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11 Magnolia Lane

Sharing our easy DIYs, decorating, entertaining and more!

How to ‘Antique’ a Mirror {with Silver Leaf}

March 14, 2014 By Amy 5 Comments

This Post Contains Affiliate Links

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mirror marked

 

 

I picked up this pretty little mirror last Fall at an auction. I originally intended on incorporating it in some way in my daughter’s room due to its charming size. But, things happen and it has a new life now.

Here is the “Before”…

 

before picture

 

 

You can see the beginnings of the white chalk paint on the top left side, I started painting it white as I was thinking it would go in a little girl’s room. Then as it sat for awhile my plans changed and I decided I wanted to go a different direction with my little mirror. Before I get into the how-I-did-it, here is the immediate gratification “AFTER” shot:

 

after picture

 

In hindsight, I wish I had never gone the chalk paint route first, while I didn’t love the brassy finish I started with, I think I could have gone more gold with it had I not started with the matte white base –sorry I don’t have a picture of that stage. However, the detail on the mirror is amazing, and it was interesting to develop a process to obtain this sparkly/silvery end result. I think the mirror definitely has an “antique” vibe now. It probably is actually an antique and I am sure some of you are rolling over that I actually painted it {Mom!} but I do like it much better now.

The processed I followed used the Precious Metals Titanium Premium Leafing Finish and the Antiquing Glaze. It’s relatively inexpensive, and a little went a long way with this project.  EDIT: This seems to not be available currently so I would recommend the Titanium color instead or I would substitute Modern Masters Metallic Silver Paint which you can get HERE.

photo 1 (7)

So, here is the mirror during the process. I applied the silver leaf with a foam brush, and I did two coats of it.

silver-leafing-in-progress

I followed with the Antique Glaze. That is a dark glaze, that filled in all the crevices and gave it a very old feel. All in all, each of these steps took just a few minutes.

close up paint

Then I finished the piece with a little extra “something”. I used the same French Gilding Wax I used on the gorgeous white mirror shown HERE, and just highlighting the parts I wanted to accent on the mirror. {See the matte silver around the edge of the corner below? That comes from the gilding wax). I got it from a store here in our town , it feels like mousse and you just wipe it on with your finger. It’s a very cool product for giving some thing a little extra depth and sparkle but if you can’t get it I think the process still will work well.

photo (70)

1mirror close up

For now, the mirror is a perfect accent in our guest room. The pillows, by the way, are “Sweet and Dreams” and are a favorite find. I have tried to source them to share with you all, to no avail. If anyone really needs to know, leave a comment and I will try to track down the store information.

mirror bed

mirror dresser

Oh, and I know that light switch is crazy, forgive me, we are weeks away from moving. I would never have hung it that way permanently but we can live with it for a short time so we don’t have to put another hole in the wall.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I will do my best to answer them. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

{See our New Home Tour HERE and our new guest room with this mirror again HERE}

Thanks for stopping by!

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{affiliate links in this post are included for your convenience, see our disclosure policy here}
 

 

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Filed Under: DIY/Projects/Tutorials, PROJECTS, Wall & Door Decor Tagged With: antique, bedroom, chalk paint, glaze, guest room, how to, mirror makeover, paint

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shirley@housepitality designs says

    March 15, 2014 at 8:19 am

    I love it…great job!!

    Reply
    • admin says

      March 15, 2014 at 2:01 pm

      Thanks Shirley! Hope you are having a wonderful weekend 🙂

      Reply
  2. HeatherAnn says

    February 23, 2017 at 11:30 am

    This is gorgeous!!!!I would love to use the Precious Metals on some of my work, and I have two questions based on your experience with it: does it contain mica flakes, or metal? If it contains metal, have you noticed any tarnishing (meaning I should use an acrylic dealer over it to protect it)? Thanks!

    Reply
  3. Annie says

    July 21, 2018 at 12:48 pm

    HI AMY, I WANT TO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING THIS TECHNIQUE. I HAVE THE SAME GOLD FRAMES IN TWO SIZES AND I’M GOING TO REFINISH THEM USING YOUR INSTRUCTIONS AND AFFILIATE LINKS.

    Reply
    • Annie says

      July 21, 2018 at 12:49 pm

      Oops, sorry about the all caps!

      Reply

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  • MEET CHRISTY & AMY
    • IF YOU’RE NEW HERE…
    • WORK WITH US
    • 11 MAGNOLIA LANE 101
    • DISCLOSURE + PRIVACY (the fine print)
    • BEST OF 11 MAGNOLIA LANE
    • Back
  • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • TOUR OUR HOMES
    • CHRISTY’S MAGNOLIA COTTAGE
    • CHRISTY’S MCC HOUSE
    • AMY’S NEW HOME BUILD
    • HOLIDAY HOME TOUR SERIES
    • SPRING HOME TOUR SERIES
    • Back
  • CELEBRATIONS
    • EVENTS + ENTERTAINING
    • GIFTS
    • HOLIDAYS
    • RECIPES
    • Back
  • HOME
    • CLEANING
    • DECORATING
    • ORGANIZING
    • ROOM BY ROOM
      • BATHROOMS
      • BEDROOMS
      • CLOSETS
      • CRAFT ROOMS + OFFICES
      • DINING ROOMS
      • KIDS’ ROOMS
      • KITCHENS
      • LAUNDRY ROOMS
      • LIVING + GREAT ROOMS
      • OTHER SPACES
      • PANTRIES
      • PLAYROOMS + BONUS ROOMS
      • PORCHES + OUTDOOR SPACES
      • Back
    • TIPS
    • Back
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    • 11 ML ETSY SHOP
    • 11ML ORGANIZING SHOP
    • Back
  • PROJECTS
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    • DIY PROJECTS + TUTORIALS
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2812 shares
  • 1