I finally found the perfect mirror to give a zinc finish. I knew in my head what I was looking for and that is not always a good thing because nothing but what I imagine will make me happy. The elusive mirror was found in my all-time favorite honey-hole of a thrift store for $10.00. Here is what the beauty looked like when I brought it home:
If you ignore the painted flowers and the wood, doesn’t it have the same shape as the zinc mirrors from the fancy online stores I have been eyeing?
Just in case you are wondering, the cheapest mirror I could find was over $500.00 I bought my mirror ($10.00) and enough supplies to do the mirror and several more projects for $10.00 more.
I am telling you folks, getting the zinc look is not as hard as you might think. After sanding off the flower design, my first step was to do a Google search of zinc mirrors and looked at them all very carefully before I dove in. What I think I like most about a zinc finish is the irregularity that each zinc piece has.
I love the mix of dark and light, the shine on the worn edges and the aged appearance.
The secret to the process is getting the right products and not being afraid to experiment. Go buy yourself a cheap mirror at Goodwill and dive in. If you hate it, paint it another color.
I used Rust-oleum Soft Iron metallic spray paint
Cheap acrylic paint that is less than a dollar a bottle. One of them was called zinc. The other is a lighter gray.
Finally, I glaze it all with a silver glaze.
Spray the entire item with the spray paint. Once it is dry brush on random places of the acrylic paint. Make sure to use a really dry brush. I dipped it in the paint then wiped the brush off on a paper towel.
Once you are happy with the acrylic paint, repeat with the silver. I focused on the outer edges.
Ta Dah.
My rescue, Lumi, cannot stay away when I am taking photos. I decided not to fight her tonight. She is a sweetie.
