white paint colors. Antique White is a warm white. It's the perfect white hue for kitchen cabinets and furniture pieces.

If you're looking for a really bright white, General Finishes Snow White is also a great option!

I picked up this scrolly armoire at a yard sale for $25. Armoires are so versatile. They provide fabulous storage solutions and style to larger bathrooms, an entry way, spare bedrooms, or an office space!


As pretty as these details were, I couldn't leave it "as is". So I easily updated this 60's armoire with General Finishes Milk Paint in Snow White.

HOW TO PREP FURNITURE FOR GENERAL FINISHES MILK PAINT

I like to clean my used furniture with TSP to get rid of all the dirt, dust and oils that might be built up.

Back in the day, folks would dust their furniture with Pledge and over time that creates a build up on the furniture.

This particular piece was well loved by Pledge. ;) So, I mixed a 50/50 solution of water and denatured alcohol before and scrubbed my furniture with a Scotch Brite pad to get rid of it.


Once it was dry, I like gave the armoire a light sanding. I vacuumed up all of the dust and gave the furniture a good wipe down.

HOW TO PAINT FURNITURE WITH GENERAL FINISHES MILK PAINT

Stir your paint thoroughly before using. General Finishes Milk Paint is not a true milk paint. It's much thicker in consistency. So I like prefer to add 5-10% water to the can when I first open it.

If you're going to paint your furniture with a spray gun it will want to water it down more. But, be sure to follow the directions for your specific spray gun.


I used a Purdy 2' paint brush to apply the milk paint to this armoire.

GF Milk Paint is easy to work with. Once you've painted an area leave it and go onto the next. 

You want to avoid over brushing while the areas are still tacky.


Follow the instructions on the paint can for drying times and temperatures. In my experience the furniture is ready for a second coat after about 2-3 hours of drying time!

It took 2 1/2 coats to sufficiently cover this armoire.


While painting this piece, I used my favorite natural distressing technique to distress it at the same time. 

It's so easy! The contrast of the natural wood tones peaking through the white paint brings out more of the curvy details.


I even painted the hardware! Yes, you can paint your old furniture hardware with General Finishes Milk Paint too! It adheres perfectly!


If you're curious you can see more examples of painted hardware on our Balayage Inspired Media Console and on this Pure & Original Cabinet Makeover!

HOW TO PROTECT YOUR GENERAL FINISHES MILK PAINT FINISH

General Finishes Milk Paint is one of the hardier furniture paints that I've used.


For an armoire that gets medium wear, I could leave it as is and the paint finish would hold up beautifully. 

But, I like to protect all of my furniture makeovers with a protective coat.


General Finishes High Performance in Flat has a low sheen and is my go to topcoat.


It's non-yellowing and dries fairly quickly! And THESE $3 Applicator Sponges to apply the topcoat are amazing! They leave very little brush strokes, are so easy to clean and they are re-usable!!

There is magical power in paint! -Thirty Eighth Street

If you've been a reader for any length of time then you know that I'm an advocate for painting furniture. 

Not ALL pieces of furniture. Just the ones you can't stand or enjoy. ;) 

There truly is power in paint. It's such an inexpensive way to update your furniture and create the space you've always wanted!

Would you like to see more furniture transformations? Visit our Painting Furniture Tutorials & Resource page for lots more furniture refinishing tips & tricks!

SIGN UP HERE and receive our FREE 9-Page Furniture Painting Guidebook!

These talented DIY Furniture Refinishing friends of mine scored these outdated finds. 

Stop by and see how they decided to refinish them!

1. Restoration Hardware Weathered Wood Dresser Finish by J. Burns Design
2. Santa Fe Turquoise Desk Makeover by Lynn Fern

3. Unique Painted Etagere by Just the Woods, LLC.

4. Efex Applique Table by That Sweet Tea Life

5. General Finishes Painted Armoire by Thirty Eighth Street

6. New Twist on a Traditional Desk by 58 Water Street

Have a great week, friends!

Carrie || Thirty Eighth Street