I’m excited to share this upcycling DIY project: how to antique a mirror, because after renovating our main bath and guest half bath, we were left with builder’s basic, plain bathroom sheet mirrors that had not worn well over the last 30 years. They were chipped and scratched and just plain ugly. I hated to throw them away though, so I decided to turn one old mirror into a unique piece of art to hang above the fireplace mantle. I know a lot of people are left with mirrors after renovations, so this antique mirror DIY is a fun way to upcycle and create something cool with an old mirror. Antiquing a new mirror is easy, but there are a few steps to make it look perfect.
Safety Notes for Antiquing Mirrors:
Some important reminders first, because this tutorial for how to antique a mirror requires dangerous chemicals. Wear some dorky protective equipment like rubber gloves, goggles or an entire face shield, like the one Handy Hubby crammed onto my noggin. You might want to consider a mask and be sure to work in a well ventilated area as well. I even followed proper WHMIS protocol and created a workplace safety label when I decanted my bony-hand (corrosive) chemical into a spray bottle. Above all, always refer to the manufacturer’s instructions. Scary safety warning aside, this project took only a few minutes, so I didn’t spend hours huffing fumes. It was very quick – but you can never be too careful.
Supplies for Antiquing a Mirror:
- Paint and varnish stripper (I used Home Hardware brand)
- Spray paint (I suggest metallic)
- Large (disposable) brush
- Metal paint scraper
- Muriatic acid
- Plastic funnel
- Plastic spray bottle
- Rubber gloves
- Face mask + eye protection
- Skin protection (long sleeve t-shirt)
- Well ventilated area to work in
- Paper towel/dry cloth
- Muriatic acid
How to Antique a Mirror:
- Put on protective eye wear, gloves, etc., as you will be working with chemicals.
- Lay down drop cloths or a tarp to protect surfaces from the chemicals.
- Flip your mirror and place it reflective side down on your covered work surface.
- Pour on paint stripper to remove the painted coating from the back of the mirror.
- Once the surface bubbles, scrape the paint away.
- Wipe any remaining bubbled paint or residue with a cloth.
- Now you will have only the reflective coating on the mirror, which you will lightly spray with muriatic acid to create an aged effect.
- Let the surface dry overnight.
- To cover the areas that are now clear glass, use spray paint to cover the surface.
- Let the surface dry and you can now frame, stencil or hang up your new aged mirror!
Antique Mirror DIY Instructions Detailed:
I started with this plain sheet mirror. I worked in my garage, but if you’re working somewhere with nice things around, be sure to protect surfaces from the chemicals you’ll be using for this mirror antiquing process.
Here’s what the back looked like – there’s a protective paint and then, beneath that, a reflecting coating. You want to remove the painted surface so we can make the metallic coating look more speckled and aged.
To remove the paint from the back of the mirror, I applied a paint & varnish stripper, left over from stripping and re-varnishing our kitchen cabinets. I poured it on and then used a garbage-bound foam brush to move the stripper around so the entire surface was covered. Refer to the manufacturer’s instructions for specific use. It took only a few minutes for the stripper to make the paint covering the back of the mirror bubble:
I patiently waited a few minutes and then got to work scraping. It came off like butter!
Once all of the paint came off, I wiped the surface down with a dry cloth to make sure no residue remained. I was left with just the metallic backing of the mirror, which the paint had been protecting.
Using a plastic funnel (and all the safety gear), I carefully decanted a tiny amount of the Muriatic acid from its bottle into my spray bottle. I needed no more than a few tablespoons – the equivalent of a half dozen or so spritzes.
Very sparingly, I spritzed a tiny bit of the acid onto the mirror near the edges, and anywhere I wanted the mirror to look a bit aged. Mirrors tend to wear on the edges, so for an authentic look mirror antiquing DIY, don’t spray too much on the middle of the mirror. I tried dabbing it, as per other online mirror ageing tutorials, but that was TERRIBLE advice because it took way too much of the backing off. So, instead, I learned to just spritz a few times around the edges, once or twice in the middle, and then set it aside overnight – no wiping whatsoever. In the morning it was dry to the touch and didn’t smear or remove any more of the backing. That’s my major improvement upon other DIY mirror antiquing tutorials. Here are a couple photos of what the acid did:
The next day, I sprayed the back of the mirror with spray paint – the colour peeks through so you can use a silver metallic shade like I did for a subtle, antiqued effect or go wild with neon hues or black for a spookier mirror. Try holding up a few sheets of paper behind the mirror to get a feel for what looks good. You can even back it with printed paper, fabric, newspaper . . . Oh gosh, now I’m thinking of new ideas! Basically you just want something to cover what is now clear glass in areas where we removed the metallic backing. I used Krylon Brushed Metallic Satin Nickel:
Here is what the mirror looks like after it has been “antiqued” with this method:
You can control what your DIY antique mirror looks like by changing how much of the metallic backing is removed and what color you newly paint the back to cover the clear glass.
I am so pleased with how my DIY antiqued mirror turned out. You’d never guess this came out of my crappy old bathroom! Click on the link to see how I stenciled a poem on my antiqued mirror and finished it off with a simple frame. I think it’s such a cool piece, but there’s so much potential here to put your creative spin on this mirror antiquing process. You could even adapt this process to turn clear glass into an antiqued mirror – or frame it in a really ornate antique frame to enhance the vintage vibes.
