Painting a six stick comb back

Today there was lovely light coming through the studio windows as I worked on this latest commission - a six stick comb back chair. Here I am applying the zinc milk paint. I put three coats on the chairs, the first coat raises the grain of the wood, being a water based product. The second coat goes on after being sanded back with 320 grit paper, then another light sand before the third and final coat. It is important to pay attention to the brush strokes on the last coat as they can appear in the finial finish as the paint is very translucent, showing up the grain of the wood beneath it’s surface . After the third coat, the chair is rubbed down with 0000 steel wool and ready for oiling. Once the oil goes on there is no going back to remedy anything that needs attention, so it is worth spending the time to get it right before this stage. Once everything is as it should be and the oil applied, the colour of the paint deepens and has a lovely sheen with the grain of the wood still visible beneath the thin layers of paint. This is what I love about milk paint, it isn’t like any other paint out there and although it takes time to prepare and use, it is definitely worth putting up with it’s awkwardness as the end result is incredibly satisfying to see.