How to Turn Old Frames into Antique Mirrors

How to make DIY antique mirrors using old secondhand picture frames quickly, easily, and without the mess.

If I had a dollar for every picture frame project I’ve ever done, I’d have a whole lotta dollas. They’re simple, they have a million possibilities, and it never fails to find a whole heap of them at thrift stores.

A few weeks ago, Robert and I had a date day at an antique mall (my husband loves antiquing – how did I get this lucky?!) and we stumbled upon this set of 4 picture frames.

So I thought it would be a fun, quick project or this month’s Trash to Treasure Transformation Tuesday.

I’ve made antique mirrors before the messy way. But then I found this antique mirror film when we jazzed up our pantry with these IKEA cabinets.

So I thought it would be perfect to use again for a quick way to add some decorative antique mirrors to the guest bedroom. No kidding, this project took maybe 30 minutes tops.

How to Turn Old Frames into Antique Mirrors

Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.

Supplies Used:

Picture frames
Paint of your choice (I’m a Fusion Mineral Paint fan.)
Medium sized craft brush
Antique mirror film samples
Spray bottle with water
A credit card or squeegee

The Steps:

1. I wanted the frames darker than the white they were already painted so I just used some paint I already had in my stash. I painted them with a base of Fusion Mineral Coal Black first.

2. Then, once the base was dry, I dry brushed on a layer of Fusion Mineral Paint Metallic Vintage Gold and Sacred Sage to add some depth.

For the glass, I used these 5″x7″ antique mirror film samples, which were only 45 cents each.

3. Spray the glass and the back of the film with water, place the film on the glass, and squeeze out any air bubbles with a credit card.

4. Once the glass with the film and the frames with the new paint were both dry, I just placed the glass back in the frame and hung them up between our two closets in the guest bedroom.