• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

    Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • Houses + Sources
  • DIY Projects
  • My Shop
  • About Jenna Sue
  • About the Blog
  • Contact
Jenna Sue Design

Jenna Sue Design

DIY tutorials, home design and budget decor inspiration

  • Houses + Sources
    • Heights House
    • Riverside Retreat
    • Cottage House Flip
    • Modern Farmhouse
    • SEE ALL
  • DIYs
  • My Shop
  • About
    • About Jenna Sue
    • About the Blog
  • Contact
Home » Modern Farmhouse » DIY Antique Mirror Makeover

DIY Antique Mirror Makeover

July 24, 2014 | By Jenna Sue Modern Farmhouse, DIY Projects

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

I’ve been drooling over these beautiful mirrors everywhere on Pinterest…

Source
Source
Source

Such lovely detail…

Source

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’d have my own vintage-esque shabby chic mirror. Easy.

Table of Contents

  • Materials list
  • Measure and cut your molding along the outside edge
  • Attach outside molding to mirror with a nail gun
  • Repeat for the next row
  • Repeat for the last row(s)
  • Spackle and caulk
  • Sand + wipe clean
  • Paint
  • Apply a dark stain
  • DIY Antique mirror dresser reveal

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. Simple 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.

how to diy a vintage floor mirror

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.

diy vintage mirror closeup detail

Spackle and caulk

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

how to make a diy vintage floor mirror

Sand + wipe clean

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

diy vintage mirror closeup detail

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:

diy vintage mirror closeup detail

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 wasn’t black, so sanding it wouldn’t 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.

diy vintage mirror closeup detail

I wanted the distressing to be subtle and this method worked quite well.

DIY Antique mirror dresser reveal

I don’t think $75 is a bad investment to get this type of detail… big floor mirrors in a similar style are sold for a whole lot more.

diy white vintage floor mirror closeup
white vintage floor mirror makeover

And it makes me happy. So that’s definitely worth it.

Related posts:

10 Simple Ideas to Update your Kitchen Cabinets
Black wood fence and DIY arbor reveal
How to Build an Arched Doorway Opening
Previous Post: « Master Makeover: Trim, Rug, Dresser & More…
Next Post: Master Makeover: DIY Plain to Paneled Door »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Erin Ziegenbein says

    June 8, 2016 at 8:43 pm

    Just seeing your reworking of the IKEA mirror. I was wondering if sanding the outer edges of the mirror frame itself and staining the whole thing would work? I LOVE the idea of adding all the trim, but I’m for a more natural wood look. Thoughts?

    • jennasuedesign says

      June 9, 2016 at 8:28 am

      Hi Erin, the Ikea material isn’t wood (at least the white model) so sanding wouldn’t work so well. You could add wood trim around the edges too and then stain it all. Hope this helps!

  2. Erica Meyer says

    September 18, 2014 at 4:48 pm

    Such a great idea Jenna! Looks terrific. Love following along on your home transformation!

« Older Comments

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Jenna and I’ve been designing and DIY’ing my way through homes since 2008. Join me as I learn, share my experience, and hopefully encourage/inspire you along the way!

As Seen In

Primary Sidebar

Welcome!

Hi, I’m Jenna and I’ve been designing and DIY’ing my way through homes since 2008. Join me as I learn, share my experience, and hopefully encourage/inspire you along the way!

JOIN THE FUN

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Shop MY HOMES

  • Heights House
  • Riverside Retreat
  • Cottage House Flip
  • Modern Farmhouse

Shop MY AMAZON

As an Amazon Associate I earn
from qualifying purchases

Recent Posts

  • 10 Simple Ideas to Update your Kitchen Cabinets
  • Mother’s Day Gift Guide
  • All the tiles we’re using in the Hacienda Hideaway
  • Hacienda Primary Bath Floor Tile Reveal
  • How to layer bedding like a pro
  • Budget Vanity Lighting Roundup
  • Black wood fence and DIY arbor reveal

Subscribe via email

Footer

Shop My Homes

  • Heights House
  • Riverside Retreat
  • Cottage House Flip
  • Modern Farmhouse

Connect

  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

Information

  • Contact
  • About Jenna Sue
  • About the Blog
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Jenna Sue Design Co. · All Rights Reserved ·

SUBSCRIBE VIA EMAIL: