• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Woodshop Diaries
  • About
    • Work With Me
  • DIY Projects
    • DIY Furniture Plans
      • DIY Bed Plans
      • DIY Dresser Plans
      • DIY Nightstand Plans
      • DIY Desk Plans
      • DIY TV Stand Plans
      • Coffee and Side Table Plans
      • Tables
      • Shelves and Bookcase Plans
      • DIY Storage Trunk Plans
      • DIY Bench Plans
      • DIY Storage Cabinet Plans
      • DIY Bathroom Vanity Plans
      • Kids Projects and Furniture
    • DIY Scrap Wood Projects
    • DIY Workshop Projects
    • DIY Home Decor Projects
  • Shop
  • Getting Started
    • Cabinet Building
    • Woodworking Basics
    • Furniture Finishing Tips
    • Tool Guides & Reviews
  • Blog
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • DIY Furniture Projects
  • Easy DIY Projects
  • Shop
  • Browse Projects by Category
  • Woodworking Tips
  • About
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » DIY

    How to Turn Ordinary Glass into an Antique Mirror

    January 5, 2017 by Shara, Woodshop Diaries

    I have a thing about doors.  If you’ve been around very long, you know that already.  It’s weird.

    .

    I love doors, I hate doors.  I’ve taken them down.  I’ve put them up.  I’ve even collected a random assortment of them for decoration purposes.

    .

    But today, I want to tell you about one door in particular.

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    I bought this door three years ago from a local “junk store” that I frequent.  I had no idea what I was going to do with it, but when I saw it, I had to have it.  I actually bought another one just like it a few weeks after that, but that’s another door story for another day.

    .

    So I got it home and it sat in my garage for a while while I decided its fate.

    .

    I thought about having a large mirror cut to replace the glass panel in this old door to make it a floor mirror.  But I hated to throw perfectly good glass away, so I did some research and found a way to turn regular glass into a mirror simply with spray paint.  I was skeptical, but it worked awesome!  And it was SO EASY.  I’ll show you how 🙂

    .

    This post contains affiliate links for your convenience.  If you purchase from one of these links, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.  Thank you for helping support this website so I can continue to provide free content.  See disclosure policy for more details.

    .

    I have to tell you that I completed this project YEARS ago, so I don’t have pictures of me actually painting the door.  But I have “reenacted” the EXACT same process on some small glass picture frames.  The process is exactly the same.  You can do this on picture frame glass, old doors with glass, old windows with glass, and even glass jars.

    You will need:

    Glass you want to turn into a mirror (for this example, I used picture frames with glass inserts)

    Glass cleaner (I used Windex) and rag

    Krylon Looking Glass Spray Paint

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    1. Clean the glass

    I removed the glass panels from the frames and cleaned them with Windex.  For my door mirror, I did NOT remove the glass panel, but just cleaned it in its place. I put the glass jar in here because I was going to spray it, then changed my mind.  Just ignore that.

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    2. Spray paint the glass

    I really don’t know how much simpler it gets.  You literally spray paint the glass and that’s it.  The only thing you have to remember here is that you MUST SPRAY THE BACK SIDE OF THE GLASS.  For my frame glass, it doesn’t matter because both sides are the same, but if you are spraying a door and you didn’t remove the glass panel, make sure to spray paint the BACK SIDE, not the front.  Once the paint is on, it’s the reverse side that is actually mirrored.

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    The can says it will take 5 coats.  When I did my door mirror, I could still see through it after 5 coats.  I went with 7-8 coats.  I used a little over two cans for the door.

    .

    You will get MUCH better results if you let each coat dry well before recoating.  If you still see splotches like the picture above, don’t recoat yet–I mean, you CAN, but it won’t look as good.

    3. Admire your new mirror

    Once you have all your coats done and it’s dry, flip it over and check it out!  It won’t be a perfect mirror (you probably wouldn’t want to do this for a bathroom mirror or anything), but it’s surprisingly really good for spray paint.  It actually looks like an antique mirror, which is even better!

    .

