So, you’ve finally got around to decorating that room but the mirror that you love looks wrong!

Now you could go out and buy another one, at some expense. Or, you could transform your beloved mirror into the custom piece of home decor that it deserves to be. Below are the steps you need to take to upcycle a mirror into a true statement piece.

How to Upcycle a Mirror

This isn’t my first time upcycling and painting a mirror and from my previous attempts, I can tell you what works and what doesn’t. Trying to paint furniture in the past and watching tons of tutorials has definitely helped prepare me for this project too. Thankfully, upcycling a mirror is quick and easy and here’s how you can do it yourself!

Step 1: Choosing and cleaning

If you don’t already own a mirror that you want to upcycle, you need to choose one. Picking up a second-hand mirror to upcycle for your own decor is both good for the world and personal to you. But, I will warn you that you need to be selective about what you choose to upcycle. Watch out for mirrors that are damaged, you likely don’t want to spend hours glueing, filling, sanding and repairing a mirror. (I have made this mistake myself and it never looks quite perfect)

With your mirror chosen, now is time to prepare it for painting.

I recommend removing the mirror from the back if you can to avoid damaging it. I know it’s not possible to do this with all mirrors so carefully cover with newsprint and masking tape right to the edges of the frame.

Next, thoroughly clean the frame using a degreaser or sugar soap. Get in all the details to remove grime and dust as this won’t give you the perfect finish that you want. Then rinse the frame with warm water to remove any residual cleaner.

Step 2: Paint

Now you’re prepped, you’re all ready to paint! My favourite part 🙂

You can pretty much use any paint and colour that you desire. My preferred method is spray paint because of how easy they are to use, how quick they are to apply, and how quickly they dry. Your choice of paint can also depend on the material of your mirror frame. For example, a wood frame will take furniture paint extremely well but a plastic frame will work best with spray paint.

Make sure to be safe and wear protective gear when painting with any type of paint. This can include a mask, gloves and protective clothing because you don’t want to ruin those!

My mirror took 2 coats of paint until I was happy with the colour. Ensure that you reach the inside rim of the frame as well, as the mirror will reflect the previous colour and ruin the look completely.

Step 3: Add Final Touches

Once your mirror is painted how you desire, you can add some finishing touches.

For my upcycle, I sprayed my gold paint into a disposable container (the lid is great for this) and with a gloved hand, dipped my fingers in and flicked paint all over it. I had a lot of fun and, although you don’t have much control over the final piece, you can add as much or as little as you want.

Another finish that I love is gilding wax. Dip your finger in the jar and you can rub the wax onto carvings. This highlights the shapes and details without being too much and is available in a variety of colours.

Go as crazy or as restrained as you want! You have full creative freedom

Step 4: Put back together and enjoy

After drying overnight, you can put your mirror back together or take the masking tape off and clean it up.

Hang and enjoy your hard work!

And that’s all there is to it.

Only an afternoon of work for something that will be perfect for your new decor, be completely unique, and yours.

Show me your finished upcycled projects in the comments!