As a special gift, I refinished my daughter's 30-year old Jenny Lind crib (which was also used by her brothers). Here's what it looked like, replete with bite marks.
I spent most of one weekend sanding with 180 grit paper and a sanding sponge. I feathered out all the bite marks and scratches and lightly sanded the entire crib so the paint would adhere well. It was quite an undertaking because of all the turned spindles!
It's funny how you never notice things like blobs of varnish and dried drips and runs until you actually go over the entire surface. I've learned by experience that surface preparation is the key to getting a good paint job, so I persisted with getting the surface really smooth. I had to seal the areas that were sanded down to bare wood. Here's my painting station in the back yard.
I used a total of 6 cans of spray paint, and buffed between the first and second coats with a piece of white cotton T-shirt. After several days to let the paint cure, I finished with a final buffing. The result was just lovely. The color that my daughter selected is espresso brown in a satin gloss. I do believe that the finish is even better than the original finish! I also cleaned up all the metal parts so that they were like new. Here's a closeup of the finished paint job.
A couple of weeks ago, I delivered the crib to my daughter's house and assembled it for them. She and her husband were just thrilled that it turned out so nice, and they got a big kick out of the original paperwork that I had saved. The parts list and assembly instructions were dated February 15, 1980! Here's what the crib looked like in the baby's room.
A few days ago my daughter sent me some photos of the bed all made up in the new bedding. She's really happy with it, and I think she did a super job of putting together the nursery!
Finally, here's the real reason I wanted to pass down the crib to my grandson. :)
My daughter in the crib, 1980.
My oldest son in the crib, 1987.
My twin sons in the crib, 1991.
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