Curbside Mirror Makeover the Lazy Way

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You can never have enough mirrors, right?  That’s exactly what I thought when I spotted this on the curb last fall.  Today I am sharing this super easy wood mirror makeover.​

I thought I could paint it grey or silver and give it to my son. The one who so very kindly  found another old mirror and bought it home to me. But when I asked him he said he already had a mirror and no room.  But I kept it around with no idea what to do with it, even though I had no takers.   I was so indecisive about what to do I just kept on shuffling it around from room to room.  

And then one day while I was in the bedroom I looked at my mirror and realized just how small it was.  Oh it was very pretty since the makeover, but it really was not all that great for mirroring!  Is that a new verb? That was when I came to the decision to makeover the mirror for me!  After all do I not deserve to have a mirror that does a proper job of mirroring?

What I Used for this Mirror Makeover:​

• DecoArt Americana Chalky Finish Paint in Everlasting
• DecoArt Americana Creme Wax Finish
• Sandpaper 
• Brushes
• Clean white rag for for waxing or brushes
• Gold metallic paint

​How To Paint a Vintage Wood Mirror:

I started off by painting it with chalky finish paint.  You can use any paint that you like best.  I used this one.  I never make mistakes with chalky paint.  It is very forgiving! Well, even if I do make mistakes it is still forgiving!  

I made the mistake of using a sponge brush for my mirror makeover which left all these really awful streaks on the wood. Actually, if you want streaks then this is the way to go, but I prefer a more uniform look.​

For the second coat I switched to a bristle brush which had a much nicer look.  Learn from my mistakes!  Once it is dry you can always sand back any excess paint. 

You can see what a sloppy painter I am by the fact that I didn’t use masking tape on the edges to protect the mirror. I honestly feel that it is a waste of time.  You can easily remove the paint with a razor or in my case a spatula. Lazy I tell you!  I grab the first thing I see in front of me!

​While painting the wood, some of the chalky finish paint went on the metal piece so I just left it.  I then went over the metal using a metallic gold acrylic multi surface color that I had gotten at Michael’s Craft Store – did I mention it is my favorite store?  The color is so rich, it honestly looks like brass to me.​

Below you can see what it looked like after a light coat of the gold paint on top of the white chalky paint.  You can add as many layers as you want to get a deeper color.​

​These little wood embellishments were also painted and sanded over to give them a distressed look, as was the rest of the mirror. 

At this point, I figured,  I would try to match the mirror with the dresser already in the bedroom.  Not a perfect match because the styles are different but something to make them friends.​

I went back with the gold paint and lightly added some color to the embellishments.

The final step was to add wax to all the white paint to seal in all that chalky finish paint goodness.  You can use one of these fancy brushes to add the wax, but as I was feeling super lazy, I used a clean white cloth.​

​And my wood mirror makeover was done!  It had just the right amount of color and white softness that I so love!

And the best part?  It looks great on top of that old dresser of mine!​

​I may have dragged this old curbside find home with me last fall and let it sit for a spell, but it was worth the wait.  I now have a mirror which actually does its job of mirroring.  It has way loads more character, and it looks perfect above the farmhouse vintage dresser. 

That is how you makeover a curbside find the lazy way, because let’s face it we have more important things to do. Even if I procrastinate a bit. “wink”

Do you think it was a good idea for me to replace the old oval mirror with this one?

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This blog is for entertainment purposes only; my DIY tutorials are not professional advice. Read my full disclaimer here.​

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