A Wooden Vintage Hymn Board Gets A MMSMP Makeover In Ironstone!

As I was out antiquing one day, I wandered my way into the salvage section and found this:

It was priced well, so I scooped it up and took it home for a MMS MilkPaint™ makeover in Ironstone!

Special Features

Once I got the hymn board home, I took note of some special features. There were a few numbers still hanging on from the last time it was used.

There was a lovely cross at the top and a sweet plate at the bottom.

Prepping The Hymn Board

The first step in this hymn board makeover was to scuff sand the surface. It had a relatively shiny existing finish in some places, so I wanted to rough it up a bit in order for the MMSMP to adhere.

I knew there might be a risk of getting bleed-through, so I decided to give it a go and see how things went. I could always troubleshoot with 2 coats of clear shellac or white tinted primer later if it became a problem.

I used 100 grit sandpaper, which powered through the existing finish pretty easily.

Mixing Ironstone MilkPaint™

After vacuuming the dust off, I mixed up my batch of MMS MilkPaint™ in the color Ironstone. I made a quick little video to show you how I did it using the MilkMix - EZ™ anti-foaming drops.

Painting The Hymn Board

Using my favorite ClingOn! F50 brush, I applied my first coat of Ironstone. Because it’s white, and the hymn board is dark wood, I knew it was going to take a couple of coats.

Dealing With Bleed-Through

After the first coat, I started seeing some yellowing.

My spidey senses were telling me that bleed-through was going to be an issue, but I wanted to see whether the yellowing was bleed-through or the translucence of the white paint. One more coat would definitely tell me one way or the other!

The yellowing wiggled its way through the second coat, so it was officially bleed-through. To fix it, I applied 2 coats of a white tinted, stain-blocking primer called “Stain Blocker” by General Finishes. It’s my absolute favorite white primer, and it stops pretty much any stain I’ve thrown at it! It’s water based, making it much easier to clean up compared to shellac-based products. Plus, it doesn’t have the strong odor of shellac either!

After the primer was dry, I applied 2 more coats of Ironstone and things were looking MUCH better.

Distressing The Hymn Board

Once everything was dry, I grabbed a dull piece of 80 grit sandpaper and began distressing the edges of the hymn board.

I really like the look of rubbed away edges as opposed to large patches of missing paint in the middle of a piece. The edges look a little more natural, don’t you think?

After another quick vacuuming, I strung a piece of wire on the back and hung the hymn board up on our bedroom wall.

A Finished Hymn Board

I haven’t sourced letters for the new board yet, but this is the look I’m going for:

Isn’t it so cute? I really like the idea of switching up the message and leaving funny quotes or cute notes on it for my husband, Marc.

The distressing on the edges draws your eye around the piece and almost acts as “eyeliner”, highlighting the pretty shape.

I’m curious to know if you’ve found any salvaged pieces in your travels! Do you have anything interesting hanging on your walls? What have been your favorite finds? Drop a comment below and let me know!