Flea Market Mirror Makeover (Before & After)

I found two mirrors at our local flea market (swap meet) for a total price of $8 ($3 and $5).  The frames are both made from some sort of poured plastic mold.  Vintage frames made from a mixture of plastic and resin are a common find at flea markets, yard sales and thrift stores.  You can find upcycled painted versions of these on eBay, Etsy and in vintage/antique stores for anywhere from $25 to $200.  I definitely prefer the budget (cheap and before paint) versions and then painting them myself!  Many of the vintage plastic frame mirrors I have come across were made by Syroco, Burwood and Homeco.  Most of them from the 70's and 80's, but some do date back even further.

These two mirrors are each a good size.  The larger one measures approximately 32" tall x 18" wide.  In their gold finishes they look cheap and plastic!  However, don't ever let plastic stop you from buying.  Remember, a can of spray paint can transform just about anything!  I've said it many times, I love what you can do with a few dollars and a little bit of paint.  It took me awhile to decide what color I wanted to paint them... But I decided to go with a flat black.  I've never done black on accessories before and I decided I wanted to do a black and white mirror and photo wall up our stairwell, so black it was.  Below is a picture of the mirrors as found.  The gold on both of these looks way better in the picture than it actually did in person.  They both were really ugly!!! 

  

Yesterday I removed the backs from the mirrors and separated the frames from them for easy painting. I gave them two coats of spray paint and allowed them to dry.  After the spray paint was dry (overnight), I distressed a little on the edging and details with a sandpaper sponge block.  Any sandpaper would work.  I just happen to like working with the sponge type because they are easy to hold.  You can get these sanding blocks at most home improvement stores for $3 or $4.

As the above photo says, this is just the start of my vintage mirror and black and white photo collage wall.  I have a few more mirrors and vintage frames to paint and then I need to find a few photos that I want to display.  This wall is large and it will be a work in progress for awhile, but I will share my progress with you.  I wasn't able to get good close up pictures of the mirrors on the wall.  However, as the project continues I will work on getting better close ups of them.

Until next time,
Happy decorating :)

Diana

Sharing at:
Domestically Speaking - Power of Paint Party