wxgsi Designer Sarah Hartill shares step-by-step directions on how to produce an antique mirror.
An antique mirror adds fantastic character to a room. Authentic pieces, however, can be pricey, as well as some diy tarnishes include unsavory chemicals — so I came up with a technique that utilizes spray paint to accomplish an immediate patina. Here’s exactly how I did it.
Materials
You’ll need: Spray bottle, mirror tiles, spray paint, paper towels, 1⁄2″-thick MDF board, mirror adhesive, door-stop trim, decorative moulding, completing nails, hammer, handsaw, miter box, multipurpose glue, MDF lengths.
Step 1: Antique The Mirror
Fill a spray bottle with water, set out mirror tiles on newspaper or a decrease fabric as well as spritz tiles with water, leaving droplets on the surface. provide each tile two mists of a dark grey or black satin spray paint that has both paint as well as primer in one. utilize a light touch, or the paint will cover as well much of the mirror. let dry for a few minutes, then dab off the water with a paper towel.
Tip: vary the size of your water puddles to produce a lot more natural-looking pockets of patina.
Step 2: install Tiles
Glue the mirror tiles to the MDF board utilizing mirror adhesive. I utilized 18 12″ x 12″ tiles to cover a 72″ x 36″ board. let set overnight. (You can likewise do this job with a framed mirror instead of tiles, however the water will pool over a larger area in the very first step.)
Step 3: Make Frame
While the adhesive is setting, prep your frame. It has two parts: one that fits around the outside edge (to cover the edges of the MDF) as well as one that fits over the outer edges of the mirror tiles (to produce an appealing finish). Spray-paint a length of 1⁄2″ w. x 1⁄4″ d. door-stop trim as well as a length of 2″ w. x 1⁄4″ d. moulding in dark grey or black satin, as well as let dry. utilize directly cuts to cut the door-stop trim to in shape around the outside edge of the MDF board, then connect the trim to the MDF with completing nails. utilize a hand saw as well as miter box to cut the moulding into an inner frame that will in shape between the mirror as well as outer frame as well as cover any type of gaps. connect each piece to the top of the mirror with multipurpose glue as well as let dry.
Step 4: Stabilize Mirror
When the frame is securely attached, flip the mirror over. cut two 1″ x 2 1⁄2″ lengths of MDF somewhat smaller than the mirror’s height. (I trimmed mine to about 65″.) connect each length to the back of the mirror with the multipurpose glue, about 12″ in from the sides of the mirror. let dry, stacking a few heavy books on top so the MDF pieces stay in location as the glue sets. These supports will keep the mirror from buckling when it’s standing upright.
Watch the mirror come to life in our step-by-step video here.