Stenciled Vintage Mirror
I found a couple of vintage mirrors at a flea market about 2 years ago. And I decided that I wanted to use one of them on a blank wall in my guest bath.
But I thought it needed a little embellishment.
So I stenciled it!
It's so fun and easy to do!
All you need are a stencil and some acrylic paints.
I used Classic French Gray, Silver Marlin and Cottage White acrylic paint.
First, clean your vintage mirror well with 1 part distilled water and 1 part rubbing alcohol and a microfiber cloth.
Then center your stencil on the vintage mirror and tape it down.
I mixed the white with the blue (Silver Marlin) to lighten it up.
Then I used a foam stencil brush and dipped it into the paint and then off-loaded it onto a paper towel so the brush was pretty dry.
Then you just pounce the paint onto the stencil. It works best to do multiple thin, dry layers. You want to make sure the paint doesn’t seep under the stencil. You can see here I didn’t get enough paint off-loaded from the sponge but it still turned out beautiful.
If you make a mistake, don’t worry — you can just clean it off with a little soap and water and start over.
Just carefully remove the stencil once all the paint is dry and you're done!
I did the fleurettes in the Silver Marlin and all the lettering in the French Gray. I lightened both colors by mixing them with the Cottage White.
I love the way it turned out!
And you know you don’t have to have a vintage mirror to do this, right? You can use any mirror!
So I hope I’ve inspired you to rummage through your attic (or your mom’s attic!) and scour yard sales and flea markets for an interesting mirror you can turn into a work of art!
Enjoyed the project?
Comments
Join the conversation
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Dl.5660408 on Mar 24, 2021
It came out so pretty, never would I have thought to stencil a mirror ❤️
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Interior Redoux on Mar 26, 2021
Thanks DI
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Robyn Garner on Mar 27, 2021
Next time try doing this with glass etching cream. It will make the lettering appear grayish-white, etched into the glass. Then you can clean without any concern of "wiping off" your design.
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Interior Redoux on Mar 27, 2021
Thanks for the suggestion Robyn!
I thought about etching cream but eventually I decided on paint because it gave me the look I wanted with the different colors.
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Robyn Garner on Mar 27, 2021
After etching, you can use oil-based products such as paints, stains, and inks. Thin them with the proper product and apply where you've etched the glass. The etching gives the coloring something to "grab", making them more durable. You still have to be cautious with cleaning - Dawn dish soap and water works as you have used oil-based colors. The etching keeps the color from being easily scratched off. This method works best by using "hints and tones" of color rather than anything really saturated. I hope that makes sense.
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Interior Redoux on Apr 06, 2021
Good to know! Thanks
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
It is beautiful, but how do you clean it without wiping off the paint?
How do you clean the mirror without removing stenciled portion?
I have old windows that I would like to stencil. Is there a paint that would work for that. Where would I get stencils? I’m in Canada.