How to paint a crib
The health of the child is always a priority for caring parents. Therefore, the choice of materials for children's mothers and fathers is approached with special care. The use of toxic dyes with a pronounced odor is completely unacceptable.
But with what paint to paint a crib so that nothing threatens the safety of the baby? Let's talk about the options available.
What paint for children's furniture is best to use
What should be the paint and varnish material:
- Safe - the paint is not suitable if the composition contains compounds that cause allergic reactions when evaporated. Usually on the packaging of products that are suitable for children's furniture, it is indicated that they comply with safety certificates, for example, the EN 71 mark (European certificate);
- Water-based - only such paints do not leave odor and harmful substances on the surface when drying;
- Elastic - the paint must withstand significant loads, for example, a child may try to bite the bed;
- Washable - so that parents can regularly damp the nursery.
You can find the right paint for your crib at any hardware store. It is worth paying attention to water-based and water-dispersible, acrylic, latex and eco-varnishes.
The choice of color is also very important. Dark and bright shades are not suitable for children's furniture. They can cause negative emotions or overexcitement in the baby, which will negatively affect the state of his psyche and sleep quality. Usually parents choose white, beige or pastel (lemon, mint, peach) paint.
Lacquered beds also look good. The texture and color of natural wood will suit any interior design.
Water based paint
Dries quickly, has no toxic odor, is completely safe. This is one of the most budgetary options that meet the main requirements. For the saturation of the shade, the paint is applied in two layers.
If you make a single coat, the texture of the wood will be traced. It can look pretty if a pastel finish is used on light woods.
Colored acrylic paint
Several safe materials are made on the basis of acrylic. Among them: enamels, varnishes, paints. Acrylic-polyurethane varnish for children's furniture is ideal. It can be colored and transparent, withstands significant mechanical stress, hydrophobic, wear-resistant.
There are coatings with a glossy, matte, semi-matte finish. Acrylic paint is made on the basis of water-based compositions, it is non-toxic, odorless, and washable. Another advantage: it does not fade when exposed to ultraviolet radiation.
Water-based latex and acrylate
Such products are stronger than acrylic paints and enamels, they are not subject to cracking, fading. Withstands significant mechanical stress, resistant to moisture.If the kid decides to taste the furniture, he is guaranteed not to be poisoned and will not swallow pieces of peeling paint.
This is very important for anxious moms. The only caveat is the high price. But it is compensated by the durability of the coating.
Eco-paints
Another name is maslovka. The material consists of wax and natural oils - linseed or soybean. The paint is hydrophobic, that is, you can regularly wash the crib without worrying about the quality of the coating. The oil base saturates the wood, fills micro cracks and pores, while the wax ingredients create a film on the surface.
Lack of eco-paints in high cost. In addition, they can not be found in all stores.
Features of painting a crib (+ crib restoration rules)
Having chosen the best way to paint a children's wooden crib, you need to prepare tools and materials for work.
You will need:
- roller for large parts;
- brush and sponge for small and decor.
If you intend to restore an old crib, you will need a spatula, sandpaper or a hair dryer to remove the existing coating.
The use of chemical solvents is acceptable, but these are toxic materials that contain volatile substances. They will erode for a long time, which is not safe for the child's health. Therefore, it is better to remove the coating mechanically, in other words, to clean it: first with a sharp spatula, and sand the rest with sandpaper of varying grain size.
Important! Before applying a decorative coating, the parts must be primed. A water-dispersion composition is suitable. It is safe, evens out small irregularities well, provides strong adhesion of paint to the surface. It can be applied with a roller, brush or spray.
How to restore an old crib:
- disassemble into constituent elements;
- put all the bolts and screws in a separate container or bag with a zip-lock, or even better - sign them so as not to get confused;
- remove outdated coating (preferably mechanically);
- even out large defects - putty chips and cracks with putty on wood;
- wait for the putty to dry, cover with a primer;
- when the primer dries, apply 2-3 layers of paint;
- collect the crib.
In 3-4 days the furniture will be ready for use. But it is better to wait a week from the moment of painting. By this time, the residual odor will completely disappear.
Restoration of chairs
The work is carried out according to the same principle as the restoration of the crib. The only difference might be if the chair has a padded seat.
To restore it, you will need to remove the upholstery, replace the filler and secure it with a furniture stapler or glue, which is suitable for bonding different types of surfaces.
Painting a new product
Painting a new crib is a little easier than restoring old furniture: you don't need to remove outdated coverings. This significantly reduces time and labor costs.
Otherwise, the scheme of actions is completely the same:
- disassemble into parts if the furniture has already been assembled;
- sand with sandpaper to create greater adhesion of the surface and paint;
- wipe with a slightly damp cloth to remove the dust that has formed, dry;
- if the furniture is planned to be coated with a colored dye, apply a primer;
- if the bed is covered with transparent varnish, instead of a primer, use a stain that will protect the wood from decay;
- after priming, additionally grind the parts;
- apply paint or varnish in one layer, allow to dry and re-coat.
It remains only to wait until all the parts are completely dry and to assemble the bed for the child.
You can decorate an assembled bed or individual parts. Drawings and patterns are applied with the same safe dyes to the dried coating, dried for several days (so that the smell disappears).
Usually, white, pastel colors and delicate patterns are chosen for the design of the crib. Large parts can be patterned using a stencil (this technique is useful for people far from the visual arts).
If you have the skills of an artist, it's time to use them and paint the crib with your favorite children's characters, natural patterns or abstract elements. However, do not overdo it: it is better to limit yourself to the minimum set of shades, not to go beyond the gentle, pastel range.
Video: how to paint a crib