Milk paint has been around for a long, long time. And there's a reason it's not used much any more. Besides the awful mess if there's any mold on the walls (even unseen), it's not tremendously washable and a bear to paint over.

If you really want a quick inexpensive paint, run down to the hardware store and ask to see their mismix. You'll get good stuff for even less money than trying to make milk paint.

Fabrictramp

Lifehacker after recession hits :

"Use Powdered Paint to Make Quick-Fix Milk"

Vanderwomble

Powdered milk? Will your cats lick the walls?

lordargent

Milk based paint has been around for ages. The main problem is that it's just the dickens to remove if you change your mind.

infmom

@The Great Rodney McKay: Mine too--my mom mixed regular milk with reconstituted powdered milk. My sister and I consumed gallons of milk. We never painted with it, though.

DangerousLiberal

My parents used to make us drink powdered milk because it was cheaper.

The Great Rodney McKay

In any places where they have roaches (or "water beetles"), this gives excellent reason for chitinous critters to want to chew on your walls.

What could possibly go wrong with that? :-)

cbbrowne

Recommend that you not mail this stuff to anybody.

EASTKOY

At first glance, I thought that was a pile of blow.

Anrui

I'm way more likely to have a can of white paint lying around as opposed to a substantial amount of powdered milk.

Whelkman

Paint also works good as paint.

Kohath

I used to know an artist who would get gallons and gallons of free paint from the local hazmat disposal site (legally - she'd ask them for it). So that's another source for cheap paint.

And as mentioned above, real paint is better than fake paint.

BarneyRubble

Seems to me from my ambitious diy days (long gone before the net got fast_)that specific effects could be had from milk paint kind of like when you mix in glaze with regular paint it really is quite distinct,however I too wonder if painting your walls with food could get a little buggy so to speak.

rtipping

@The Great Rodney McKay: My step mother gave us potatoes she had cooked days before sooner or later you move on.

rtipping

I only saw "Quick-fix" in the title and a picture that looked like crack...

Bobarkinator

My parents didn't' have much money so we actually had to put this crap on our cereal. I can tell you that using as paint seems like a much better idea for this stuff than human consumption.

Michael@ Awareness * Connection

this is the worst idea i've ever read. powdered milk smells quite revolting if it is allowed to spoil - if any part of your milky white wall gets moist and remains moist for a few days, you'll have a terrible odor to deal with!

garbanzo-bean

@The Great Rodney McKay: When I was insolent, I was placed in a burlap sack and beaten with reeds ... What were we talking about again?

subtle

won't it smell like... well, milk that's been out of the fridge after a couple days?

rafasan

Milk Paint is best reserved for small, crafty projects. You can get some very creative effects with it if you're painting a bookshelf or key-rack, for example. But for painting your house/apt, Fabrictramp has the right idea: head down to Home Depot, or the like, and ask to see their "Oops" paints. There's always a few around, sually around $5 per gallon.

Saibot

Paint also works as paint. If you have small holes/cracks, lightweight spackle will do the trick. its cheap and goes a long way, too.

SDKano

Hey, smells milky in here...

kookoobirdz

yayo?

Ray

It's also commonly used in biochem labs in a process called a Western Blot.

jswilson64

@Michael, @Bobarkinator @Anrui - My parents didn't have much money so we had to snort powdered milk to get high.

azpat

If you are from New England this is not surprising. In colonial times all they used was milk based paint and it is still used in historic houses to remain true to the original paints. This tip makes perfect sense.

pauloone

@Kohath: Paint costs as much as paint as well.

Poncee