Re: Antique Iron Bed

How ornate are the castings, if any? In other words, are there intricate finials on each corner, any possibly brass swags or doo-hickies on the head or footboard? I ask becasue if so -- and possibly also if not -- you may want to think about a more evocative painting scheme that just one color. Faux painting, as it's called, is a lot of fun a actually pretty darn easy. I own a bed from the 1840's which I purchased already restored from The Cat House in Santa Monica, California. I know they have a web site so check them out. THey will show all the possible color treatments which you might want to attempt. And since it's just paint you can always just remove it w/ paint thinner if it doesn;t look right and start all over! My bed must have 7 different colors on it including a "rust" which look just like actual rust but isn;t eating at the iron. All of these painting tricks can be found in any number of Faux Finish books and, these days, your local Home Depot will have an entire display of pre-boxed paints, sponges and rollers to acheive these effects.

Give it a shot!

Best,

CJ Green