Upcycling Furniture Using Gold Leaf
I had ago at using gold leaf to upcycle my old dressing room mirror and couldn’t believe how easy it is to actually work with so decided to share with everyone how I did it.
I firstly sanded my mirror down using this sander. It’s just a simple affordable one that does the trick. I just sanded enough so my mirror surface was flat.
This is how my mirror looked before I started working on it
The gold leaf I used was a fake version of real gold leaf as this had better reviews and was apparently easier to work with and got the same results which I did find working with it in the end.
- To make the gold leaf stick you need to buy gold leaf adhesive which is a water based glue that’s really sticky and makes the gold leaf stick really well when placing it down. You need to apply a even good amount layer all over the area you are applying the gold leaf to and leave this a HOUR to dry and go tacky.
I placed multiple sheets of gold leaf on my mirror and worked in sections to minimise any missed areas. You will need to use a brush to brush off the excess gold leaf bits that overlap.
You can see the different gold leaf really makes to use in upcycle projects.
After my mirror was gold leafed I used a water based varnish and just brushed it on all over to fix the gold leaf and act as a protective barrier to stop any scratches and oxidation. I got the adhesive and varnish with the brush from Amazon. There specially for gold leaf and was very affordable
Finished
Here is the finished piece. I found the gold leaf so easy to work with. You just need patience and to be gentle handing the sheets.
The gold Makes such a difference to my dressing table.
Frequently asked questions
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