A thrifted bed gets a painted weathered wood Restoration Hardware look with no messy furniture stripping and in 3 quick steps.
A couple of weeks ago, I promised more details about the painted “weathered wood” bed that so many of you asked about in our last guest bedroom makeover update at my parents’ house.
I’ve done the math now (I know, former English teacher doing math… be afraid), and at this point, we’ve spent a grand total of $290 to fully furnish this bedroom with a dresser, armoire, pair of nightstands, and a queen-sized bed. Wowza!
This sleigh bed my parents found on Craigslist for $110 was already in good condition. But it had a lot of dings and scratches that needed a facelift.
I wanted to tone down the cherry red stain, but sanding it down completely to refinish wasn’t an option since it was partially veneer. So I busted out my tried and true “weathered wood” paint method again.
Hey, if it ain’t broke… you know the rest.
Supplies Used: (Affiliate links are provided below for convenience.)
- Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in French Linen
- Fusion Mineral Paint in Raw Silk
- Homestead House Wax in Espresso
- 1.5″ angled paint brush
- Chip brush
- Wax brush
- Clean, dry lint-free rag
- Paper towels
I pretty much was able to use paint supplies I already had lying around from previous projects (don’t you love it when that happens?).
Sometimes you guys ask if I prep my furniture, but it usually depends on the piece. If I’m working with a piece that has noticeable wood oil or a residue on it, I wipe it down with Krud Kutter or liquid deglosser (way faster and just as effective as sanding, in my experience).
This bed seemed to have a great surface to work with from the very beginning, so it did just fine without any prep work.
I gave the entire bed two coats of the ASCP French Linen first, letting dry between each coat. (Pardon my icky cell phone shots. I was painting in my parents’ garage without my camera on this day.)
To add some depth, I gave everything a quick dry-brushing with the Fusion Raw Silk.
If you’ve never dry-brushed before, you just dip the tip of your paint brush into the paint, wipe it on a cloth or paper towel until it feels dry and start brushing onto your piece. I like using a chip brush because the bristles give it a natural weathered look and the strokes aren’t as rigid as a high quality brush.
It’s very subtle, but it’s a great technique for layering.
After dry-brushing, you can jump right into waxing with the Espresso wax. I like working my wax brush into the grooves and brushing in the direction that the “grain” of the wood would normally go. After about 5 minutes, I buff with a clean cloth.
I shot this before buffing, so the wax isn’t really perfect yet.
I let the wax cure for 24 hours, and then my dad and brother hauled it up to the guest room so we could all stare at it in wonder for a few hours. Okay, not really.
But it did give me some major heart-eyes.
The bed isn’t “perfect” but that’s part of the charm, I think. After I photographed this, I noticed some waxing strokes that needed fixing, so I’ll be going back and touching that up.
The bed coordinates so well with the two-tone nightstands I painted the other week without being too matchy-matchy. (Does matching furniture drive you bonkers? It does me.)
I discovered this sign perfect for a guest bedroom on an Etsy shop called Salted Words the other week too. It couldn’t be any more fitting than this.
And this ceiling fan from Hunter Fan Co. works so well in here. When I ordered it, I had no idea what color of wood the blades were going to be since it’s usually so hard to tell online, but it has the perfect vintage look to it.
This guest bedroom has already come such a long way! I keep debating on whether or not to hang curtains in here since the window already has plantation shutters. I think I’m liking the clean and simple look though. What do you think?
If you want to know about any of the other sources I’ve used in here so far, you can find them all here:
We still have this other side of the room to tackle, but it’ll be coming along soon. A little art, some pillows on the window seat, and we’ll be lookin’ good.
I had no idea when I first started giving this space a makeover that it would end up being my and Robert’s bedroom while we crash at my parents’ house before closing on the new place. Funny how things work out like that.
If you want to save this post for later, you can pin it here:
Love how the bed turned out. Your guest room is looking so cozy and welcoming.
Thanks, Dianne!
I am wanting to do this to our current bedroom furniture. I am having trouble finding the Homestead House Wax in Espresso. It is sold out on the link attached to this post. Would the Fusion Furniture Wax in the color Espresso work ok?
Yes! Annie Sloan Dark Wax would work too. 🙂
Would this work with a honey colored wood as well?
Absolutely! It can work on so many things since it’s really paint and wax that only looks like stain.
