Painting a Frame

Quick tutorial on painting frames. I have been finding that as soon as I find an ornate mirror, regardless of whether its the color I'm looking for or not, I buy anyway and paint if necessary. The mirrors are simply becoming too contemporary now and clients want ornate/vintage looks.

Wanted to share my process in case any of my D.I.Y. brides/grooms need to acquire this skill as they get closer to the big day.

Photo of the mirror subject for painting. Again, any hint of an ornate pattern on these mirrors no matter the color and I'm likely painting. The mirror that I'm finding are so contemporary now, I have no choice. I like that this one was white too. Blank canvas so to speak.

Use painters tape around the edges. This is critical. You want to make sure you don't have to use paint remover after you finish painting the frame. Go slow and make sure it is perfectly flush. If you leave a sliver open you'll see a line of paint afterwards. This brand of paint is a "paint and primer in one" so I went right into painting. I definitely recommend a primer though, at least one coat prior to painting. It makes a difference in terms of consistency of coverage. Make sure the frame is dust free as well.

Tape off the mirror using newsprint if possible. I used to use newspaper, but I've found that a pad of 24" x 36" newsprint is PERFECT for an average sized mirror. You can seriously tear a sheet off of the pad and be fine. save a few folds here or there. Make SURE you tape it off securely on the edges because the paint will find ANY breaches.

Then go ahead and spray the frame evenly. I'd do 2 coats unless you have time for a third. Make SURE to get the inner frame right by the tape because this area will be noticed if you don't have decent coverage there. LET THE FRAME SIT FOR 4-5 HOURS IF UNABLE TO LET SIT OVERNIGHT. Even after 4-5 hours you risk a SLIGHT indentation of your fingerprints on the sides. So much work, I wouldn't risk it.

Finished product!!! Client didn't want gold, but a champagne. I thought it came out really nice. Shipped out of state and arrived without incident! Congrats guys!