How to spruce up a thrifted mirror

I alluded a few weeks ago to having some projects looming before our housewarming party. This thrift-store mirror was one of them.
I knew I wanted a mirror in the bedroom to hang over my dresser to make it feel a little more like a vanity area. When I saw this mirror at an antique mall by my office, I had to have it. It was marked at $40, and I nicely asked if the price was fixed, and got it down to $32. Not too shabby.

When I got it home, it looked like this:

Yep, gold paint with a faux distressed wash over it. It looked dirty and yucky.

So I taped it up for a big paint-job. I used regular painters tape in small pieces to fit together into an oval. I taped down some plain newsprint to protect the rest of the glass. This process was a total pain the butt and if I could have taken the glass out of the mirror without damaging it, I would have (and that is what I’d recommend if it’s possible!)

Next: painting. In hindsight I would have primed first, but I was in a hurry. In the end, it took an entire can of white spray paint and there are still a few spots that could use touching up (but I was on a time crunch and hung it anyway). I placed the mirror on a large piece of cardboard and painted outside for ventilation.

All dried and in place!

Pretty simple project for big results. And if you’re wondering about my dresser, you can read all about ITS gorgeous makeover here.