Painting A Metal Mirror Frame To Look Like Wood

I found a round mirror with a silver metal frame, but it was all wrong for my country decor.

Here's how I updated it with paint to make that mirror frame look like it was wood.

I'm a curbside shopper and thrift store junkie.

It's not a great habit when you live in a small space.

But I just can't stop myself.

Can anyone else relate?

It doesn't seem to matter that every nook, cranny and wall in this cottage is basically covered. 

No room at the inn.

I simply can't pass up a good find when I spot one on the side of the road.

Looking all sad and lonely.

Begging for someone to rescue it, before the trash truck comes around.

I don't have the heart to say no.

It's even worse at the thrift stores.

There are so many cute things there. And every one of them with that pick me look. Waiting their turn. Hoping to hop in a cart and get a new home.

And they don't even have to be pretty.

I'm a sucker for lost causes. I have no willpower at all.

So I try to limit my trips to the stores and leave the truck at home when running errands. It helps. 

A little.

It's also why I love it when someone asks me to find something for them. Then I get to shop with abandon and no guilt...and with a little luck, I get to play with paint.

It's how I ended up with this mirror.

You see, my daughters filmed a music video a few months ago.

Originally, their director had envisioned a scene with mirrors. Lots of mirrors.

And it was up to mama to track them down.

The first one we found was this gorgeous full length cheval mirror for $15 on Marketplace. The frame was a little cracked and the finish was chipped, but it was the perfect style.


Besides it was nothing a little wood glue and my trusty furniture markers couldn't fix.

Then, we found a few more, all in great shape, all in wood tones that matched the standing mirror.

The last mirror was a bit of challenge to track down though. We were looking for round and that's always a tough one. It's like trying to find a round accent table to upcycle. 

They're scarce. 

So when we found this round silver metal mirror for 50% off we grabbed it. Of course, while the size and shape were just right, the finish was not.

No big deal, makeovers are my thing.


At first I was a little skeptical, but we'd already painted a white plastic mirror to look like wood. 

I figured why couldn't we do the same with a metal frame? 

Turns out it was a little more involved than that first project, but still relatively easy.

Here's the DIY.

How To Paint A Metal Mirror So It Looks Like Wood

Step 1: Remove The Frame 

So first we started by taking the mirror apart to isolate the frame.

The backing was cardboard and plastic, so we went slow, we didn't damage anything.


We also labeled all the screws in ziplocs, since believe it or not, there were a lot of them. Too many for such a small mirror, but as the sign in my kitchen says, it is what it is!

If your frame is not removable, add painter's tape around the edges of the mirror to protect the glass. Any paint or stain can be scraped off with a razor later, but it's easier if there's less of it.

Step 2: Clean It and Add Stain

Using a bristle brush, so we'd get little faux wood grain, we coated the entire metal mirror frame with a water based gel stain and we were done. The stain matched the other mirrors with one coat.

Fabulous.

Until it dried. And then it was a matte black. Grrr. The stain did not mix well with the matte metal frame. 

Back to the drawing board.

At this point my handy husband abandoned me in favor of sleep, it was late, but I was determined to get this project done. So I forged onward into the night.

Unfortunately, my one track, problem solving, sleep deprived brain wasn't focused on taking in process pictures, but you'll get the idea.

Based on the original results, I decided that stain was not the way to go.

Step 3: Layer Paint Colors

Instead, I painted over the stain with mineral paint, in Umber. A brown color that I thought would do the trick. But nope. It was still too black/ brown. 

The wood on the other mirror frames seemed to have more of a red tone...somewhere between mahogany and cherry.

So I decided to add some Red Barn chalk paint to the Umber to fake that finish. It was closer.

Almost a little too red though. It needed to be taken down a teeny bit and I did that with a very thin coat of brown antiquing gel.

Finally, it matched.


Well, near enough anyway.

Step 4: Seal and Reassemble

Once I had the right color, I sealed it with a gloss coat and left it to dry before I grabbed those zippy bags and put that maze of hardware back together.

And get that mirror ready for its close up.


Which never made it into the video. 

Ah well. It worked out well for me though.

After spending so much time together, I grew quite fond of that adorable mirror and found a place for it in my newly redecorated family room.
Like I said, it's a great size and round mirrors are hard to come by.

And super hard to pass up.

Especially for a girl with a junking addiction.

😉

Do you brake for trash?


Happy Thrifting Friends!!