DIY Antique Mirror Makeover

Want to learn how to turn a plain Ikea mirror into a DIY 'antique' mirror?

transforming a plain ikea mirror into a vintage mirror tutorial

We have had this Ikea Mongstad mirror for as long as I can remember. There is nothing wrong with it, it is just a little too plain and modern for my ever-evolving taste. I am trying to incorporate more vintage/farmhouse style pieces into our home, and only keep things I genuinely love. This mirror was not special—it was just taking up space.

I have been drooling over these well composed mirrors everywhere on Pinterest…

Such lovely detail…

So the other day as I was browsing the trim aisle at Lowe's (my second home), an idea popped into my head when I spotted this fancy molding…

I could simply attach it to the mirror by framing it out and I would have my own vintage-esque shabby chic mirror. Easy.

Materials list

Plain mirror with a flat frame
Variety of molding

I ended up selecting three pieces of the expensive molding (at $19/peice) and cut costs using primed MDF baseboard for the second row (I already had some at home so I only needed two pieces), and then two pieces of skinny detailed molding which were just $5 each. The total came to around $75.

After laying out my pattern, it was time to start cutting.

Measure and cut your molding along the outside edge

The fancy molding was actually crown, which meant the edges were angled and not straight (to avoid this, make sure to choose wall molding!) I wanted the trim to line up flush with the edge of the mirror, so I ripped it down with my table saw.

Here you can see the uncut molding on the top, and the ripped piece below it.

Once those pieces were all ripped, it was time to make my cuts. Unfussy stuff—45° for every cut.

The mirror already had a seam on each angle so it was easy to see where the molding should line up.

adding detailed molding to a flat mirror

Attach outside molding to mirror with a nail gun

I worked my way around the mirror, piece by piece, and used my nail gun to secure them in place.

Repeat for the next row

Then it was time for the next row—the baseboards. In order to get the third row to fit without overlapping, the baseboards also had to be ripped down 3/8″ or so. After trimming those to size, I attached them to the mirror, the same way I attached the first section.

Repeat for the last row(s)

Finally, I finished off with the inside pieces.

Spackle and caulk

After everything was secure, it was time to fill the nail holes and caulk all of the seams.

Sand + wipe clean

Once dry, I used my Mouse sanderto get everything nice and smooth:

Paint

After vacuuming up all the dust, it was time to paint! I applied a couple coats of Kelly Moore's Swiss Coffee in satin using my angled brush and let it dry:

Apply a dark stain

To give the mirror more of an authentic vintage look, I had to distress it. I wanted little peeks of black showing through (like my detail inspiration photo earlier) but the wood underneath was not black, so sanding it would not give me that result. So I grabbed a q-tip, a can of Minwax's ebony stain, and dabbed it on randomly:

Even though it was applied on top of paint, it still stuck surprisingly well. Once dry, I went back over it with my brush, letting hints of the stain show through in certain areas.