Have you checked out services that do powder coating near you? Those might be less expensive than going to a furniture restoration service.

Sabrina, thank you for responding. I have only checked out sandblasting to remove existing paint, which is too expensive. Powder coating requires the old paint must be removed first. I'm not afraid to paint it myself, I just can't hand-sand all the old paint off.

^^^ This is exactly what I was going to recommend. I had one that had been painted over the years. I believe he sand blasted it first and then powder coated. Turned out beautifully.

Yes, that's true, but I think powder coating services would include the removal of the old paint in their quote. Worth a phone call to verify.

Sabrina, that's good to know. I will check that out. Thanks!

what Sabrina said. it might not be the cheapest option, but w/antique frames like this, it will be the best option.

in any case, old paint should be stripped, sanded or removed or else youre going to get a 'patchy' look.

And why do you want to use a chalk paint?

Hi Jacqulyn-

As mentioned spot sanding the chipped areas only will result in an uneven finish. Your best best other than paying for professional powder coating or restoration services would be to use a power sander to at least scuff the whole bed frame and then use a Rust-o-leum primer. Afterwards two light coats of Rust-o-leum spray paint should do it. They are beaitiful beds and worth the love and effort!

I stripped mine with a chemical paint remover. Wasn’t that hard.

Yeah chemical stripper is fine (Ready-strip or similar not-so-toxic). Sand off rust and get a smoooooth surface, prime + paint. If there is a lot of rust embedded into the metal you could use "rust reformer" prior to the primer which converts rust spots to paintable surface. You could just paint over it as is but you would see the chipped areas - not a good look, After paint stripper you will still have to do some sanding, just not as much. I would not use a power sander on a rounded surface, at least not for any extended period of time.

Beth H, thank you for your comment. What type of paint would you use?

Debbie Downer, very helpful and detailed information. Thank you.

HU-996389822, that is really good to hear. Thank you.

There is a rather non toxic (not as toxic or harmful fumes/chemicals as regular strippers) called SoyGel. stripping that metal is a lot of work because of it's shape. Sandblasting is far easier.

Do those 'chunky' areas peel off easily? even if you painted right over it, I don't think it's going to look all that great. Iron needs to be powder coated for any lasting ability.

if you could get it down to the metal, I'd try a specialty metal paint.

Beth H: The 'chunky' areas are chipping off. Anything that drags across those open edges will flick another paint chip off, making it larger.

I refinished a similar iron bed with many layers of paint. Here's what I did. Take the bed outside to a place where you don't mind chemicals and paint chips coming off. Apply thickly, a paint remover of your choice. Let it do its work, don't rush it. When the paint is all bubbled up and loose, blast it with a power washer! Repeat until clear. You may need to spot sand but not very much if you've let the chemicals do the work. You can rent a power washer if you don't have one.

At first I put the bed on a tarp to keep the grass from catching the chemicals but that turned into a slippery mess when I power washed. Luckily I have a yard with a large natural area, so I put the bed up on some blocks and just let the mess drip down into the natural area.

Messy yes, but a whole lot less expensive than other options. If I ever have to do it again, I'd put the bed on blocks with landscape fabric underneath it on the ground. That way, most of the chemicals and paint get caught by the fabric but the water will drain through.

I had similar and stripped it with a heat gun-outside because of the possible fumes. Paint was oil based and it shriveled up and I was able to dust off with a stiff brush.