How to repair scratches on the back of a mirror?

Hi there! I have a couple of very old mirrors that are showing similar signs of wear and looked into how to fix them myself. Unfortunately creating a real "mirror" finish was a bit intimidating for me. I ended up just spraying over the backs with a "mirror look" spray paint by Rustoleum. Its not perfect, but it helped a lot!

Here's a youtube video on how to make a REAL mirror:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atCtLsh4MBs

Short of having them resilvered, there isn't much you can do. Mirror spray may help them look better.

I have my mom's mirror hanging in my bedroom. It is about 60 years old and the silver is clouding on the back. When that happens about all you do is get the silver applied again. No easy fix I wish there was.

Unfortunately there’s no easy fix to this. You could contact a glass/mirror place and see what they say.

here is info using aluminum foil on the back of the mirror

https://abeautifulmess.com/4-soloutions-for-dark-spots-on-vintage-mirrors/

It costs about $15 a foot to re-silver a mirror. If it is a cheap mirror or doesn't both you and just want to hid the missing silvering then you can spray mirror paint on the missing areas. It will show but it won't show nearly as much. Check you local area for places that do this.

Here are multiple suggestions on how to repair your scratches, take a look and see what you think:

https://suggesthow.com/how-to-fix-a-scratched-mirror-back/

Here are a few projects. Won't be perfect.

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/decorate/mirror/turn-glass-into-mirrors-29461033

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/decorate/mirror/how-to-make-a-mirror-with-mirror-paint-5719847

https://www.hometalk.com/diy/decorate/rooms/diy-turn-glass-into-mirror-28277760

Hi, this should help you out, Resilvering is basically removing the protective, silver backing of the mirror and reapplying those layers again on the back of the glass. . All you need to do is smooth out small pieces of aluminum foil and tape them with clear tape to the back of the mirror,

https://www.hunker.com/12002132/how-to-repair-a-scratch-in-reflective-coating-on-a-mirror

Try the chrome mirror spray paint

Hi Teagan, here's a video that might help you get rid of the scratches - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_6Z-yHABq8

There’s a school of thought that let’s the mirrors “age gracefully”, meaning leave the scratches or make it into a lace mirror.

Here’s the easy method https://www.womansday.com/home/crafts-projects/how-to/g717/diy-decor-lacy-mirror/

Hello Teagan,

You would need to have this mirror re-silvered. Take it to a Glass shop!

Heres a site that can help you out

https://angelgilding.com/re-silvering-old-mirrors/