How to makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame

Learn how to paint a wooden bed frame in a few simple steps to give your bedroom a budget-friendly refresh!

This is an old bed frame that I had sitting … you guessed it… in my basement. It is a nice size, a little less than full but bigger than a twin.  Here you can see that nasty too-much-orange-varnish look that we all love so much. It may be fall but we don’t need to see this year round. A few months ago I shared a dresser makeover with you.  It was an old Ikea dresser that was about 25 years old and I painted it a soft green. Well, it turned out so nice that I decided to redo the bed to go with the dresser. Today, I am going to show you how to makeover an old wooden bed frame.
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Bedframe before, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
I started out painting it with  Enchanted by Americana Decor Chalky Finish Paint  from DecoArt. I make sure to shake the can really well so that the mixture comes out nice and smooth. With two coats it covered that lovely-not orange. (If you’d like to purchase this paint, I have added links to the product through Amazon at the end of the post.) 
Disclosure: I was compensated for doing this post with product.  However, all the opinions stated here are my own. I only use products I love and would recommend to my viewers. This post contains affiliate links for your shopping convenience.
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First coat of paint Enchanted, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
At this point I started to worry because I was running out of my beloved paint. I added some white acrylic paint to the mix, in the hope that it would last me longer.
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Third coat of paint enchanted with white, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
This is the third coat of paint…and no sanding at all beforehand.  That is the beauty of this paint.
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Detail of paints, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Finally I had to try and match the paint to the one from the dresser.  So I played around with it a bit and here is the last coat.
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Final coat of paint, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
And thank goodness for that because I ran out of paint.
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Paintef bed frame, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Of course I wanted to mimic the results I had gotten on the dresser and that meant sanding it to get the distressed look.  So whatever sanding I had avoided at the start … well, I was paying for it now.  In fact, my right hand is still feeling it!
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Distressing the bed frame, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
The beauty of this bed is that I was revealing a lighter green under the final coat.
Detail of distressing, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
A bit of wax with Americana Decor Cream Wax and I was done. When the wax is added it makes the color just a bit darker.  You can see in the photo below that I have managed to match the color pretty well.  It looks intense here because the sun is hitting it. (If youwould like to purchase this product I have added Amazon links at the end of the post).
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Adding the cream wax, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
And here it is next to the aforementioned dresser.
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The finished bed next to the dresser, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Detail of headboard, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Headboard next to dresser, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Left side of headboard, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Headboard and dresser in the background, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Here you can really see the aging and the scratches. There are four colors on the bed and that is what gives it so much depth.  Otherwise it would just be a boring green bed.
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Detail of headboard center, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Distressed detail of side of bed frame, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
A shot of the whole bed.  The color looks a little different here from the dresser because the light is hitting the bed.
The whole bed in soft green color, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
The foot board of the bed, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Detail of foot board, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
Footboard, How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com
It was a close call there for a while, between the paint running out and getting a good match. My hand hurts but I think it was well worth the temporary discomfort. I’ve just shown you how to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame.  And now I have a “brand new” bedroom set!  All courtesy of my basement!  What do you think I’ll find in my basement next? Maybe a new mattress?
A bed frame painted with DecoArt chalky finish paint to match the Ikea dresser, #furnituremakeover #paintedfurniture #bedmakeover #woodenbed #chalkyfinishpaint #DIYproject #paintproject How to Makeover an Old Wooden Bed Frame www.theboondocksblog.com

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114 Comments

    1. Thanks Carol. I was really tired of looking at that garish wood color before. This is so much softer for the bedroom.

    1. Thanks JoAnne, althought it was an old style the wood color was hiding all the pretty details. I think now with the green you can actually see some of those.

  3. This bedroom set is now really cute- very cottage inspired and updated for the next 25 years or so! I love the green- it goes with so much!

    1. So much better than that eyesore orange. And now it has interest whereas before it was just a piece of wood. Now we can see the details much more easily because of a little bit of paint.

  5. Mary, I love the color and you did a great job of matching the dresser! I painted my old wooden bead white with chalk paint a couple years ago and I still love it! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
    hugs,
    Jann

    1. Jann a little bit of paint can make a huge difference to the furniture and especially to our mood.

  8. Hi Mary, your distressed green bed looks so much than the not-so-quite orange it was originally. It looks a perfect match for your chest of drawers too. The bedroom now has a cottage like feel, don’t you think?
    xx

    1. Jodie, because I had previously done the dresser I knew what to expect. It took me about 2 days. I painted the wood with chalk paint the first day. The paint dries very quickly. So although there were five coats involved it was not a problem. And on the second day I sanded it and distressed it and applied the wax.

    1. Thank you Carla. In this case I was lucky to be able to juggle the paint and mix and match it so that I finished the job just as I ran out of the paint.

  11. Mary, I absolutely love this bedroom! You did a fantastic job on the paint and waxing of these pieces! Thanks so much for sharing at Shoestring Elegance and the What to do Weekends party! Pinned and shared!
    Happy Weekend!
    Theresa.

    1. Thank you Theresa. I am really happy with the results here. It was time to take that old bed out of storage and get some use out of it.

  12. I love the paint job, and the fact that it is upcycling at its finest. The bed and the dresser look beautiful. Nice job. I wish I had a basement full of such surprises.

    1. Thank you Kelley. A little bit of paint can go a long way to transform what was once tired into something new and fresh. Anyway who wants a bedroom that looks like the inside of a pumpkin?

  13. Kudos to you for creating not only a new bed frame, but a cheery and charming atmosphere, a warm and welcoming place for anyone who desires a soothing slumber!
    Happy weekend, Mary!
    Poppy

    1. Thank you Poppy. Paint really does make a huge difference and it is such an each way to change out our things without having to spend a fortune.

  14. Mary, Even though this project was a big one, you did a fantastic job! I love the different hues of green showing through on the bed-frame, it really gives it depth and character! The orange was a bit overwhelming, now it’s pretty and it fits so well into your bedroom.
    I love the covers and sheets you have chosen, in the Greece heat this room looks cool and comfortable. And so pretty. What a great room to retire to at the end of a long day. Green is a restorative color and it’s perfect for your bedroom.
    Great job, I need to get some of this paint!!!

    1. Nikki what you say is so true. It is very relaxing to come into this room now. Before the orange was just plain irritating. And all those layers help to give interest and depth to the bed.

    1. I think the more I work on this blog the more I discover. If I had gone to the basement a year ago and had seen this bed, I wouldn’t have been able to do the project because I had no idea what I was doing back then. But a year later and I have acquired some skills from reading so many great blogs and so it was doable.
      So I may not see anything in the basment now, but a few months from now, well, you never know…

    1. Thank you so much Kayla. I could not let an old piece just sit there, I have to try and do something to it.

  19. What a fabulous make-over Mary. I love the variations in the layers that show through from the distressing. I’ve pinned and look forward to featuring this project on Shabbilicious Friday tomorrow.

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