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How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy look to a Mirror

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This is the post where I get to revisit one of my previous projects and mess with it because sometimes I’m just not happy with the first time around.  I wanted to add a Farmhouse Chippy look to this mirror. So here we are with the mirror makeover project: Take Two!

In all fairness I should say that this project which you see below was my first time using milk paint.  I knew nothing about how to use milk paint or how it would react. Of course that didn’t stop me from trying it out.  


The mirror before after my first try with Old Fashioned Milk Paint, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
Below you can see how it looked originally.  My husband had found it curbside and knew I’d love it.  Well he was absolutely right!  I painted it with Old Fashioned Milk Paint, the Safepaint version. 
The Mirror before it had been painted, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
One year later and the mirror looks like this. But now my knowledge of milk paint had improved.  After all I had done quite a number of projects using it such as the bookcases, the Ikea shelving unit and the chalkboard stand.  I have come to love how beautiful it looks and really appreciate the how smooth it is when treated with care. 

I wanted to revisit the mirror and redo it with my newfound skills.  But not being one to leave things alone, this time I decided to use the original Old Fashioned Milk Paint – the one that gives us the chippy look.  You see in the other projects I mention I had used the SafePaint version which does not chip.  

​And what is the difference you ask? 

The original milk paint was designed for use on porous surfaces such as wood or masonry.  The one that I had used up till now the Safepaint version, was for non-porous surfaces. It can also be used on metal, like when I painted a metal trunk, two of them!  The bonding agent is what makes this paint stick to the non-porous surfaces.  


The Mirror before I tried to use Old Fashioned Milk Paint to achieve a chippy look, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com

What I Used:

  • Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Snow White the original formula without any bonding agent
  • Extra Bond
  • Daddy Van’s All Natural Decorative Wax in Dark Nior
  • Brushes
  • Clean Cloth

​And so I was feeling rebellious now and used the original formula of Old Fashioned Milk Paint without the bonding agent. I wanted to go for some chippy goodness. 
I also used another color.  This is snow white which is a bit warmer from the oyster white I had used originally. 
Old Fashioned Milk Paint in Snow White, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com

The How To:


​I mixed up my snow white with equal parts luckwarm water and painted the mirror.  I added about three coats of the milk paint. 

And then I waited…

​…and waited. 

Adding the paint to the mirror, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
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​After an hour it dried into this chippy goodness you see below…

At first I was excited but then I realized that if I blew on it the paint would all come off and I’d be left with … a mess. 

Chipping on the mirror, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
You can see how quickly things got out of hand with this photo below.  Half of the paint was chipping off. It was right here that I went into panic mode and reached out to the experts in the Old Fashioned Milk Paint Q & A Group. You can also join us on Facebook with any questions you have. 

​It turns out I was getting excessive chipping because I had applied a wax to this mirror a year ago and the wax was not allowing the paint to stick. 

Too much chipping on the mirror, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
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​Some suggested I strip the old paint and start fresh.  But I was not about to go outside in the cold and try to sand anything down.  So I did what any lazy, sane person would do!  I added Extra Bond to the original milk paint. Yes you can buy the bonding agent separately. (You can see my affiliate links for all these products below)

Whew!  Lucky for me I had a bottle.  I had no idea when I had bought it a year ago that I’d be needing it but you see sometimes the old noodle thinks ahead. 

After adding milk paint with extra bond, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
I painted about two coats of the milk paint with the bonding agent, on top of the mess after I had wiped it down and removed the chipping paint. 
The original layers of milk paint and the new layers with the extra bond, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
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​After letting it dry overnight, I sanded it down and added a bit of distressing on the edges.
Adding a bit of distressing with sandpaper, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
And the last step … to give it even more layers.  I added my trusty Daddy Vans All Natural decorative wax, this time in Cafe Nior.  You can see the difference below. 
Sealing the chippiness with Decorative Wax, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com

​After a good buffing with a clean piece of cloth it was all done.  See the pretty shine? 
After it has been buffed, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
Just look at all that aging and those layers of paint and distress.  Why it looks like it’s been around forever…

…but in a good way!

Lots of layers on the top of the mirror, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com

​See the layers and the peeling?  I tell you, I hated this look when I first started blogging but now I think that the mirror is speaking to me!

Detail of the side of the mirror, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
And what’s it saying?

“Thank you for letting my personality shine through.”  Of course!

Distressed details on the mirror frame, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com

​It is so much better than it was with the brown wood. 
A deeper color with the wax, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
Let’s have a quick look at the before so we can truly appreciate the difference.  My first attempt when I knew not what I was doing…
Before the makeover, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com

​And now a warmer look, more layers and much more depth. 
A mirror makeover using Old Fashioned Milk Paint and decorative Wax, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
This look is not for everyone but the bonding agent did save the day for me.  And it is a piece that is unique in and of itself so it deserves special treatment. 
Giving character and farmhouse chippiness to a mirror, How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
The lesson here is that even thought I had no idea what the heck I was doing a year ago I still went ahead and tackled this project to the best of my limited abilities.  And now that I’ve become more familiar with Old Fashioned Milk Paint, I came back to the mirror makeover project, because I knew I could do better, especially with a little help from my friends!

So don’t be afraid to try new things.  Even if you mess up, like I did, you are only one chat away from help.  🙂

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Giving character and farmhouse chippiness to a mirror upcycle with old fashioned Milk Paint and Extra Bond agent and Decorative Wax, #Farmhouse #Chippylook #Shabbychic #OldFashionedMilkPaint #MirrorUpcycle How to Give a Farmhouse Chippy Look to a Mirror www.theboondocksblog.com
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How to Revive a Vintage TV Cabinet - The Boondocks Blog

Monday 3rd of May 2021

[…] to do with the top, I instead proceeded to the sides. I had some leftover milk paint in Snow White from this project and used […]

Jeannee Taylor

Tuesday 20th of February 2018

It's beautiful and you could not have chosen more beautiful flowers for it! Jeannee

Leanna

Tuesday 20th of February 2018

I love this old mirror Mary. I expect that New York is a treasure box of thrift stores and vintage architectural stores. This piece is gorgeous. Thank goodness you had extra bonding available to fix the paint. I have never worked with milk paint, I tried chalk paint a few times but don't like the final finish at all. I may try milk paint someday so this was a lesson learned for me. Thanks.

Patti Estep

Tuesday 20th of February 2018

Hi Mary, Great job. I haven't worked with milk paint in years. There's something so nice and organic about it and I love that you chose to put spring tulips in the base. So pretty.

Josephine

Tuesday 20th of February 2018

Nice! My husband does not like the chippy look, so I have to sneak bits in and hope he doesn't notice.

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