How To Distress A Mirror

January 12, 2021 by Denise - 53 Comments

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HOW TO SALVAGE AND DISTRESS OLD DRESSER MIRRORS! [VIDEO]

Hi sweet #sifamily and welcome to the first Trash to Treasure of 2021! If you’re new here, on the second Tuesday of each month, four of my blogger friends and I join together and share our T2T makeovers. I’ll be sharing links to their projects down below. But first, today is all about salvaging old dresser mirrors. If you’ve’ ever wondered what to do with your mismatched dresser mirrors, I have a FUN distressing technique for you!

I don’t always use the mirrors attached to my vintage pieces. Around my area, I find dressers usually sell more quickly when the mirror is removed. That said, I LOVE VINTAGE MIRRORS and I always keep them for future projects! Before Christmas, I put a mirror project up for sale (link included in Related Posts below) and I had a response and a porch pick-up within an hour! It got me thinking… I’d like to share how to repurpose and distress these beautiful mirrors for YOU to try in your home decor… OR for you to sell!

Here’s the before. It’s a little dusty but gorgeous none-the-less.

And here’s the reveal… doesn’t even look like the same mirror, right?!

I had fun distressing and giving her a NEW-OLD look. What do you think?

THIS POST IS SPONSORED/CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS TO PRODUCTS I USE. YOU CAN SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

SOURCE LIST

- Vintage Dresser Mirror – SALVAGED
- Paint Brush + Chip Brush
- Sandpaper | Shop Towels
- White Lightning Cleaner
- Wood Filler
- CitriStrip Stripper
- Bleach + Water
- Gold Digger Metallic Paint
- Coffee Bean Paint
- Spring Flowers Transfer
- Black Wax

SALVAGED MIRROR MAKEOVER

To give this mirror a brand new look, I started by removing the backing. I’m always surprised to see how well things were built back in the day. This mirror had a date stamp of 1930. It’s a heavy-duty thick mirror and the frame and backing were still perfectly in place. Impressive. I can only imagine how many reflections it’s seen!

I gave everything a good cleaning with this White Lightning Cleaner.

TIP~ I find an easy way to use this heavy-duty cleaner is to mix it into a spray bottle with the appropriate amount of water. Then whenever I need it, I give it a shake, spray and wipe. This saves me time from having to mix a new batch for every project.

I filled the holes with wood dowels and Titebond Glue and hammered them into place. I’m still using the hammer my Dad gave me. It looks like it’s had its day but so long as it works perfectly… I’m holding onto it. 🙂

Once it dried, I filled the tiny gaps with this DB Mudd and then gave it a light sanding.

While the wood fill was drying, I distressed and antiqued the mirror.

HOW TO DISTRESS A MIRROR

Here’s a video tutorial on How to Antique A Mirror on a project I did last year. The technique is exactly the same.

STEP #1 – Remove the mirror from the frame. Apply the stripper to the backing. I like using this stripper whenever I can find it but for some reason, it’s not as readily available here anymore.

STEP #2 – Wait the appropriate time for the stripper to work its magic and remove the mirror’s protective coating with a putty knife.

STEP #3 – Clean off all the additional stripper and backing with a damp rag or paper towel.

STEP #4 – To distress the mirror, I used 50/50 Bleach + Water but you could also use Vinegar. Spray onto the back of the mirror and watch and wait for the mixture to “eat” through the finish. It happens quickly so I like to stand by with a paper towel to blot it off. To get a good amount of distressing, I sprayed more around the edges and shook out some droplets all around the mirror.

STEP #5- Once the bleach and water have dissolved the backing, you can see through it on the front side.

TIP – I like holding up different colors of paint to see what color I’d like to paint the backing. This will be the color that will show through on the distressed areas on the front.

I chose this metallic in Gold Digger.

To finish my mirror off, I used this Spring Flowers transfer.

HOW TO RUB ON TRANSFERS

If you have trouble viewing this video you can see it here on Youtube. Don’t forget to subscribe! 🙂

Here’s the finished look…

To finish it off and tie everything together, the frame has been painted in Coffee Bean and top coated with this Black Wax.

And now for some TRASH TO TREASURE FUN!

I know you’re going to LOVE what this talented team of ladies share. They never cease to surprise me with their creativity! Below are their BEFORE photos. Visit the links underneath to see the amazing AFTERS and to learn how they did it! I’m heading over to take a peek right now myself! x

1. Artsy Chicks Rule

2. Prodigal Pieces

3. Confessions Of A Serial DIYer

4. Girl In The Garage

5. Salvaged Inspirations (I’m so happy you’re here!!)

Here’s another look at the before and after.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS ON HOW TO SALVAGE THESE MIRRORS? WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS MIRROR DISTRESSING TECHNIQUE? FEEL FREE TO CHIME IN BECAUSE I ALWAYS LOVE HEARING FROM YOU.

I’ll be back next week with this curb-shopped dresser makeover!

Thanks for reading. 🙂
Wishing you a beautiful day filled with inspiration and Happy Painting friends!

Denise XO

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