Vintage Mirror

I love the Gleaming Primrose Mirror from Anthropologie, but not the price. Rather than spending the money, I thought I would try my hand at a DIY makeover on a second-hand mirror I found on Kijiji. I could not find the right size, but liked the shape of this one, so I took the bold step of also resizing it. I have never cut glass, so I thought this project was doomed for a Pinterest Fail, but I was happily surprised at how it turned out. Best part - it cost a tenth of the one from Anthropologie!

Skill Level: Intermediate 

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​Made from some reused material

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Materials

• Mirror
• Decorative onlays or decals
• Black matte spray paint
• Bronze spray paint
• Wood filler
• Wood glue
• Contact cement (if using flexible onlays)
• Square ruler
• Staple gun
• Clamps
• Pliers
• Hand sander pads
• Rubber gloves and face mask
• Work gloves
• Eye protection
• Chop saw (if resizing)
• Glasscutter (if resizing)
• Light mineral oil (for glass cutting)
• Shop blanket

 
How to Guide
 
Clean up

• Wipe mirror clean – it will get dusty when you sand, but you will want to clean off any thing that is sticky or stuck-on before you begin.

Resizing the Mirror
 
Remove staples

• Using pliers, pull out the staples on the mirror backing.
• Remove the backing and glass.
• Put the backing and glass in a safe place for later.

 
Chop, chop!

• Measure where you will cut the frame.
• Cut sides and bottom at a 45 degree angle.

Glue and staple

• Using wood glue, put the frame back together.
• Let it set for a few hours.
• Using the staple gun, staple the frame edges to ensure it stays in place.

Filler up

• Using wood filler, fill in the gaps in the edge of the frame.
• Let set for a few hours.
• Sand smooth.

Mirror, Mirror

• Place glass on a hard smooth surface.
• Place frame on top and mark where to cut glass.
• Set frame aside for later.

 
Mark it

• Using the square ruler, measure and mark the cut line on the glass.

Oil it

• Place the glass on the shop blanket.
• Along the cut line dab the mineral oil.

Score it

• Lay the square ruler along the cut line and hold in place.
• Using the glasscutter score the line in one motion.

Tap it

• Using the metal ball on the glasscutter, lightly tap the glass close to the score line on the offside.

Snap it

• Put on work gloves and eye protection.
• Place the glass back on the hard smooth surface.
• Line up the score line along the edge.
• Firmly hold down the glass on the table and push down on the offside in one motion.
• Set the glass aside for later

 
Mirror Makeover
 
I used a combination of solid and flexible decals - solid for the top and flexible for the corners. Flexible decals are great for giving the impression of carved wood. They work best for corners, sides and curves. I used Eflex for the corner decals on this mirror.
 
Top Decal

• Give the overall frame a light sand.
• Using wood glue, place and glue the top decal.
• Clamp in place and leave to dry.

Flexible Decals

• Move frame to a well ventilated area.
• Using the contact cement, cover the back of the decal as well as where it will be placed on the frame.
• Let it set and dry as directed, and place together – mind the corners!

Paint, paint, paint

• Put on your rubber gloves and face mask.
• Use black spray paint as directed.
• Let it fully dry.

 
*Tip – many thin coats are better than fewer thick coats.

Bronze it

• Use bronze spray paint as directed.
• Only do a few light coats, less solid, so the black can come through a bit.
• Let it fully dry.

Come together

• Place the frame face down on workbenches so the decals are not touching a surface.
• Place the mirror in the frame.
• Cut the backing down to size and place it on the frame.
• Staple in place.

Place your mirror in a place for all to see!