What is General Finishes chalk style paint? A casual, chalky interior matte paint to be used when you want a textured finish. A topcoat is recommended with this paint as it is not self sealing.
Advantages: Fast drying, water cleanup, low odor, can be brushed or sprayed, easy to distress.
What is General Finishes milk paint? A premium interior/exterior rated paint for furniture, cabinets and millwork. Its mineral based paint named for its low-luster sheen, which mimics the look of old-world furniture paint. It is not a powdered, casein-based milk paint like some might think, but a premixed modern version that is so durable it does not require a topcoat unless you want to change the sheen.
Advantages: Fast drying, water cleanup, low odor, can be brushed or sprayed, can be distressed, self-sealing.
My first choice for furniture painting is General Finishes Milk Paint. It sprays so smoothly in my Fuji Paint Sprayer, and provides a nice finish. Even though milk paint is self sealing, I typically spray high performance topcoat in satin or semi gloss to provide even more durability. Spraying the topcoat ensures that there are no brush strokes, and protects against wear and tear and even spills.
Speaking of topcoats, lets talk about one topcoat that I tried once but will never use again: wax. Wax and chalk paint seem to go hand in hand, although I don't find any advantage to wax. First of all, the process of applying wax and buffing it is tedious and hard work. This is why man invented tools (like a paint spray gun) to make our lives easier. It takes me less than 5 minutes to put on one coat of high performance top coat with my spray gun, why would I choose anything else? Also wax needs to be re-applied every couple of years, and since my furniture is usually sold to clients I don't want them to have to go through the torture of applying wax on their own every couple of years. Wax also doesn't protect as well against heat (which is why it should never be used on kitchen cabinets) or some spills, especially oil based spills.
Something else I never use on furniture: latex paint. Its meant for WALLS, not furniture. Even if you find a way to make it into "chalk" paint...at the end of the day, it is still latex paint. Not to say I haven't done it because I tend to learn best from experience. There are some advantages to latex paint, like the wide variety of colors available and the low price, but you get what you pay for. I have also been tasked with refinishing furniture that was once latex painted. It tends to gum up when being removed and often peels off in chunks with a stretchy feel to it. This also makes it more difficult to distress, as the glue can be activated in latex paint so it kind of rolls up or comes off in chunks. I'm not saying that it can't be used for furniture, I have done it in my own home as a learning experience on my own furniture. Although latex paint should not be applied unless the proper steps are done to prep, which includes sanding and priming first. Latex paint should also be sealed with a topcoat for durability, and even then latex paint is not as durable as milk paint or chalk style paint.
To recap, if you are attempting to paint furniture on your own, General Finishes milk paint is a great paint to try. You can mix colors together (in the chalk style paint or milk paint) to customize. I'm not affiliated with General Finishes in any way, and they have not compensated me to blog about their products. I'm a firm believer that if I feel strongly about something, I share it.
If you want to see more furniture makeovers, check out my Facebook page Flipping Unbelievable or follow me here on Instagram.
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