Black Bed with White Glaze

I found this beautiful old oak bed on Craigslist. My Dad and I followed some interesting driving directions and finally met a nice old man who (I kid you not) lived in a barn. It looked very nice and had Christmas lights in the windows. He told us that this bed was over a hundred years old and apologized that it was missing one of its original slats. It was still in great shape, and I snapped it up.

I had hoped to leave it with the original wood showing, but it had a few blemishes, and was sealed with an amazing shellac that I couldn’t get any darker stain or glaze to stick to. So I resorted to covering up that (mostly) beautiful wood with paint. I started with a coat of Clear Bonding Primer from Country Chic Paint, and followed it up with two coats of their Liquorice Paint.

Next I added a coat of slightly watered down Limestone Glaze from Country Chic. I wiped the painted wood down with a damp cloth before brushing on the glaze and wiping off the extra with a shop towel.

I really like how the glaze brings out the carved details.

I liked the old chalk board look, but I wanted it to look polished, so I sealed it with two coats of Varathane Sealant in Satin.

I love the contrast of the black and white. It’s a classic combination of colors which doesn’t feel dated even though the bed is so old.

Before I sealed it I sanded a few spots down to the original wood. I like it when the piece looks aged instead of freshly painted, and this way if I scratch the paint later it won’t be as obvious.

I just took final pictures of the headboard, but the footboard and rails look just the same. I can’t wait to get this set up in the bedroom. It will match the ceiling, and I have a pretty new quilt to pair it with. It’s so exciting to be getting so close to moving in!