Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Jenny Lind Crib

So a few months ago we moved into a bigger house (Thank God!) and this meant that I would finally be able to decorate a nursery for my little booger. I had stumbled upon several nursery designs that featured custom painted Jenny Lind cribs. My overall budget for the room was really pennies in comparison to what most parents drop on their offspring's new digs, so I had to be extremely creative with how I spent each dollar.

I will be honest. When I was pregnant I bought one of those books that gives you the 411 on everything you do and don't need and reviews for every baby creation on God's green earth. After reading it I was convinced that buying a crib used via craigslist or some other second hand store was probably the worst thing a parent could do. Of course the book is full of horror stories about what could happen if the crib doesn't come with all of its parts or is missing a screw etc. etc. However since I was working with a very tight budget I really didn't have any other choice.  Buying a crib retail would have taken up my entire nursery budget and that just wasn't going to work. But let it be known that I did do a lot of research and I made sure that the crib I purchased was in as great as condition possible and wasn't on a recall list. 

So my awesome craigslist find was a White Delta Jenny Lind crib that came with a mattress and the total cost was $50. Now for those of you who aren't familiar with the cost of all things baby related. That is a steal of a deal. The mattress alone could have cost me upwards of $175! I know some of you are shunning me as you read this because I bought a crib and a mattress used. But guess what money doesn't grow on trees over here and since I did everything in my power to ensure the mattress/crib was in mint condition I knew I wasn't giving her something dirty and unsafe to sleep in.

The Jenny Lind I pinned
So onto the project portion of this post. For those of you who have seen all of the wonderfully painted Jenny Linds that are saturating the boards of pinterest be-forewarned..... painting them is A LOT harder then it looks, but its not impossible. My mistake was attempting to strip the original paint completely before applying the new paint. That was the biggest waste of time, money, energy and brain power. DO NOT DO THAT. I know there are dozens of websites and tutorials that will tell you how to properly prep wood furniture for new paint, but take my advice don't listen to any of them. Instead get some light to medium grit sandpaper and rough up the original paint job as much as possible. Don't sand it too hard, just try to dull the shine if there was any gloss to the original paint. Then test an area with your new paint and see how it adheres and dries. If its sticks well and doesn't bubble/peel off then you are in business.


Photo Credit: Tatertots & Je
As far as the painting goes I would recommend spray paint over canned paint. It's quicker and easier. The only downside is that spray paint comes in limited colors. So if you are looking for that perfect shade of chartreuse to match the custom curtains your Mom made then your gonna have to forgo the spray paint. From this point its as simple as pointing and shooting that can towards the crib and making sure you get good even coverage. For my project I used about 7 cans of paint, but I had bare wood in some areas. You will need less as long you follow my original advice and DO NOT strip the paint. But you should expect to do 2-3 coats to get perfect coverage and have the color really shine. Also I highly suggest you buy the spray paint can spray attachment (pictured above). Any local hardware store will carry them and they should be right next to the paint. They cost about $6 and are worth every single penny. Your hands will THANK YOU.

So here are some pictures of my project and the various steps I went through to get my Jenny Lind from boring white to awesome vintage yellow. At the end of the post you will find a picture of my original pin with a comparison photo to what I made.


I took everything apart. Including the hardware and wheels.
It all came off. 





 This was the hardware that came with Delta's version of the Jenny Lind. I spray painted it to match the crib as well.


This is a prime example as to why you DON'T want to strip the paint. Do you see the mess it made?? Ughhh it took several days and at least 3-4 different friends to help me clean it up so I could actually use it again. I contemplated throwing it out completely on several occasions. 


Citristrip I hate you. 





This is 3 coats of vintage yellow paint from Rustoleum.


All painted! Now just to reassemble. If you happen to purchase a crib used and do not inherit the directions on how to put it together google them. Almost ALL manufacturer's keep pdf's of their crib assembly instructions on their website. 

And now for the big reveal.....


 TA DA!!!

click on the photo to enlarge 

So what do you think? The picture shows the yellow being significantly more vibrant because of the flash I used, but its really a more vintage/aged color. You will be able to see that in future posts of her completed nursery. But for now she finally has a bed to rest her pretty little head.

So I pinned it. I made it. And I loved it!!!

Next up... Her custom crib sheets! She still doesn't have bumpers or a crib skirt, but I am getting there. However I have managed to make 2 crib sheets and of course they came from pinterest :)





28 comments:

  1. I love you.... Great job .... I am sorry I missed it. But I loved those Gorky gloves!
    And the pillow

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  2. looks awesome! Just like the picture!!

