Windsor chairs were originally painted with milk paint. I believe the true craftsmanship of these chairs is much more vivid when painted with milk paint. When I finish a chair I like to use Old-Fashioned Milk Paint along with two coats of linseed oil.

"Early American Colonists and Shakers painted their furniture and interiors with Milk Paint using a formula that dated back to Ancient Egypt. Up until the middle 1800's paint was not sold commercially. People made their own. The most common recipe contained milk protein, quicklime and earth pigments. Because of the unique durability of Milk Paint, many fine examples still exist that are hundreds of years old and whose finish is just as true as the day the paint was applied.

The deep rich colors of our Milk Paint authentically reflect those colors found on existing antique furniture and buildings. Our paint is made in small batches, using earth pigments. Modern paints cannot compare with the colors and the texture of the finish for achieving the "old" or "country look" of Colonial or Shaker furniture and interiors. And, like the paints used hundreds of years ago, the colors in our Milk Paint will not fade." 

-  Old Fashioned Milk Paint Co.