Our Hopeful Home: DIY Dark Tuscan Mirror Transformation

As far as epic thrift store finds go, I'd have to put mirrors at the top of the list. I've been lucky enough to find SO many great mirrors over the years, and I love each and every one of them.

Beside the thrill of the hunt, there's another benefit to finding thrift store mirrors -- they're WAY cheaper than mirrors found anywhere else! (And you know mirrors can be darn expensive.)

The current mirror in my collection is this dark ornate Tuscan mirror I picked up at Goodwill for $6.99.

As you can see, it was painted black with a bit of red and gold peeking out from underneath, giving it a vintage-inspired look.

While I loved the details, I was not a fan of the color.

Home Goods mirror price tag Made in Italy sticker

Apparently, it was sold at Home Goods for $19.99 at one point.

Euromarchi label back side of Tuscan mirror

The label on the back described it as a "reproduction" Tuscan mirror made by an Italian company called Euromarchi.

When I went to the company's website I found this similar ornate gold mirror for $67.58.

I then found the exact same mirror on Etsy for $78.00. While they referenced it as being "gilded" I thought it was a bit dull looking.

Since I'd already used Rub 'n Buff Metallic Gold Leaf to transform a thrift store mirror (in a long line of many mirrors), I knew what a game changer Rub 'n Buff could be -- so I got to work.

European Gold Rub 'n Buff tube paint by numbers paint brushes

One thing I've learned in the process of "gilding" so many thrift store mirrors is that your best bet is to use the tiniest paint brushes you can find. I usually use some of my paint-by-number paint brushes as seen above.

NOTE: The Rub 'n Buff in the photo is European Gold, however, for this project I used Antique Gold.

gold mirror on TriGrips work cookie grippers

Before painting the mirror I set it on top of my TriGrips work cookie grippers. They're triangular rubber risers that allow you to paint your subject without also getting paint on the table/surface it's on. And it helps give the piece a cleaner finish all around.

When it comes to painting the part of the mirror frame closest to the mirror, it's best to use painter's tape on the mirror so that you don't get Rub 'n Buff on the mirror itself. You can read my tutorial on how to do this here: How to Frog Tape and Etch a Round Mirror.

gilded vintage-inspired Tuscan mirror reproduction

Once finished with the gilding process, I let it fully dry and then removed the stickers and cleaned the glass with my favorite glass cleaner in a can. Then all I had to do was figure out where to hang it.