Flea Market Mirror Gets A Facelift

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.

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.

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.

Newly painted and updated wall mirror.	Original dark, dated finish on wall mirror.