Warning, warning ...........
I've been spray painting mirrors again .......aghhhhhhh!
Now, I don't often quibble the price of anything that takes my fancy in a charity shop, but when I saw the state of this retro, metal framed mirror it really wasn't worth the £5 they were asking. The black metal finish (?) was no longer visible, it was to be honest pure rust. However, as I have been looking for this style of mirror to go next to my front door so that I could check that I look presentable before I go out, I wondered if, like the three similar round mirrors in my bedroom, it could be rescued with a coat or two of spray paint.
I reckon it dates back to the 60'/70's, but although I have seen plenty of round ones and one or two oval ones, this is the first oblong one I have found/seen ..... and as all the other similar mirrors I have in the flat are round, I thought it would be a nice contrast.
When I pointed out the condition to the boss lady of the shop and asked what her "best on it" was, she said £2.50, well at that price I was willing to give it a punt and I carried it off home, pleased as punch, but when I got it home and really looked at it, it was pretty horrific. I suspect originally it may have had gold highlights, it's hard to tell ....... and it took me a good few weeks before finally deciding to tackle it.
I already had two cans of Wilkos pale turquoise spray gloss from when I was experimenting with the mirrors in my bedroom (before deciding the colour wasn't right) plus some leftover white, so I started by giving the frame three good coats of the white which I hoped would not only cover the majority of black/rust, but also provide an easier colour base for the turquoise to go over, if that makes sense? It worked!
The mirror itself had also seen betters days and showed some age with a few spots here and there, but that just adds to it's character and again needed a beeping good clean.
The cord on the back of the mirror had also seen better days crumbling in my fingers and the ring fasteners were also well and truly rusted, but the brass and steel fittings were OK, so I just tightened them up and put a new cord through to hang it. It also became apparent from the other holes in the back that the mirror can be hung either in portrait or landscape, with me opting for portrait for the time being.
After a day of spraying and fiddling the re-vamped mirror hangs resplendent in my hall .....
........ whether the rust will come through given time, who's to know. I am sort of tempted to add a small jeweled flower from an old necklace to the centre of each of the four flowers, but I don't want to cheapen or over gild it, so for the moment I am really trying to resist the urge. It's sooooooo me and am dead chuffed with how it's turn out ....... and my patience!
2 comments:
It looks quite beautiful. I can see why you are so pleased with how it turned out.
Ooh- nice find. About 20 years ago at a boot fair, I found a very tatty one- identical to this, except for the flowers at the corners (maybe mine originally had the flowers?). It was also rusty and past its best. I gave it a good scrub and tarted it up with bronze enamel paint to match our decor at the time. Since then it's been on many house moves with us, has been spray-painted various colours and has lived in different rooms and hallways. For the past 8 years or so it's been silver and has been on my daughter's bedroom wall. It still looks awesome and has never had even the slightest hint of rust creeping through after its initial clean.
Hopefully, yours will stand the test of time as well as ours!
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