Beautiful job! Your creativity is amazing! I can’t wait to see what you do with the new place. I love old brick. Please don’t power wash it. The charm will go down the drain! You are an inspiration.
Your timing for this post is perfect for me to try this on some furniture we’re moving into our new home. Thanks!
Yay! Glad it could help, Denise!
It looks beautiful Lauren. The whole room is so calm and relaxing. Just what a bedroom should be!
Thanks, Mary!
Looks great, or should I say you really “sleighed” it, lol. I’m in the middle of doing this technique on a side table I scored yesterday at Gordon’s for $12! I’ve never painted a new piece before, but for 12 bucks, I have zero heartburn over it! I’m using Waverly brand chalk paint and wax I found at Walmart. I’ve used it on a few items now and it does a pretty good job and is very economical.
Haha! Best pun award, right here. 😉 Good luck with the table, Colleen! I’ve used the Waverly brand before too. It definitely does the job in a pinch.
The room is coming together and it looks great!! I think curtains would add interest, brighten up the stark white around the windows and plantation shutters. And you always pick out the perfect complement…..
Thanks, Lanita! I’m thinking I might play around with the windows a little bit in Photoshop just to see how it would look before I commit. Thanks for the feedback. 🙂
Hi Lauren,
Hey I noticed the last few blog posts I have not received an email. Is there something I need to do to get back on the email list?
Thanks!
Hi Deanna! I scaled back my email newsletter to just 1-2 per week instead of every time a post is published so I don’t bombard people with emails. And with our move this weekend, I’ve been a bit all-over-the-place lately and wasn’t able to send one for this post yet. 🙂 Thanks for checking!
Lauren,
I am always amaze with your talent! The room looks fabulous with your special style and touch!
Thank you, Lilian!
Love how this room is turning out!! I will definitely be getting that sign for my guest bedroom, it’s perfect! Is the rug in your room 8×10?
Thanks, Tiffany! It really is so fitting. Yes, the rug is 8×10. 🙂
Looks amazing! And, once again, you are the source of inspiration I needed. Nearly a year ago I painted my dining room chairs and thought my husband would have time to build a farmhouse table. Well, I’ve kept him quite busy on other projects and his list doesn’t seem to be getting any shorter. Yikes! I know. So today I’m going to paint the top of my dining room table this way. It’ll turn out perfectly as every project I’ve done of yours has. Thank you! And praying for you as you adjust to being between houses. We once moved into my parents’ home when we were between houses. It’s do-able, just different 😉
Thank you, Moriah! I truly appreciate the prayers. Hope your table turns out well too! One word of caution, I’m leery of using wax on dining tables because it can still get scuffed up pretty badly from scraping dishes and drinking glass condensation. For surfaces that get a lot of wear like that, I tend to use ASCP Coco or French Linen as my base followed by a couple of coats of walnut stain and sealed with a matte polycrylic.
Hi Lauren! When you use French Linen as your base followed by walnut stain do you still get the white washed look?
I’m wanting to use this technique on my table top as well. Would love to see how yours turned out. [email protected]
I love how the painted bed looks, the room is beautiful already and with or without curtains, I would love it either way.
Thanks, Terry!
I love it all! In fact, I’m thinking of purchasing the sign for our guest room and wondered what size you bought—just so I can get an idea of scale.
I have that same rug in our master bedroom and the same sleigh bed. We purchased the entire bedroom set with matching nightstands, dresser and chest of drawers (I know—it was 12 years ago–don’t judge 🙂 ) and I love how you painted the night stand. Now I’m thinking I’ll take a look at what you did to the other pieces in the room to get some inspiration so the furniture isn’t so match-y.
Good luck on all things new house and thank you for the inspiration!
Hello! A few months ago you painted a wooden bench with Fusion cranberry paint. Did you use 1 container or 2 to paint two coats on the bench?
Hi, Eva! I used just one. And actually, I still had half of the container leftover when I was finished. 🙂
Thanks! I’m going to try this with a bench I have at home!
This is inspiring Lauren, I’ve been meaning to do something similar to our sleigh bed frame for a while now, so this gives me all the thrills and motivation to get it done! Looks great!
Yay! So glad it helped give you some motivation, Sandra!
It’s beautiful Lauren! Just wondering what paint color you used on the wall. It’s so soft, and blends beautifully with the rest of your décor.
Thanks, Donna! The wall color is Behr Seagull Gray.