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  3. It's great! I love it. I'm new to this though. What is "pinning" and "pinterest"?

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  4. coming along nicely my dear. can't wait until you have a "guest blogger".....

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  5. Looks great, however I hope your daughter won't try to eat her crib like mine does. She's actually taken the paint off with her two little bottom chompers. If she does, let's hope your spray paint was non toxic!

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  6. We definitely used non-toxic paint. My dad is a contractor so he made sure I chose something suitable for the project :) but either way I hope she doesn't chew on it!!

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  7. This is so great! I am hoping to do it myself as well. What did you do on the plastic parts to get the paint to stick? Did it work has the paint stayed on?

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  8. Reese I actually used a multiple surface spray paint and it has worked out fine for me. The only problem is that the painted has rubbed off slightly on the side that we use the drop rails, from pulling them up & down, but its not bad. If you use a plastic spray paint specifically it might work better. It's worth a shot and the paint isn't expensive.

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  9. Thanks for your input! I am not sure what route I am going to take but I like hearing that your paint did stick. Thanks!

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  11. How did you keep the paint from plugging up the holes for the screws? Was that an issue at all when reassembling the crib? Thanks!!!

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    1. Hey Michelle,

      I didn't have a problem with reassembling at all. Since I did spray paint the coats were so light that the paint didn't clog up the holes. I could imagine this being an issue if your using a brush, but I don't suggest doing that as it would take years to finish!! I hope this helps :)

      Melissa

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    2. I googled painting a jenny lind crib and am SO thankful I found this! AWESOME JOB!!!! You give me hope!!:D

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  12. This looks amazing and your step by step instructions are JUST what I need. Question - did you do this while pregnant? I'm just 13 weeks along, so size-wise, it's no big deal. Just wasn't sure if we were supposed to paint or not, so if you'd done it pregnant, I was gonna do it myself, and if not, I was gonna outsource the job to my mother or husband :)

    Thanks so much for your expertise!

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    1. I didn't do it while I was pregnant, but my dad who is a contractor informed me that paint has to meet so many regulation codes these days that its all pretty safe as long as you are outdoors in a well-ventilated area. With that being said, I don't think it would be a problem for you to do it, but if you can outsource it, even better :)

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  13. Thanks for the inspiration and tips. I am going to paint my baby's old honey wood Jenny Lind soon!!

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    1. Awesome! I seriously love my daughters crib and I foresee myself painting it again for our future children! A little paint goes a long way :)

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  14. I plan to do this to a jenny lind crib as well (your instructions are very helpful!). I am wondering if you remember the exact spray paint you used from Rustoleum. I see several different yellows (warm yellow, sun yellow, marigold), finishes (multi-purpose gloss spray), etc. I want to be sure to use something that works and is the right color but is also non-toxic. Thanks! Kelsey

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    1. I used a warm yellow with a semi-gloss finish. I'm sorry my response took so long! I didn't see your comment until now :(

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  15. oh I am so happy I found this! My only hesitation behind buying the Jenny Lind crib was that it only came in boring colors. I thought about painting it but was worried it might be a little too much work for my pregnant self, but now I see it won't be much worse than other painting projects I have take on. This post helps so much! thank you!

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  16. i am painting a dark Jenny Lind a lighter color. I need to prime it first to get the color right, so would you suggest doing that with a brush, or would that be a nightmare?? I was thinking i'd brush the primer on and then spray with the color over it. Suggestions??

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    1. I would definitely use a spray paint primer along with the gun that I mentioned. Trust me, this will be WAY easier. The brush will not allows a smooth finish. You will get excess paint in the details and I don't think you will be happy with the final product.

      For something like this, I would always use spray paint for primer and color.

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  17. Beautiful! So glad I found this post! I've been searching and searching the internet hoping I would find something like this. I'm planning a nursery for our second child and trying to be very thrifty. We were lucky enough to find someone had a left an old Jenny Lind crib in our attic after we moved into our house. So I can't wait to paint it a fun color!!

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  18. Citristrip is the best stripper. We refinish furniture for a living and only use it. (No, I don't work there--LOL). In the future, only leave it on for 20 minutes.
    LOVE the crib. That's how I found this post in the first place. Its beautiful.

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  20. Did you find that stripping the crib was unnecessary after your bad experience or did you sand it?

    I plan on doing the same thing and don't know if I need to first strip it and then paint it.

    Thanks!

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  21. Hi! Love the crib! I recently got a free delta jenny lind but the catch was there was no hardware or manual :( I was wondering if you have the manual and if there is a list of hardware on it? Thanks!

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