The Easiest Technique to Make a DIY Antique Mirror
Hello Remodelaholics, I’m Jen from Fresh Crush and I’m back with another fun DIY project! This little ditty has been on my mind for-eva! I had some of the supplies ready to go but with our big home renovation, I just never seemed to find the time to get it done. But, the wait is over! Time to experiment a little and see if I can pull off a DIY antiqued effect on a mirror — though, it’s not a mirror at all. It’s a picture frame. You’ll see what I mean!
How to Make an Easy DIY Antique Mirror
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Supplies:
- Krylon Looking Glass Spray Paint
- Black Spray Paint
- A Picture Frame with Glass
- Paper Towel
- A Spray Bottle with a Half and Half Mix of Water to Vinegar
First, you’ll need to disassemble your picture frame. Clean the glass and place it right-side down onto your work space. *Note: You need to apply the effects to the backside of your glass.* Now, with most picture frames there is no right or wrong side, but if you’re working with a bevel or curve, or some kind of special fit, you’ll want to keep this in mind!
Spray your vinegar + water mixture over the glass. You can apply it quite liberally. You want to achieve a variation in droplet sizes, and attempt to get a random pattern. I chose to apply it heaviest in all four corners of my picture frame glass.
Next (and this may feel a little strange), spray your Krylon Looking Glass Spray Paint all over the glass. Yep, right over top of your vinegar + water mixture. I did a few passes to make sure I achieved good coverage. Let it sit a minute.
After you’re satisfied with your coverage, use your paper towel to dab away the vinegar + water mixture. You want to be gentle and remove all the moisture you can without rubbing or scrubbing at your glass. You might choose at this stage to spray a little more Krylon Looking Glass Spray onto your glass — but keep in mind you’ll be covering over the clear spots you created with your vinegar mixture, thereby reducing the amount of antiquing effect you’ll be left with at the end of your project.
Let your project dry. You should be left with something that looks a bit like the photo above. A splotchy, marbled, random pattern. Notice I have larger splotches around the edges of my glass. I think this gives it a bit more of a realistic look.
Lastly, you need to give it some contrast to really highlight that antique mirror look. This is where your black spray paint comes in. You could spray this evenly and heavily if you wish, for maximum contrast. I chose to let up on my black spray paint towards the center of my glass.
It’s a little hard to tell in the photo above, but the middle of my glass has less black spray paint applied than the edges. I think it allows for a little more variation in the finished project. All that’s left to do is assemble your frame and enjoy your new antique mirror!
Lets see how many people you can fool with your faux antique effect! I chose to leave my white frame alone to really pop against my black brick, but the sky’s the limit with what you could do to your photo frames to compliment your new antiqued glass. A little scuff here, a little chalk paint there… you could really get things looking vintage!
The black paint is the key. It just makes all that work you put into antiquing your glass, POP! The Krylon Spray is just mirrored and shiny enough to pull off that cool thrifted vibe.
When you take a closer peek at all the detail, you can really tell you have all the control with this project. The more droplets of the vinegar mixture you begin with, the more black marks you’ll end up with at the end. The power is in your hands.
Pretty cool, right? If you love the vintage mirror look, then this project is for you. I’m imagining a whole gallery wall of a mix of frame sizes and shapes — how amazing would that be?
If you like this project, I’d love if you pop by and give my blog a visit at www.freshcrush.com! Check out the Initial String Art you may have noticed in the photos above. Or come by and see my Big Kitchen Makeover! It’s got me all, heart eyes. Or, see how I worked with what I had, when I painted my bathroom vanity with a 5 Step Paint Plan that works and LASTS!
More DIY mirror projects:
how to make a DIY sunrise vanity mirror
how to frame a large bathroom mirror
Jen makes her home in the Alberta prairies with her husband and young daughter, where she writes about all things DIY. From home renovations to arts and crafts, if it's home decor she'll get her hands dirty and give it a shot!
Hi Cassity, it may have no bearing on the finish, but I was wondering if I should purchase flat black or satin black for this project?
I was impressed with the mirror antiquing. Will try it myself
I’m trying this method again (scraped off the first 2 tries). Idk why I didn’t get it the first time, but 3rd times the charm, right? Question: could you do this antique mirror method with a stencil? If so, how?
Practice makes perfect, right? 🙂 I imagine you could try with a stencil… Can always scrape it off, right? I think I’d do the spotty layer, a thin layer of paint, then add the stencil, then another thin layer of paint, and then finish it up with the black paint. But that’s just a guess — this tutorial is from a contributor so I haven’t tried this myself yet! If you try it, we’d love to see/hear how it turns out!