How to antique a mirror

Get the look of mouldings with texture paste. - by Tara Dennis

Call off the search for that perfect antique mirror and make your own instead. Your pocket will thank you! Buy an inexpensive framed mirror in a size to suit your space and give it decorative details with texture paste, adding the patina of age with paint. You can apply the same easy techniques to age-up picture frames, too, using stencils for super-simple vintage style.

Gather your supplies

Mirror with frame
Artists’ acrylic paints in black and gold
Texture paste

You’ll also need

Painter’s tape; paper; white chalk; lint-free cloths; palette knife; piping set; paint tray; paintbrushes; MDF frame; plastic stencils

Here’s how

STEP 1 Cover mirror with paper, using painter’s tape to mask off the frame. Draw the moulding design in the corners with chalk and wipe off excess with a cloth.

Chris L Jones

STEP 2 Fill a piping bag with texture paste using a palette knife, then pipe paste onto chalked designs.

Chris L Jones

STEP 3 Pipe a border of lines and dots around the inner and outer edges of frame. Let paste set.

Chris L Jones

STEP 4 Apply 1-2 coats of gold paint over entire frame and texture paste designs with a paintbrush, let dry.

Chris L Jones

STEP 5 Apply a light coat of black paint over gold paint.

Chris L Jones

STEP 6 When black paint is tacky, use wet and dry cloths to rub off paint to get the aged look. Let dry. Remove paper and tape.

Chris L Jones

For more craft projects, pick up a copy of the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine in selected newsagents and supermarkets or buy online today!

Tara Dennis

On Channel Seven’s Better Homes and Gardens, Tara Dennis shares her interior style and design secrets, showing viewers how to transform their homes for less.