it’s like falling off a bike.

Published on by Quandie

I can’t exactly remember the circumstances, but recently I meant to saying something was ‘like riding a bike’ (meaning it was a skill that would come back to you easily, even if you hadn’t done it in a while), but instead what came out of my mouth was ‘it’s like falling off a bike’.  The people I was with all got a good laugh.

But now I’m wondering if ‘falling off a bike’ fits this particular situation better.

It had been a while since I’d used milk paint when I pulled out the Miss Mustard Seed Tricycle to paint my North Pole Bed and Breakfast sign a few weeks back.

That particular project went quite smoothly, although I didn’t really get the chipping that I wanted.

I was painting another of those cupboard door signs at the same time.  I followed the same exact prep process with both.  I lightly scuff sanded them, and then cleaned them with a TSP substitute (I use the Sunnyside brand from Menards, if anyone is curious).

For the 2nd sign, I pulled out some Sweet Pickins milk paint in a color called In a Pickle.  I mixed it up and painted up the 2nd cupboard door.  Imagine my consternation when the 2nd one not only chipped, it chipped A LOT.

I’d forgotten just how unpredictable milk paint can be.  Frankly, this is why I rarely use it anymore.  It can be pretty frustrating to get results like this when it’s not what you wanted.  I get much more reliable results with the chalk style paint from Dixie Belle that I use most often.

Also, I want to point out that you can always add the bonding agent to your milk paint which will eliminate the chipping altogether.

That being said, there really is no substitute for the authentically chippy look you can get with straight up milk paint … you just have to be OK with the possibility of wildly varying results.

I have experienced my share of overly chippy milk paint projects in the past, and in one case I ultimately ended up sanding the piece down entirely and starting over with chalk paint (you can find that story starting here, and ending here).

Since I really wanted some chippy-ness on this piece though, I decided to try a couple of tricks to see what I could do with this one.  First up I sanded it a little bit more thoroughly, which did remove quite a bit of the chipping paint, and then I painted two more coats of In a Pickle.  Once the paint was dry, I still had quite a lot of chipping.  So next I vacuumed away all of the loose chips, and then I sealed it with a coat of Rust-Oleum matte spray sealer.  Once that dried, I went back in again with another coat of the milk paint over it.

That helped somewhat, but it definitely did not eliminate the chipping entirely.

But at that point I decided this was a level of chipping that I could live with.

After giving the piece another coat of spray sealer, I added a stencil.

This is another one that I ordered from The Stencil Smith.  I had to modify it slightly to fit on my cupboard door by leaving the “Picked Fresh Daily” off the top.  But otherwise it worked perfectly.

Once again I used my shadowing technique to put a dark shadow behind just the “Garden Herbs” wording.

That is Dixie Belle’s Coffee Bean for the shadow, and Drop Cloth for the 2nd layer.

Once the stenciled paint was dry, I once again sealed the entire piece with the Rust-Oleum spray.

In the end, I’m quite happy with how this turned out, chipping and all.

What do you think?  Are you a fan of the chippy look, or are you over it?  Or maybe you never were a fan at all?  Leave me a comment and let me know.

This garden herbs sign is for sale locally (check my ‘available for local sale‘ page for more details).

24 thoughts on “it’s like falling off a bike.”

  1. I like how this turned out,after all you work getting where you wanted it. I have never been a fan of the chippy look. Not really crazy about the distressed or several colors showing thur,but one man’s or women’s paint choice es or theirs not mine. Enjoy what ever you do. I enjoy all your projects. Hope 2024 is your best yet. Take care and God bless you and yours

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  2. I think it’s quite lovely. This piece would be so perfect in a greenhouse or on a potting bench or shed! I love this color of green.

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  4. Bring on the chippy! I love milk paint and would use it on all projects if I could. But as you said, not everyone is a fan of this look. Your sign is wonderful. I love the color and the stencil. Thanks for the inspiration.

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  5. I really like the chippy look paired with this green and for a garden sign. I wouldn’t go for this level of chippy for everything but for this, it’s perfect!

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    1. Thanks so much Amanda, I think you hit the nail on the head with this comment. The chippy is good on this sign, but not sure I’d do this on a piece of furniture.

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    1. Definitely give it a try. Just remember to be prepared for an unpredictable outcome. And to be clear, I’m talking about authentic milk paint that comes in powder form and you mix it with water to make paint, not the “milk paint” that comes in a can such as the General Finishes brand or the new Rust-Oleum brand. Authentic milk paint brands include Miss Mustard Seed, Fusion, Homestead House, Real Milk Paint and Sweet Pickins.

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  8. I think this turned out amazing! I do like some chippiness ( is that even a word?). But too much sometimes doesn’t appeal to me either. I think the distressing makes it look good & old… or authentic… and like it has a history! I enjoy your creations & your stories behind each piece! ❤️

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  11. I love milk paint but its unpredictability can be frustrating. I once painted a table (with bonding agent) three of the legs took beautifully the fourth leg barely held any paint at all. It was extremely frustrating! I had to be very clever about getting that paint to stick!

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