How to Paint a Bed Frame for Retro Kids

Prepare the surfaces of the bed frame to accept paint. Wipe down the bed frame with a damp sponge to remove dust and grime. Allow it to dry.

Sand a metal or wood frame with 120- to 220-grit sandpaper to roughen and remove any luster. Wipe down the bed frame again to remove the sanding dust.

Apply a thin coat of oil-based primer to a wood bed frame. Apply a thin coat of metal primer to a metal bed framer. Both spray and brush-on primers are available. Leave the primer to dry for several minutes and apply a second coat. Continue applying thin coats, letting them dry in between, until a consistently opaque primer layer is achieved.

Paint the bed frame with a base color. Choose a color indicative of the retro period. For the 1960s, consider lime green, orange or pink. For the 1980s, consider primary and neon colors. A black-and-white '80s bed frame is another possibility but use white as the base color, as it is harder to add paint on top of black. Use semigloss oil-based or latex paint for a wood bed frame and metal paint for a metal bed frame. Apply at least two coats.

Paint a simple retro pattern over the frame using one or two additional colors from the era. Possible 1960s patterns may include psychedelic flowers, peace signs, wavy stripes, plaids or funky, concentric shapes. Possible 1980s patterns include freehand graffiti lines and swirls, graphic checkerboards or zigzags, animal prints or pixel-like polka dots. Consider using stencils to help form graphic patterns.