A Big Boy Bed Transformation! Mad in Crafts

With the baby coming in T-4 months, we knew we were going to have to downgrade my son to a twin-sized bed to make more space in their room. My mom found a Broyhill bed on Craigslist in great shape and for a good price, but it needed some work.

Laminate, check. Panelling, check. Weird rustic, western-looking distressed edges, check.

I knew I wanted to paint this bad boy, but I wasn’t sure how to go about painting laminate/wood veneer. I did some research and then headed out to Home Depot to hit the Memorial Day paint sale. The woman working the paint counter was very helpful and was able to answer all of my dad’s and my questions. I had gone in thinking I was going to need to use the Zinsser BIN primer, but she had some other great suggestions for us.

We ended up choosing the Glidden brand Gripper primer in gray since I wanted to paint the bed a saturated blue. The employee told us that she had recently seen a demonstration where two cinder blocks were painted with the Gripper primer and then shoved together. After the primer dried, it was nearly impossible to get the two blocks apart! Plus, the Gripper primer cures as fast as it dries, so you don’t have to wait forever to paint after you prime. And it was way cheaper than the Zinsser primer!

I picked out a Glidden semi-gloss interior paint (on sale- YAY) and had them color match a paint chip from the Disney brand paints. I picked out the color “To Infinity and Beyond!” It was probably the marketing that got me in the end since I knew we were getting Toy Story bedding, but it really is a lovely BLUE blue color. Just what I wanted.

The first step when we got back was to give the whole bed frame a light sanding to rough up that shiny laminate finish.

My dad did the priming because the Home Depot paint guru told me the primer fumes aren’t good for a preggo to be around. The primer also helped to fill in some of the textured areas of the bed frame.

The primer sets up as fast as it dries, so I was able to paint the first coat of the blue the next day. All things considered, the painting was pretty easy. The hardest part was getting in the nooks and crannies of the “distressed” wood and the panelling.

See that random blurry area in the bottom right corner of the picture? I need a new camera. Just saying.

The flash went off in this picture which is why the blue color may be attacking your eyeballs right now. It’s not quite that vibrant in real life.

I had to touch up some spots later in the week, and then the bed was ready to be assembled.

Hey, you didn’t think he was going to get a brand new bed without putting forth a little effort, did you?

I love the vibrant blue. Very kid friendly! And those drawers are going to be a big help; I just need to pick out some new pulls for them.

Add some awesome new Toy Story bedding (on sale at Wally World).

And, there you go! A great new big boy bed for the big brother to be!

The bed and the bedding fit in perfectly with his space-theme room. If you are interested in the rest of the room’s decorations, check out these links:

Rar. I’m a Laundry Monster.

Galactically Easy Space Decor

Solar System Wall Art

No-Sew Spacey Curtains

Space-Theme Lamp Redo

Nearly Free Spacey Decor

S-Bot 2007

Robo-Pig

The Wrong Way to Make a Rocket Pillow!

Linked to Sumo’s Sweet Stuff, Domestically Speaking, Someday Crafts, Women Who Do It All, Nikki’s Nifty Knacks, The Nifty Nest and Between Naps on the Porch.

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