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potato paint
This peasant paint recipe dates back to seventeenth-century Northern Europe. It is recommended for walls and can be directly applied on plaster or over a coat of light-colored acrylic paint that has been delicately sanded. This paint is natural, inexpensive and very resistant, and can be colored to suit any taste.
Natural colors such as sienna or ochre are enhanced by potato paint, which will develop a pretty patina effect over time. Combine with a slightly sanded gold frieze for a handsome result. Apply at least two coats. In the example, three coats have been applied on a simple and roughly textured plaster to get a very opaque effect.
Cook about 5½ oz. (150 g) of potatoes, then mash and mix with 10 to 12 fluid oz. boiling water.
Strain in a vegetable mill (with a fine sieve) to avoid lumps. The resulting mix should have a viscous texture, similar to thick gravy. Mix well.
In a bowl, dilute 5½ oz. (150 g) chalk powder* in 5 fluid oz. cold water.
In a separate bowl, dilute about 2 oz. (50 g) of pigment with 1.5 fluid oz. cold water.
Mix the diluted chalk powder with the diluted pigment. Now add the mashed potatoes and mix.
Optional: add one tablespoon linseed oil.
Your paint is now ready to use. The amounts indicated in this recipe will produce about ½ quart of paint.
Adjust amounts as needed.
Note: ½ quart of paint will cover about 50 sq. feet. The color will lighten once the paint has dried.
Before repainting an entire room, test your paint on a small object or section of a wall. For a traditional look, you can add a liquid wax finish. For a humid room such as a bathroom or kitchen, you can apply a coat of environmentally friendly varnish, to make the paint washable.
* Chalk Powder: Finely ground natural chalk. It can be found in the cement section of home improvement or pool supply retailers in 3 or 10 lb packages. Also used to clean marble or silver. Price: approx. $1/lb.
March 2007 [paint recipes]
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