Turn An Old Window Into A Mirror

When I realized how much it would be to buy a mirror big enough for our mantel (around $100!) the multi-paned mirror we had stored in a shed started to look better and better! It's a fairly large window and had come from a building recycling business in our area called BRING and had cost $20 - much easier to swallow, huh? It had peeling paint and crumbling glazing around the panes, but since I wanted to use it inside these were easily fixed.
It was an easy transformation, really - here's some of the steps -head to the blog to see the full tutorial (link at bottom).
I love the way the mirrored surface catches the light in our living room.
For awhile I used it as a window back-drop - until I bought the paint I needed to turn it into a mirror. I liked this look, too, actually.
Our window-turned-antiqued-mirror through the seasons on our mantel.
Sanding and painting the wood frame. I distressed only a little after the paint dried.
Jami @ An Oregon Cottage
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Nikki Nikki on Mar 30, 2016
    I love it! I'm curious does the looking glass paint actually work as a real mirror would? To get a clear view of yourself? Or does it just give it the mirrored effect? I love the look, I was just wondering if it could be used to make an actual mirror. I hope that made sense? :)
  • How do you attach the mirror to the wall? I have a large old window and it is heavy i don't just want to lean it against the wall because the mantle is slick and I know it will slide off and I don't want to hang it with a big wire. I'm still pondering this problem!

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  • Jeannie Carle Jeannie Carle on Mar 20, 2016
    There it is!!!!!! I knew someone on this wonderful place would come up with something to get more light in my room! YES! I have concrete walls - BUT some sweet person attached a loooong board across the wall over the blackboard - AND I have access to old windows that aren't super heavy. I can DO this!!!!!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!
  • Jami @ An Oregon Cottage Jami @ An Oregon Cottage on Mar 30, 2016
    Well, I was going for a vintagey look here, so you can only sorta see yourself in this. But I'm pretty sure applied according to directions it would work as a clear mirror - I did some vases earlier and you could easily see yourself in them. So all that to say - I think so. :)
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