Refinished Metal Bed

We were blessed to have been given this beautiful, albeit old and rusty, metal bed for free by family. It was a full sized bed with a lot of potential, and perfect for our youngest daughter’s room refresh. It had sat in a shack by the lake for years, left to rot, before it finally made it’s way to me, and I was determined to give it new life. Here what we started with, with the addition of a little CitriStrip because I forgot to take a true before photo.

I used both the spray CitriStrip and the gel brush on kind to start peeling the old chipping paint.

It bubbled up pretty quickly and was easily scraped away with a metal scraper and wire brush.

To clean up the leftover sludge from the stripper, and to clear away the rest of the white paint, I used a pressure washer.

Under the paint I discovered the bed had been covered in some sort of brass-look finish that also needed o be removed, so I ended up using my orbital sander to sand the bed down smooth so it could not only take paint, but also so I could achieve a smooth final finish. I used a combination rust stop and primer paint to fully cover the bed both to protect it from future rust build up, and also to ensure the final paint would adhere well and be durable. Then I added 2-3 coats of my favorite Rustoleum Farmhouse Matte Black spray paint. It has the perfect matte finish, just a little touch of sheen, and a very modern look. It went perfectly in Eva’s bedroom. And completed her little bedroom refresh. You can purchase beds like this brand new from anywhere from $150-300. I was able to refinish this one for about $40. It was a lot of work and elbow grease, but it was beautifully satisfying in the end.