How to DIY a Gold Parisian Mirror Frame
I decided to try my hands on DIY a mirror frame, to make it from old brown and very average to one-of-a-kind gold Parisian mirror frame.
I had an old thrifted floor-size mirror that I planned to use at some point. It used to have a stand on the back but was all gone by the time it got to me. This brown color definitely could take a bit of updating and get a bit of gold on it.
Watch a detailed tutorial on YouTube
Read on the blog about what I've learned from working with gold leaf for the first time.
Step 1 - paint the frame
Tape the mirror part off and prepare wood for painting by sanding it down.
Then you'd need to prime and spray paint the frame. I chose a red color for the top layer. I think when a touch of red shows through the gold it creates a special antiqued effect.
Step 2 - apply gold leaf
I wrote a step-by-step how to apply gold leaf sheets on wood on my blog. .
When you are finished with the gold leaf application, let it dry.
When it's fully dried, take a dry brush and remove all the loose gold leaf that you have on the frame.
Step 3 - apply rub'n'buff
I was quite disappointed with the effect of a gold leaf only. It looked too shiny and I didn't do a fine job applying it. I blame bad gold leaf sheets for it. So I added rub'n buff on top.
Step 4 - "antique" the gold leaf
After I finished with rub'n buff something was still missing. It looked still very polished and 2 dimensional.
To "antique" the frame I used a mix of acrylic paints.
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To "antique" the frame I used a mix of acrylic paints (burnt sienna and burnt amber) from Arteza paints, my go-to paints for all my projects.
Step 5 - prepare the decorative applique.
Repeat all the steps for the applique as you did for the frame and glue it with E6000 to the frame.
Dust off all the access, take off the tape from the mirror and you've got a gorgeous DIY imitation of a gold Parisian mirror.
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xoxo,
April
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