    I placed my glass back in the frame and took a picture to show you the mirror effect.

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    But here is a much nicer picture of the door mirror:

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    I used this same method on an old window years ago after I finished this door.  Yes that’s me and my camera in the mirror….

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    I am sorry that I don’t have actual pictures of when I did my door mirror, but that was at least a year before I even knew what a blog was!  But whatever you are turning into a mirror, the process is so easy and is the same whether it’s a huge door, or a tiny picture frame glass.

    .

    Such an easy project 🙂  What do you guys think?  Will you try it?

    .

    How to turn ordinary glass into an antique mirror!

    Stay tuned for a fun build coming next week, but until then, happy DIYing!

    « DIY Wooden Lantern
    DIY Farmhouse Side Table With Storage–AKA The Diaper Cabinet »

    Related Posts

    The South Wing Project Part 2–DIY Nightstand Woven Shelf
    How to make a DIY destination map picture frame
    DIY Destination Map Picture Frame Thingy–Yes, You Read That Right
    Farmhouse Kitchen Table–for a family of two

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. I, J, K and Noel

      January 06, 2017 at 8:57 am

      Yea! This is great! One question: can you see thru the back to front?

      • Shara, Woodshop Diaries

        January 06, 2017 at 9:04 am

        Thanks! And no, once you get several coats on it, you can’t really see through it from either direction. But, I do recommend using more coats than the can says (I used 7-8, but the can said 5) because I could still see through it a little bit after just 5 coats.

    2. Cecilia

      January 06, 2017 at 8:53 am

      I like it! And yes, I think I will try it. I like the antique effect. Very cool!

      • Shara, Woodshop Diaries

        January 06, 2017 at 9:01 am

        Awesome! Glad you liked it!

    3. Christina in FL

      January 06, 2017 at 8:13 am

      Shara, this is completely ah-MAZ-ing! I love how you have given this door (and window) new life!! It looks great and I am SO glad you didn’t paint either the door or the window. Total character blitz! :)))
      Thanks for your tips!!

      • Shara, Woodshop Diaries

        January 06, 2017 at 9:00 am

        Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the post!

    Trackbacks

    1. If You're Going to Make It, You Better Fake It--DIY Fake Brick Fireplace says:
      January 16, 2017 at 10:24 am

      […] things like fake fur are totally cool (because…bunnies!!). And fake antique mirrors.  And fake fireplaces (because sometimes putting in a real one just isn’t worth […]

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Shara, the designer, maker, and videographer behind Woodshop Diaries. Let's get building, friends :)

    Learn more →

    Woodworking Tips & Guides

    • How to make simple Shaker style cabinet doors!!
      DIY Simple Shaker Cabinet Doors
    • 5 Tools To Get Started Woodworking
    • DIY Kitchen Cabinets–From Only Plywood
    • How to Square Board Edges and Make Your Own 2x2s

    Hi! I'm Shara, the designer, maker, and videographer behind Woodshop Diaries. Let's get building, friends :)

    Learn more →

    Woodworking Tips & Guides

    • DIY Storage Desk Plywood Drawers
      How to Build Drawers–EVERYTHING You Need to Know
    • 5 Secrets to Professional Looking DIY Furniture
    • Woodworking Tips: How to Draw a Circle of Any Size
    • How to Cover Plywood Edges

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    Tips to Take Your Projects to the Next Level

    --5 Secrets to Professional Looking DIY Furniture

    --How to Properly Finish Raw Wood Furniture {Without a Sprayer!}

    --How to EASILY Cover Plywood Edges

    --4 Ways to Fill a Pocket Hole

    --10 Must Have Tools for Furniture and Cabinet Building

    Printable Building Plans

    Check out our shop to browse printable PDF building plans!

    Website Policies

    This website is for entertainment purposes. Using any information provided is to be at your own risk.

    This site uses cookies to provide you with a better experience.

    All images and text on this site are property of Woodshop Diaries, LLC. Please be respectful and don't steal this content.

    See policies page on this site for more information.

    Want to get in touch? Contact Us Here

    Copyright © 2022