Frederick's bed

I decided I wanted to restore a piece of furniture for each of my children that they can take with them when they are older. I look for inexpensive pieces that need restored, fully or partially, and I get to work. We found Frederick's bed in Northeastern Ohio a couple years ago and I refinished it this winter. I like to refinish with scrapers, chisels, hand tools, etc instead of chemicals.  It is old school and I find it relaxing to work with my hands. Typically, I will use sand paper on the raw wood, but as I was not taking this piece to the wood I used steel wool to rough the original finish so the new finish would adhere. The detail areas I did scrape clean for a sharper edge. After I had the bed smooth and ready to "shoot" with clear, Jeremy and my dad put the finish on for me. We use sanding sealer, which gives it a nice sheen, but not too glossy.

Frederick was SO excited when we set up his bed and he was able to sleep in it for the very first time. He took his little stuffed horse and his cherished blankie and jumped into bed.

The headboard