Wall mirror picked up at local flea market for under $20.
Surface preparation is the first step in the transformation from old,dated and ugly to fresh, modern and gorgeous. I used a 150 fine grit sandpaper to remove varnish and polyurethane layers from the mirror frame. After achieving a nice smooth surface, I cleaned up with a slightly moist cloth to pick up debris and any dust created by the sanding process. For this project, I sanded by hand – typically I use a sanding mouse, but this was a small project and hand sanding was in my opinion the best.
Used regular masking tape to protect mirror’s edge surface from any potential spray paint breaches.
To create a leak-proof barrier I customized the masking tape along the edges. It was really easy. Lay the tape close to the edge, use your fingers or a stick/pencil to “mold” the tape until it is nice and snug, then use a box cutter or Xacto knife to cut-away the excess tape.
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Front of mirror papered and taped. |
Back of mirror papered and taped |
To prevent damage to the mirror’s surface and back wood surface from overspray, I carefully layered magazine and newspaper pages and set them in place with the masking tape. Once the tape and paper are on nice and tight, I took the mirror outdoors for the spray paint treatment. I used three layers of a bright white paint followed by two coats of a matte water based polyurethane. The entire paint process took about 72 hours, taking into account drying time between paint coats.
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Top layer papered and taped. |
Bottom layer taped mirror edge. |
After the paint was dry, I took the paper and tape off carefully in layers. For the tape it is important to remove it at an angle. Doing so will leave a clean edge.
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Newly painted and updated wall mirror. |
Original dark, dated finish on wall mirror. |
