Repaint a doll's bed

Breathe new life into an old children’s toy with a fun new look using only Resene testpots!

Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 68

You will need

• Sandpaper
• Testpot and small artist brushes
• Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat
• Resene testpots in Resene Spray x 2
• Resene testpots in your choice of colours; Sarah used Resene Gelato, Resene Big Bang, Resene Golden Glow, Resene Retro, Resene Escapade, Resene Bunting.

Top tip:  If you need to take more time to paint your design and you find the paint is drying a little too fast, use Resene Hot Weather Additive to help slow down the dry time.

How to refinish a wooden toy

Step one: When Sarah found this old doll bed at her local Salvation Army store, it was not in great condition. It had a few screws loose and looked really old and dirty with watermarks on the base.

It’s always a shame to see wooden toys end up on the scrapheap so Sarah decided to give it a new lease of life with a bright and happy paint job.

First tighten the loose screws, give it a really good clean and then sand it back to prepare it for painting.

Step two:  Once all the prep was complete, apply a full coat of Resene Quick Dry primer undercoat with a testpot brush and waited for it to dry.

Step three:  Apply two coats of your chosen colour to the whole bed using a testpot brush, waiting for each coat to dry completely. Sarah used Resene Spray.

Step four: Decide on your rainbow of colours.

Sarah decided on a handpainted rainbow design to spruce up this bed and make it appealing for kids to play with. Sarah chose six colours for my rainbow: Resene Gelato, Resene Big Bang, Resene Golden Glow, Resene Retro, Resene Escapade and Resene Bunting.

Step five: Apply the rainbow design by marking out the shapes in pencil first and then hand paint each stripe using a small paintbrush. It can be a bit time-consuming because you have to go over each stripe with two coats. It is fun to paint freehand and you get a fantastic, imperfect result. Apply the rainbow thread to the bedhead and foot too, so that even when blankets go on, you can see the paint effect.

Job done! A bright and modern new look for an old toy. Just needs a favourite doll and a happy new home.