DIY Safe, Natural Paints
Thinking about a new interior for the new year? A fresh coat of paint to brighten things up? Have you ever considered what is in a gallon of paint? Have you ever considered making safe, natural paints?
Surprisingly, natural paints are very easy to make and the color is fantastic. We experimented ourselves, so we’re talking from experience here. We did find outlets for natural paints and I’ll list them at the bottom of this article for those of you who would rather buy than make but they were a bit expensive for us, especially after we found out how easy it was to make paint ourselves. Most of the ingredients are household items, this is an old method after all and pioneers weren’t running to the local mega-home improvement store, they used what was on hand.
There are a few recipes to choose from, some are better than other for certain surfaces or circumstances. Test the paints on a small spot before you decide which is best for you and always take precautions when working with caustic materials such as lime.
Flour Paint
Simple and versatile and the one we chose to use! The proportion of ingredients doesn’t have to be as exact as it does with other choices of natural paint and any type of flour can be use, we chose wheat flour because it’s the most common and this was our first experience.
Clay is the typical filler and comes in a wide variety of colors, but any combination of finely ground material can be used; chalk, mica, marble, limestone, silica will all work. To create a textured surface, use more coarsely ground materials. The color comes from clay and you can adjust the color by adding more or less clay as you mix the paint.
Flour paint is pretty thick, so brushes instead of rollers are your best bet but it does tend to be hard on brushes too so don’t plan to keep the paintbrush for another project after you’re done. Go with cheap brushes and buy a few extra and you’ll be fine.
After the initial application, the brush streaks will be clearly visible. When the paint has started to dry, go over it with a damp sponge to smooth it over. Go over it again to reveal the filler in the paint, we found this out by accident but it gave a really nice effect.
Flour Paint Uses: interior surfaces and exterior surfaces in mild climates, bare wood, stone, bare dry wall (not joint compound), wallpaper, gypsum and earthen plasters, cement, unglazed brick, earthen walls and sanded painted surfaces. Just about everything!
Flour Paint Recipe (yield 1 ½ c)
• 1 c flour
• 5 ½ c cold water
• 1 c finely screened clay (or other) filler
• ½ c additional filler (mica, etc)
Boil 1 ½ c of the water while you mix flour and 2 c water with a whisk. Once all the lumps have been removed, the water and flour combo to the boiling water. Reduce heat to low.
The mixture will begin to turn to a thick paste. Remove from heat and slowly stir in remaining 2 c water.
Combine the clay and powdered filler in a separate bowl, and then add it to the water/flour mix. Stir until the desired consistency is achieved.
Oil Paint
Oil paint is great for exterior surfaces and the oil painted surfaces can be regularly cleaned without damage to the paint. Oil paint takes a very long time to dry, in fact some never completely dry – this is the property that gives oil paint its elasticity which helps it move with surfaces as they naturally swell and shrink with the temperatures.
Linseed oil and a natural solvent such as turpentine or citrus thinner are the typical ingredients for natural oil paints. A quick tip – avoid boiled linseed oil which has ingredients that can be hazardous to your health or linseed stand oil and go with raw linseed oil instead.
If you intend to paint bare wood and want to cover the grain of the wood, prime the wood prior to painting this will help seal the wood against moisture and will create a better bond with the paint. Oil glaze can be used over flour or milk paints to increase their resistance to water and makes a nice stain with or without added color. Recipes for primer and glaze are also given below.
Oil Paint Uses: Interior and exterior surfaces, bare wood, cement, unglazed brick, unpainted earth, and surfaces that will require frequent cleanings
Oil Paint Primer Recipe
• 1 p linseed oil
• 1 p natural solvent
Apply a thin coat along the wood grain. Remove excess with a cloth. Apply a second coat after first is completely dry, estimate 48 hours between coats.
Oil Glaze Recipe (yield 2 c)
• 1 tsp pigment (natural pigments can be found in powdered form in artist
supply stores)
• 1 tsp powdered chalk
• 2 Tbsp powdered chalk
• 1 c linseed oil
• 2/3 c natural solvent
Dissolve 1 tsp pigment and 1 tsp powdered chalk in ½ c linseed oil. Stir in remaining ½ c linseed oil.
Add solvent and remaining 2 Tbsp powdered chalk. Whisk to remove all lumps.
Oil Paint Recipe
Different pigments will absorb different amounts of oil, so exact recipes are difficult.
Pour 3 Tbsp linseed oil into a bowl and add pigment a little at a time until you achieve a doughy consistency. Add more linseed oil until the mixture just begins to flow.
Add solvent until the desired consistency is achieved. Strain to remove lumps.
Milk Paint
Casein is the protein in milk that makes milk paint long lasting and resistant to fungal growth. Casien paint (aka milk paint) is prepared from the curds of nonfat milk which are also known as quark. Quark can be purchased from gourmet grocers or you can purchase concentrated casein powdered from a natural paint supplier. To use casein powder, follow the labels instructions.
Milk Paint with Lime Recipe (yields 1 quart)
• 1 gal non-fat milk
• 2 ½ oz Type S lime (available at hardware stores)
• 2 ½ c water
• pigment
• 6 c chalk (or other filler)
Leave the milk in a warm place for a few days to curdle, then pour it through a cheesecloth-lined colander to separate. 2 c of curds should be the result.
Mix curds and lime in a blender. Add a bit of water if the mix isn’t blending well and strain to remove lumps.
Add water immediately. Dampen and crush pigment and add to mix until desired consistency is achieved.Stir in chalk or other filler.
Milk Paint Uses: Interior surfaces, bare wood, stone, bare drywall, wallpaper, earthen plasters, cement, lime, unglazed brick, and sanded painted surfaces
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