How do I transform my bed into gold?

Sweetchrysanthemum — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:27:58 -0800

How can I transform my super old vintage painted cast iron bed into a rad shiny metallic aged gold bed in the least painful/expensive way possible? I have a very old cast iron bedframe. Right now I have it painted with lemon yellow acrylic artist paint over a coat of some sort of rust-stop spray paint my dad put on it before giving it to me, and over a coat of light aqua latex paint that I got tired of a while ago. So, it doesn't look too good right now. I've been thinking it over, and I think how I really want it to look is very metallic gold. Kind of like this. I'm pretty good at DIY stuff (I've refinished old furniture before), but I've never really dealt with metal or any kind of finish meant to look like metal so this is new territory and I could really use any/all advice.

Gold leaf was the first plan that came to mind. Am I insane to attempt this as my first project using gold (or fake gold) leaf? Is it going to break my spirit or the bank? Advice on how to make this look awesome?

I've been looking at Martha Stewarts craft "Liquid Gilding". This seems like a more comfortable supply for me, but it comes in tiny bottles and I can't seem to get a clear idea online of how far a bottle will go. Also, I'm really interested if anyone has experience with wear and tear of a product like this?

Is there a type of brush-on craft paint that really, really looks metallic, and not just plain yellow-y colour with little glitter flecks?

Any way better/easier ways for me to go about this? (spraypaint of any kind is out, we're in an apartment without outdoor space).

Thanks!

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How do I transform my bed into gold?