Yep... essentially correct above! Primers are "resin-rich" coatings. * Left alone (?!?!???), they get too dried-out & brittle after a few weeks to hold paint decently. * Lightly re-sand, & remove dust. * This "2nd-prep" should be good enough. * If it's a piece of critical importance/appearance, re-prime it too...can't hurt!! Faron

Are you handy with a glue gun and fabric? If so, this is what I would do--upholster the headboard (inside of the gold painted border)in the RL fabric (order a pair of curtains if you can't get the fabric). First you'd want to pad it with a thin foam and then cover with fiberfill (hopefully those with more upholstery experience can chime in if this isn't correct). Then cover it with the fabric and either tack it down or use an heavy duty electric stapler. Cover the rough edges with gimp or piping made from the fabric (perhaps you could have somebody make this for you if you don't sew). Alternately, you could find a fabric that coordinates with the RL and then make a couple decorative pillows to match. I would paint the exposed edges (do this before you upholster) either a shade to match the armoire or pick up a color from the background of the RL fabric. I think the bed would look like a gorgeous custom piece and would make the room appear even larger than if you painted it a contrasting color.

Annie, that's great! You're very talented. :) I'm in total agreement with your praise of BIN! My cabinets are the same fake wood laminate, and I primed with BIN before painting them white. For this project, I was hoping the gel stain would stick better (it worked over the factory finish on the dressers with just a scuff sanding and deglosser), so that the faux grain would show through and eliminate the need for me to create the grain! Perhaps I'll leave it for last and see if I'm up for that, if the other projects go smoothly. I've never heard of grocery bags for faux graining. Was it hard? Pal & Dawnp, I wondered about painting the headboard to make it blend in. That's part of what prompted my post...I couldn't find an example like that, so I wasn't sure if it would work or look disconnected. It makes sense to de-emphasize a less attractive piece, though. An idea I had as I was drifting off to sleep last night was to take off the back and decoupage green patterned scrapbook paper to it, like when people have put fun paper or fabric lining the back of their bookcases, then paint the rest of it dark brown or white. I'm not sure it's tall enough to show much of the paper, though, and that would have the opposite effect from blending it in. I evaluated all the green spray paints at Ace (plus the copper patina kit, and brown hammered metallic), and nothing is quite the right shade to go with the wall color. The more I look at my inspiration pics, the more I think part of what appeals to me is the layering of greens. So, I think I'll mix up a quart of the next shade down on the color strip from the wall color. I still kinda like the paper decoupage idea for the back, even if it wouldn't show much. If the green doesn't work out, lukkiirish, I'll probably be painting it black! Always a nice fall back option.

I think a lighter color upholstered one would be nice, but the dark walnut or black metal could work if the style is right. Consider your flooring as well. If you have hardwood floors, the upholstered bed would be nice. With a light colored carpet, stained wood would provide some contrast.