Milk Painted Furniture Makeover-China Hutch

There are so many furniture pieces out there that are begging for a paint job or refinishing. Thrift stores, yard sales, Craigslist, and Facebook Marketplace are full of many amazing furniture potentials. This China hutch that I gave a milk paint furniture makeover to is no exception. This hutch came from Craigslist ten years ago right after we got married. It worked great in the old house and fit in with the traditional decor. But in this house, I realized I didn’t like the way it looked anymore and it didn’t fit in with my farmhouse decor style.

A brown empty hutch in the corner of a room

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Materials Needed for Milk Painted Furniture Makeover

I decided to give the hutch a milk paint refresh. I had two packages of milk paint leftover from previous projects and I decided to combine the two powders to create a custom color. I combined Ironstone and Aviary from the Miss Mustard Seed line. This is the only milk paint I have ever used and it is my favorite. You can find my milk paint, tips, and tricks, and mistakes not to make all on this previous post.

A close up of two measuring cups on a wood surface with the top part of a paint brush

This hutch is two pieces (the top screws onto the bottom) and it is very heavy and me being one that wants projects to be easy, I decided to paint the entire thing in our living room by just putting plastic and tape down.

A close up of a hutch with one coat of milk paint in a gray blue

A full picture view of a china hutch with the most of it painted a gray blue

A close up of a hutch door with one coat of blue gray milk paint

I wanted the finished piece to have a little distressing so I did not add the Miss Mustard Seed bonding agent to the paint so that the paint would chip or crack. The bonding agent is designed to help the paint adhere to the surface you are painting, if you don’t add it the paint may chip or crack which is the look I was going for here.

After the doors, glass, and the hardware was removed, I cleaned the wood and lightly sanded the entire piece. Once the milk paint was mixed up and had set I applied two coats of the paint to the entire piece and the drawer and doors. Once the second coat was dry I took a scraper to the entire piece to try and scuff and see if any paint flaked off. Not much of the paint was flaking on its own, so I decided to distress it with a little bit of sandpaper to give it the look I wanted. I liked the look so much I decided not to put the glass back in the doors and the design no longer fit aesthetically.