How to Make an Antique Mirror Frame
An antique mirror can add class and elegance to any décor. Instead of buying an expensive antique mirror, it is very easy and inexpensive to create an antique mirror frame with a few materials that can be purchased at any craft store.
What You Will Need
- Mirror with a frame
- Sandpaper
- Newspaper
- Paint tape
- Three 1-inch paint brushes
- Primer paint
- Dark acrylic paint, such as black or brown
- Golf leaf
- A brown acrylic paint in raw umber
- Acrylic glazing liquid
- Rags
- Clear acrylic sealer spray
- Sand the frame of the mirror so it has a smooth surface to paint on.
- Cover the mirror edges with the paint tape and newspaper so that the mirror doesn’t get any paint on it.
- Paint the mirror frame with the primer paint.
- Allow the primer to dry to the manufacturer’s specifications.
- Paint the mirror frame with the dark latex paint.
- Allow the paint to dry to the manufacturer’s specifications.
- Apply the gold leaf. Golf leaf is applied by placing the gold leaf paper on the frame, rubbing the paper where it is touching the frame, and then pulling the gold leaf paper off. The gold attached to the paper will now be attached to the frame.
- Continue the gold leaf process, called gilding, over the entire frame. Leave some small areas uncovered by the gold leaf to give the frame a distressed antique look.
- Mix your raw umber paint with the acrylic glazing liquid until you have a thin, watery mixture that is brown.
- Apply the raw umber glazing with the second paint brush all over the frame, moving quickly.
- Remove the excess glazing with the last dry paint brush. Wipe the excess paint on the rag as you go. Work as quickly as possible to keep the glazing from drying. Most of the glazing will be removed, but it will pool in the cracks. The concentrated color in the crevices will age the look of the gold leaf.
- Allow it to dry to the manufacturer’s specifications.
- Spray the frame with the clear acrylic sealer spray.
- Allow the spray to dry to the manufacturer’s specifications.