Love the bed and plan on steeling your idea in my master!!! I do believe some light burlap look curtains would be awesome!!! I saw some on clearance at Target!!!!
Glad it helped, Lisa! Thanks for the tip about the curtains. 🙂
It’s beautiful, Lauren and so is the entire guest room. Lucky the guest who has such a lovely room to stay in while visiting. Pinning.
Thank you, Marie!
Beautiful transformation!
Amazing! I love it turned out. This room is beautiful!
Thank you, Chelsea!
Absolutely stunning! I’ve been looking for a tutorial to get this exact finish on a bookcase (ladder shelf). I was wondering if I could use ASCP Pure White instead of the fusion mineral paint for the dry-brushing step and still get the same results? Please let me know what you think 🙂
Absolutely! You could use any white paint, really. I generally use whatever I already have in my stash.
What are your thoughts on the quality of this rug? Would you use it for a living room?
I LOVE this rug. It’d be gorgeous in a living room.
Love love love!!
Thanks, Courtney!
Love how your bed turned out!! I would love to do this to my bed, but it is black and Im not sure i could get the same or close to it look what do think?
You absolutely could! I used two coats of paint so that the original finish was completely covered, so you should be able to use it on any existing color of furniture.
Hi there! Thank you for this post I’ve been wanting to do something similar for our master bed. I was looking at the Annie Sloan paints and French linen looks much darker than in this tutorial, just afraid I will get a darker end result than I would prefer. Does it dry pretty light?
Thanks!
Hi Tiffany! It’s still fairly light, depends on the lighting. But the final photographs that I took of the bed in the room are very true to how they look in real life, depending on your own screen’s accuracy.
I have this exact same bed, and I was just about to sell it (I’ve already sold the rest of the suite) UNTIL I saw this! Can you tell me which brush you used to paint with the Annie Sloan paint?
I ended up reading a few other articles on brush suggestions. I’m officially finished with this product and basically in love. Thank you so much for inspiring me to do this makeover on my bed. A $60 facelift is so much more financially friendly than a complete new bed!
My next question though is, how is your French Linen paint so light? In your photos of the process, it looks about 5 shades lighter than the Annie Sloan French Linen I used. The finished product (after the raw silk and espresso wax) is still about 3 shades darker than the bed in your photos and MUCH more grey than yours. Did you mix it with anything ?
The French Linen shots probably look lighter mainly because I was painting in direct sunlight when I took photos of the paint. I shot the bed as closely to how it looks in real life as possible, but it can look different depending on your own monitor’s coloring/lighting, so it’ll vary from screen to screen. On my screen it looks almost exactly like it does in person.
Do you remember what color option you chose for the area rug – “Grey/ivory” or “ivory/blue.” From what it looks like both of those color options have a significant amount of blue in them. I like the way yours looks though so I was hoping to get the exact one.
Mine was the ivory/blue option. 🙂
I’m almost hyperventilating with excitement over this post!! We bought our cherry, four poster bed many years ago and we still do love it. They just dont make furniture like it any more!! But… it is outdated looking and just not sure what to do to make it updated and exciting again. Enter… your post!! My problem…. we have a tall boy dresser, low dresser with a mirror and of course the four poster bed. We are using all the furniture currently, but in the new house the walk in closet will likely have drawer space too. We could do without one of the dressers. Do you have any suggestions of what would be a good paint option for the other furniture in the room? This is my struggle with all furniture. What color??!! Matching is a no brainier, but anything else I grope in the lonely dark.
I found this on Pinterest!! When I saw it was you, I had to see how you did this, IT’S BEAUTIFUL!! I’ve bookmarked this, and when I’m ready for my guest bedroom I’m doing this!
I love this finish and was looking to use it on my own curbside headboard score. The only thing I’m worried about and can’t find any reviews on is how well the wax finish holds up to pillows/linen use. Will was rub off onto my pillows? Will the finish rub off with normal daily use of leaning pillows against the headboard? If so, I will use an alternate finishing method.
I had to give it about a week for the wax to fully cure, but then rub-off wasn’t an issue. Just make sure you fully rub in the wax in a thin layer and don’t apply it too thick. It will feel sticky and rub off if you use too much.
I love the way you painted the furniture and the bedroom looks beautiful. I’m planning on painting my bedroom furniture too. After you applied the wax , did you have to buff it ?
