DIY painted mirror

Black painted fancy mirror, photo

Ever since I saw it hanging on Vanessa’s wall in a photo of her home, I adored Ikea’s plastic Ung Drill picture frame ($25), but the cost of replacing the glass with an oval mirror was prohibitively expensive. Then I found this carved wood mirror on Craigslist for a steal — $20. The existing finish was much too multicolored for me, though. You can’t tell in this picture, but the mirror was painted gold, then highlighted with magenta, splattered with black, smeared with a gray wash, and finally sprinkled with silver glitter. I kid you not. I think it looks much better painted solid black — and it was an easy fix. By the way, I scored that lattice bowl at a thrift store.

Fancy mirror, before photo
Ikea Ung Drill picture frame, photo

How to paint an ornate frame

SUPPLIES & TOOLS
  • old toothbrush

  • vacuum

  • rag or paper towels

  • painter’s tape

  • newspaper

  • spray paint

INSTRUCTIONS
Painter's tape along the outside edge of the mirror, photo

1. Whenever refinishing an old, ornate piece, you should clean it well. I scrubbed it with a dry toothbrush, vacuumed the dust, then rubbed it down with a damp rag.

2. Apply painter’s tape right against the inside edge of the frame.

Cover the mirror with newspaper, photo

3. Then tape newspaper down on top of that to cover the mirror.

4. Take the mirror outdoors to spray paint. Lay down newspaper underneath it, covering the surrounding area to protect from over-spray. Follow the instructions on the can of paint. You’ll need to spray a few coats at all different angles to cover completely.

Crafty Nest painted mirror Pinterest photo

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Made this project? Email your photo(s) to monica (at) craftynest (dot) com, and I’ll share your version here!