Would milk paint work better than dye?

Hi guys,
Need to make the base of the infamous butcher block project black. It's poplar. I dont want the thick, painted look of enamel paint. Would like to see some grain.

Was considering india ink. Also considering black aniline dye followed by black gel stain if needed. Then I saw one of the guys posted a credenza he did in white milk paint. Whatever I use, I'll put clear poly or marine varnish over the color coat.

Have any thoughts on using milk paint - never used it - or the other ideas I mentioned?

Thank you!
Fred

Fred, it's hard to beat India Ink for jet black that still lets the grain come through. I've also had very good luck using Krylon rattle can paint. It works really well on red oak; it's black but the grain shows through if you only apply 2 or 3 coats. You can topcoat it with clear, too, if you want a higher level of protection.

John

+1 on John's comments. You're going to need a couple of coats of any paint to ensure even color which is going to build - therefore you'll get a lot more grain visibility with a penetrating dye. I wouldn't use a gel stain if you want max grain visibility.

I also agree with John. Nothing to add. Cheers

Thanks guys!

Got all the joinery cut and tuned today. Getting there, dslowly but surely!

Fred