Yes! Lightly buff it to remove any excess residue. I’d let it cure for 48 hours before you put a mattress and bedding on to prevent any rub-off. 🙂
I love this piece of furniture and what you did. It looks amazing. I have the exact same bed.. Did you put any top coat on after you were done to protect this piece? Did you sand in between coats? Does the dark wax lighten up that much after it dries? Thanks
Thanks, Robyn! No, a top coat isn’t required on top of wax (and I would actually recommend against it). Just let it cure for 48 hours before putting on the mattress. I didn’t sand between coats, but you certainly can if you want fewer brush strokes showing. I like the texture of not sanding though and it provides some dimension with the wax to make it look more like wood. The wax will lighten up if you apply it really thin. I try to rub it in as much as possible as I’m applying it with a wax brush, and I buff with a cloth. If you apply it too thick, it will be darker and will end up sticky.
Hi, I am doing this makeover on a bed I found similar to yours!! 🙂 On many youtube tutorials it says they used clear wax first then the dark wax over it. I don’t see anywhere that you used clear wax. I am just wanting my project to turn out just like yours 🙂 I am also curious did you put the dark wax all over the bed wait 5 minutes then wipe clean? I have never done this before, but I am very crafty lol.
Hi Dana! I skipped the clear wax to make it look like wood rather than just an antiqued look. The clear wax first will make the dark wax much more subtle. And I worked in sections, applying wax in a 2-3 square foot section, wiping clean, and then repeating on the next section.
Hi, I am working on a dresser and using your technique from this bed. Did you use to espresso wax on the entire piece or just the grooves and edges? Thanks for sharing all your tips, I hope my dresser turns out as beautiful as this bed did!
I used it on the entire piece. 🙂 Best of luck with it!
I love the bed ! I am trying to order the supplies on amazon and have a few questions:
How much chalk paint did you use ( do I need to buy 1 or 2 32oz cans )
As well as the Mineral paint 1 or 2 500ml jars
and I am having a very hard time finding the homestead house wax in espresso, any suggestions and once I do find it, again how much do you think I will use ( I am doing a bed very similar to yours in a king size )
thanks for your help !
Hi Stephanie! I only used 1 can and actually had plenty leftover. Same with mineral paint, 1 500mL jar will cover it. I usually have luck finding the Homestead House wax on Etsy, but Annie Sloan dark wax could also work. For either one, just one pot of wax will cover it. You can find retailers for both here too: https://fusionmineralpaint.com/where-to-buy/ https://www.anniesloan.com/stockists/#/
I am so in love with this bed and room in its entirety. (No matter the cost!). Invite me for a sleepover – pretty please.
Hello Lauren, I am absolutely in love with this bed and I have a sleigh bed my husband and I are doing the same thing too. I have a quick question for you did you use clear wax and then the espresso or did you just do the espresso without the clear wax step. I have already painted mine with the basecoat I’m just going to my next step and I wanna make sure that I do it correctly
Hi Marsha! Sorry. Catching up from Christmas break. 🙂 No, I didn’t use clear wax at all. If you use the espresso wax directly on the paint, it’ll give it that deep, dark color. With clear, the dark wax will be faint.
HI I love what you have done. I would like to have a darker driftwood color on my bedroom set. I am beginning with a honey toned wood set. I would like the effect of the marble topped buffet table you rescued. What would I use? Thank you in advance!
Hi there. Can you tell me what paint color you used on the walls? Thanks so much.
Laura
Sure! It’s Behr Seagull Gray.
Love this room! Especially the rug. Can you tell me the exact name of the rug? I clicked on your link but it only takes me to the website and not the exact rug. You mentioned it’s an 8×10?
Thanks!
Cathy
Hi Cathy,
It is a Safavieh Evoke rug in gray & ivory. Yes, 8 x 10 or it comes in multiple sizes depending on your needs. It is no longer available through the link but if you search in Google, it still comes up available at Overstock.com and a few other places.
Hi Louren, I loved your project, where can I get the Homestead House in express wax?
Thank you,
Claudia
Hi Claudia,
Click on the link in the post. It takes you to Etsy to purchase. 🙂
Can I use a different type of paint for the dry brushing part of this? I have linen white rustoleum chalk paint
Absolutely!
Ahh! Love this tutorial and the outcome! Exactly what I want to do to our buffet only one problem…the fusion paint is no longer available and the wax is sold out! Any suggestions for stand ins???
Oh no! You can use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint too. The Coco color should work along with Annie Sloan Dark Wax. A good many antique shops carry it nowadays.