Hopefully you found this tutorial for how to antique a mirror helpful! I’d love to see your DIY antique mirror projects.
P.S. Don’t Forget to Pin for Later!
Very cool! Can't wait to see the finished product! 🙂
Crazy cool! Can't wait to see the end result!
This is the best tutorial I've seen yet for antiquing a mirror! Can't wait to see the finished product 🙂
Really? Thanks Sheila. I worked hard at making a tutorial that was clear, with lots of pictures and detailed instructions, because this stuff can be dangerous if misused. Happy you like it!
looks great so far! can't wait to see the finished product tomorrow!! 🙂
Wow! I can't wait to see what it's going to look like. 🙂
Can't wait to see the final result 🙂 Love your nerdy outfit
Ha ha, thanks! I look this nerdy on a regular basis. Today you should have seen the too-cool ear protection I was rockin'
Need a bit more clarification……you got this effect by striping off paint, random spray with muriatic acid and spraying over with silver paint…..thats all just the river paint? Beautifully creative
Sorry I meant silver paint
The chemical stripper removed all of the protective backing but it still looked like a mirror from the front. Using the muriatic acid removed the foil backing in spots so the mirror became see through in spots. But still reflective in other areas where no acid touched The silver paint kept it from being see-through and added the mottled texture you see.So it's a mix of paint and original mirror.Just use a light touch with the acid. You really need very little and don't rub it – it will remove all of the foil. Hope that helps! Feel free to ask any other Q's.
Serious business!! I want to see the final reveal!
I love it. Great tutorial. Looking forward to the finished product.
I'm such a tease, right folks? I think all of you mentioned wanting to see the final product. Tomorrow, I promise. I just didn't want to win an award for longest post ever by combining all of the steps and thought this step, with the bony hand chemicals and whatnot, deserved a little extra attention. See you all tomorrow!
Ooooh I have always wondered how they do this! It's looking amazing! Can't wait to see how it looks with the frame!
Awesome!
Do you know if this would work on a metallic tinted window. I want to use glass to make a box to cover DVR but really want that antique look.
The key to this was removing some of the foil backing (that makes a piece of glass a mirror) and then adding some spray paint where the foil was removed to make it look mottled. Once the foil is removed, it is just a piece of clear glass. I'm not sure what kind of treatment your metallic tinted window has. If there is something behind it to remove, this might work. But I cannot say for sure. Feel free to email me a photo and maybe I can help figure it out.([email protected]).
OK– I just jumped through about 10 sites to find you. And I am glad you did. I found your instructions very clear.Now I hope I can find the next step.Question: If you have a piece of glass — is there a spray that you can put on it to turn it into a mirror?Thanks!
Hi! So happy you found your way here. I have a search feature on the right hand side to skip to any post/theme you want, or you can find the finished project under my DIY projects page (just under my header). To speed things up, here you go: http://dans-le-townhouse.blogspot.ca/2012/06/poem-stenciled-on-to-antiqued-mirror.htmlI have never turned a glass sheet into mirror, but have seen it done. Here is a link to a spray paint you can use: http://www.krylon.com/products/looking_glass_mirror_like_paintAnd here's some inspiration: http://www.ecabonline.com/2010/11/diy-mirror-from-leaded-glass-window.htmlHope this helps!
Where did you find your mirrors? Thanks!
Salvaged from my bathroom reno! I see them for free in the classifieds.
Hi! It sounds like once the acid dried, you didn't wipe or neutralize it–just painted right over it. Have you had any problems with the acid interacting with the paint? Thanks!
Correct – I did not wipe because wiping removed way too much of the backing. I let it dry overnight and then spray painted. There were no issues with the paint. It's been many years since I made this, but it still looks the same as it did on day one.
Hello!Your mirrors look great. I am thinking of doing this for a theatre production I am working on.Do you think it would work with this material?https://shop.neplastics.co.uk/Search-Results/2630 it's called mirrored HIPS and is advised for theatrical uses because it's light.It has a plastic backing on it which I think is what you emphasise as being important.Let me know what you think ! 🙂
Hi Beth,That is a good question! I'm sorry, I cannot say definitively because I'm completely unfamiliar with that type of mirror. Theoretically, yes – the acid should remove the backing the same way it did for my old bathroom mirror. My suggestion is to send them a link to this tutorial and ask their customer service. They would know their product best and confirm if you could age this mirror.
Absolutely agree, the best and most beautifully creative antique mirror tutorial I've found. So much better than some of the YouTube videos. Thank you so much!
So happy you found this tutorial helpful! Thanks for your kind comment 🙂
Great job!
Author
Thanks so much!
Very simple but when i wiped all stripper off i think i left smudge marks on it which showed after i sprayed metallic paint on it. You think i can add more stripper in those areas and start over. Wiping it really clean before applying final paint.
Author
Yes, you can probably use the stripper to remove the paint and start fresh there.
Thank you for an excellent tutorial. I have read many and yours is very concise and the pictures very informative. The end result is wonderful.
Author
Thank you so much for the lovely feedback!