Furniture Fridays: An Old Metal Bed

 Ok, so this bed was cute when I first found it but it was covered in rust and had been sitting in the person's shed for who knows how long!  It was missing a wheel (which, with the age of the bed, wheels of the correct size are really difficult to find) and had peeling flower designs on it.

Right?  Cute!  But...not so much for a 13 year old boy.  

But I loved it because it was perfect for my teen son's new room!  Or it would be after I painted it.

Painting rusty metal does take a bit of prep work.  

You can sand blast it, apparently that's the best way to prepare it, but I don't have a sand blaster, nor do I currently have access to one, so here's what worked for our project:

1. Sand the surface down. Start with 80 grit and then follow up with 120.  
2. Clean the surface.  I just used a tack cloth. 
3. Then spray with a rust-protector spray paint.  

 How it looks today.  He wanted dark walnut, antique brass, and the teal-y blue for his accent colors.  So, antique brass it is!