LOVE this! I’m wanting to use this technique on a breakfast table top. I saw you don’t recommend a clear coat on top of the wax. Would it hold up to daily use on a table without a polyurethane top coat vs. minimal guest bed use?
Hi Rebecca! Yes, you can’t put a clear coat on top of wax. It would be a big gummy mess. On a table that gets a lot of traffic, I would use the French Linen chalk paint, let dry, then wipe on a coat of walnut gel stain, and seal with polyurethane or Fusion Mineral Paint Tough Coat. It’ll have a similar look but it will be more durable against daily scratches and scuffs from plates/cups. I got a similar look with paint/stain/poly on this project: https://www.blesserhouse.com/knock-off-no-sew-dining-chairs/
I’m thinking about doing the kitchen table your original way and using a glass topper over it for protection. Any reason why I can’t do it with wax that I (the newbie) may not understand? Thanks for all the help?
Hey Lauren,
Love all you do!! Quick question. Would fhis technique work on a wood dining room table? Is it durable? We don’t use this table often only when we have a crowd.
Many thanks for inspiration.
Hi Beverly! If it’s a table you don’t use every day, it should work! If it’s a table that does get a lot of traffic, I would mimic the look by using the same paint with the white dry brush but finish it with walnut gel stain (instead of wax) and polyurethane to seal it and protect against scuffs and scratches.
I was wondering what size bed is shown in this post and what size rug was placed under it? I have a King size bed and love the rug…just wasnt sure what size would look best under a king sized bed.
Hi Erin! It’s a queen size bed with an 8×10 rug underneath. For a king size bed, you would want to use either an 8×10 or 9×12, depending on how large your room is. I hope that helps! 🙂
Yes, ma’am…thanks for your quick reply! I just did my King size bed this weekend with this tutorial …it turned out perfect! Now on to the blue dresser! I love everything about this room. Thanks for taking time to post! Another question, since I am new to this, I used the dark wax on the bed as you suggested and I am hoping it will be durable enough. I am now aware that a top coat cannot be placed over the wax. So, now that I am starting the blue dresser and it will get a lot of opening and closing, should I consider a top coat on this project instead of wax? If so, how would I achieve the same look? I do know that Fusion Mineral paint has a top coat in it so if I use the fusion mineral paint with espresso wax as you show will I get greater durability than with ASCP and a wax?
This is definitely the hue I want, but I always get nervous working with dark wax! Especially over white… I’ve looked through your other similar tutorials and at it seems pretty consistent. If I follow your directions, I should be good right?! I’m going to tread lightly with the wax. Any tips/advice? I have a whole bedroom furniture set and want them to look uniform. Thanks so much!
YES!! You can always test a back piece to get familiar with the product. All of my tips are in the tutorial. I hope you love it when it is finished. I am interested in hearing how it turns out.
Hi!
What a beautiful project!
I’m wondering if you sanded in between the chalk paint and the mineral pain layers?
Your room turned out BEAUTIFUL!
I usually do not. However, if you don’t want the brush strokes to show for some texture, you certainly can sand between the two.
Have been reading through some of your “how to” blogs for how to create the weathered wood look. In your first one you talk about using Annie Sloan Coco with dark wax over it. The most recent you are using French linen with the layering of mineral paint then the dark wax. Which do you prefer?
Hi, Jennifer. Great question! As I continue to work with media and my technique changes, it tends to be from trial and error. I learn from past projects and then make the changes. I prefer the latest technique. However, each works. You may find the first technique works best for you. Let me know which one you end up working with and how it turns out. I do prefer the French linen with the layering of mineral paint to dark wax.
When you did the dry brush did you go only in one direction to make it look like wood grain or did you brush in multiple directions?
I brush it in one direction to make it look a bit more like wood grain.
Hi! I have this same bes and would like to try this techniqe. Do you have any problems with the dark wax rubbing off or staining the white linens? Thanks!
Not at all! Make sure to let the wax dry completely.
Hey! I would love to do this with a bed frame that I found on Craigslist. Question: did you paint this while the bed was assembled?
Yep! We assembled it before painting it.
Did you use clear wax under the dark wax or just dark wax? I’m doing this same project now and have never used wax before.
Just dark wax. The clear wax will make the dark wax lighter, which you wouldn’t want to do for this project.
I have almost the same bed and was wondering how to update it a bit! Great info! Thanks!