Painted mirror
Add glam detail to a vintage mirror using metallic paint.
Resene upcycling for good with Sarah Herring - Project 62
Finished project
You will need: Painter’s masking tape, ruler and scissors, testpot brushes, Resene testpots in your choice of colours; Sarah chose Resene Rice Cake and Resene Rose Gold, Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer.
Top tip: Painting a design onto a mirror is a decorative project and not suitable for a hard wearing mirror that needs to be cleaned often. Adding a painted detail like this makes cleaning a little bit more delicate, so it’s best placed somewhere it can be kept safe from fingerprints!
Before
Finished project
Finished project
Step 1: This mirror was a stunning find, however it did have a few imperfections in the glass that come with old age. Sarah decided to revive it by adding a painted herringbone design. For any mirror project, first start with a good clean and remove any price stickers.
Step 2: Mask out a herringbone design along the bottom third of the mirror only. Sarah didn’t want to obscure the whole reflective surface so she made sure the design included some negative space (that’s the part of the pattern that doesn’t get painted).
Step one
Step two
Step two contd.
Step three
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Step four
Step 3: Once the design is masked out, apply a coat of Resene Waterborne Smooth Surface Sealer and let it dry, then apply the paint colours in 2-3 coats using testpot brushes. Sarah chose to alternate between Resene Rice Cake and metallic Resene Rose Gold.
Step 4: Remove the masking tape very carefully. It is really hard to paint onto glass so it pays to be extremely careful when pulling the tape off! Applying some pressure down onto the paint while you lift the tape up can help.
Step 5: Style or hang your glam ‘new’ mirror as you like! It would look fabulous on top of a dresser alongside perfume bottles and jewellery.