Vintage Gold Frames Makeover Including Mats

I found this pair of vintage plastic picture frames at a local thrift store for $1 each. Back in the 60s and 70s they made lots of different versions of these types of frames with the gold finishes.

While I loved the scroll details of these fun frames the dark gold finish really needed not just cleaning, but a complete refresh.

See all those fun details! The plastic mat needs a makeover as well, and you’ll see that later in this post.

The first thing I did was give the frames a good cleaning in the bathroom sink. I have a brush that I use for projects like this. It gets into all those nooks and crannies.

To give my frames their refreshed look I’m using Rub ‘n Buff in Antique Gold. It’s a wax metallic finish, a little tube of magic, and a little goes a long way.

I applied it to the frames with just my index finger, making sure to get all the raised areas. I then used a cloth to buff it up nice.

Here you can see the difference between the two frames. This Rub ‘n Buff really makes a huge difference, and it’s so easy to use.

This picture frames has a thick plastic back with built in holes for hanging horizontally or vertically.

Beneath the backing was some thick cardboard; the glass of course; and a plastic mat, which I was surprised to discover was covered with a faux velvet-like substance on the side I couldn’t see when I bought the frames.

It has a raised edge along the inside, perfect for a frame mat, but the velvety stuff had to go. It was in sad shape.

And go it did. It scraped off very easily with a paint stir stick. Anything with a flat edge would work for this; a paint scraper, even a metal ruler. To make clean up easier, I scraped it right into my craft room garbage can. You don’t want this stuff going everywhere.

And here’s what both mats looked like when that velvety stuff was gone. Already much better, but I needed to take it up a notch.

I wanted to keep the gold of the mats, but I also wanted to differentiate them from the gold frames, and imitation gold leaf is a perfect way to do this.

I applied some adhesive size to the surface of the mat. It goes on whitish, but dries clear. You put it only where you want the gold leaf to go. After about 30 minutes the sizing becomes sticky and the gold leaf adheres beautifully.

This is where it can get a bit messy, and it’s a good idea to work with the gold leaf inside a container of some sort. Because my frame mats are small (5×7) I can use a dollar store plastic storage container.

You just add some gold leaf here and there and use the brush to press it into place. You can keep using pieces that fall off in other areas, until you have the coverage you like. The gold leaf adds a nice textural quality that you wouldn’t get from spray paint.

Here’s one done, and I love how it looks. The gold leaf really glows, and the light picks up all those areas of texture. So much better than flat gold paint.

So here’s the before again.

And here are my finished picture frame makeovers. I really love how they turned out. The gold leaf mats frame the pictures perfectly, and I love how the leaf texture works with the lighter and brighter gold scrollwork frames. I definitely think these picture frames look new and fresh, while still retaining their vintage vibe.

I simply added two fern leaves that I dried from the cottage last year. I love the simplicity of the leaves with the glamour of these scrollwork gold frames. The contrast is really working for me. What do you think?

So the next time you see some dated gold picture frames that need a little DIY love, don’t hesitate to pick them up and give them just that.

It didn't take much Rub 'n Buff or gold leaf to redo these frames so I'm guesstimating this project at about $3.

This project was so much fun! Rub ‘n Buff and metallic gold leaf are my new favorite things, and I’m already looking for more ways to use them.

You an find more DIY home decor projects on my blog, Color Me Thrifty, here.