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You are here: Home / DIY & Design / Vintage Milk Can Restoration

Vintage Milk Can Restoration

June 16, 2012 By Sam 20 Comments

How often do you see those beautiful vintage milk cans around and think you’d love to have one in your house?

All the time? Me too!

A few weeks ago I finally broke down and purchased one. The milk can was in a state of disrepair, but it was the right price! My original goal was to restore it and keep it in the kitchen for dirty linens. After we brought it home I realized that this baby wasn’t going to open…at all. But that’s OK, plans change sometimes.

Using a vintage milk can is a great way to add some side-table space to a small area. They're great for setting a drink down or holding a candle. Read on for tips & tricks on restoring a vintage milk can! /// by Atkinson Drive

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Filed Under: DIY & Design, Do-It-Yourself Tagged With: get rid of rust, how-to, milk can, paint, restoration, vintage, vintage milk can restoration

Previous Post: « Trash & Recycle Can Labels
Next Post: Happy Father’s Day {2012} »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Fake Oakley Sunglasses

    July 5, 2012 at 9:30 pm

    I really like your blog.. very nice colors & theme. Did you design this website yourself or did you hire someone to do it for you? Plz answer back as I’m looking to create my own blog and would like to know where u got this from. cheers

    Reply
    • Sam

      July 5, 2012 at 10:23 pm

      Check out ThemeForest.net! I did a lot of personalization on this blog, but they have a lot of great options.

      Reply
  2. click here

    July 16, 2012 at 2:39 am

    After I open up your Rss feed it seems to be a lot of junk, is the issue on my part?

    Reply
    • Sam

      July 17, 2012 at 5:50 pm

      It seems to be working well for me. :-)

      Reply
  3. Jon bowman

    April 6, 2014 at 9:22 am

    Did you brush paint or air spray the can?

    Reply
    • Sam

      April 6, 2014 at 9:27 am

      I used spray paint. There’s a link above to the Rustoleum primer I used, and once that dried, I just used a silver spray.

      Reply
      • Adara

        June 2, 2016 at 11:27 am

        I know this is an older post, but hoping you can help. The can I’m working on has a lot of chipped paint, stencils and rust. Should I not sand it at all?

        Reply
        • Sam

          June 7, 2016 at 9:07 pm

          I would work on removing the pieces that will come off easily and then sand just to create as much of a smooth surface as possible!

          Reply
  4. Holly

    May 6, 2014 at 11:05 am

    If my milk can Is painted already should I try to sand it off first before doing this ?

    Reply
    • Sam

      May 6, 2014 at 3:49 pm

      If the paint is chipping badly, you should remove the parts that are loose before painting. I would sand it down just to try and smooth it out after that. But, if the paint is in good condition I would just leave it.

      Reply
  5. Brittani

    January 11, 2015 at 12:07 am

    Does the primer spray cover up the original wording on the can?

    Also if you don’t mind me asking how much did you get yours for? I want to make sure I am getting a good deal for one.

    Reply
    • Sam

      January 11, 2015 at 9:03 pm

      It doesn’t cover up the raised print, but it does cover the paint.
      Honestly, I don’t remember how much I paid – but I know it was under $25.

      Reply
  6. Melinda O

    August 15, 2015 at 1:07 am

    Do you have a suggestion in removing a decal from a milk can

    Reply
    • Sam

      August 15, 2015 at 3:34 pm

      Here’s a great tutorial that I think would probably work well! http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-Old-Decals

      Reply
  7. janice warne

    February 23, 2016 at 2:21 pm

    i have an old ice cream can and want to keep it in orginal colour with the faded red paint …is there a clear coat paint I can use to keep it this way I don’t wish to colour paint the can in anyway

    Reply
    • Sam

      February 23, 2016 at 9:22 pm

      I believe rustoleum makes a clear paint that should work just as well as the colored ones!

      Reply
  8. Bonnie Miller

    July 26, 2016 at 11:30 am

    My dad was a dairy farmer and I have 4 milk cans in our barn that I have been saving to give to family members. They are totally and evenly covered with rust. Will your suggestion of Rustoleum Primer work on them after I wash and dry them off?
    Bonnie
    From Ohio

    Reply
    • Sam

      July 28, 2016 at 6:14 pm

      You most likely will have to do some sanding, and they may never be fully even, but as long as the rust isn’t creating holes, you should be good!

      Reply
  9. Cathy Ortiz

    August 12, 2016 at 3:44 pm

    I have an old milk can that has been in our family for years. It had been painted black with an eagle decal sometime in the 80’s. My great, great grandmother’s name and the town and state are etched on the top of the can. What is the best way to restore this and would you recommend repainting it? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Sam

      August 19, 2016 at 11:17 am

      It’s really up to you! In my experience, it’s very time-consuming to sand. Personally, my recommendation would be to remove any chippy pieces of paint and sand lightly to make a smooth surface. Then you could always paint it with a fun color or metallic silver to make it look more original.

      Reply

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