Last year while visiting family in Schenectady, I purchased two gorgeous leaded glass doors at an architectural salvage place. They were part of a built- in cabinet that had been torn out of an old home. I was hoping to use them in our addition/renovation. Our contractor, (the crusher of unrealistic expectations) advised me they were not weatherized and would need to be retrofitted (which is code for a lot of money to install). Even though it made me sad, I could not justify the expense. I put them away and didn’t think about them until recently when The Purple Painted Lady had a Facebook post showing a pantry door with mirrored glass. The mirrored look had been accomplished by using Rustoleum Mirror Effect paint. I was thinking about how I could use this product and my leaded glass doors came to mind. I pulled out one of the doors and decided that with a little finagling, it could be turned into a mirror.
Here it is. As you can see there is a ridge on the left side where the cabinet doors met. The other side has marks where the hinges were. I planned on removing them both with a table saw.
Measure once, cut twice or is it measure twice, cut once? I never get sayings right!
A girl and her power tools!!
So cool!
This is what I removed from the hinge side of door.
Both sides cut. It looked pretty good! I filled in all the remaining holes and then sanded.
Directions were easy. Shake the can for 1 minute, spray light coats, wait a minute between each coat, total of five coats in all.
Spray in well ventilated area and wear a mask. Very chic!
The moment of truth.
It goes on cloudy.
It dries really fast and gets a silvery look.
After I finished spraying 5 coats. I waited for it to dry, then sanded the sides and front smooth.
I love the raw wood look, but I thought around the glass needed to be highlighted. I painted the inside frame with Annie Sloan Old White Chalk Paint.
I cleaned the front of glass with a Q-Tip to get into corners.
This is after I cleaned it. The detailing is beautiful.
The mirror effect looks great!
The finished product. I am very pleased with the way it turned out. I am thinking of hanging it at the top of our stairs. As far as the RustOleum Mirror Effect paint is concerned, I would definitely use it again.
Addition Update: I accidentally flashed a construction worker today! Two workers came early this morning. The drywall person who started more work inside and a person working on siding. We did not know either were coming this morning and we were not prepared. We quickly hung plastic and put everything on the counters away. The person doing the siding said he was working in the front. After we put everything away I went upstairs to take a quick shower. In our bathroom the bottom window has coating on it so you can not see in. The top is clear because we are backed up to a farm and you can not see in. That is unless you are on the roof! I got out of shower, dried off, got dressed and was in the midst of brushing my teeth when I noticed the siding guy outside the window. Apparently he decided to work in the back too! I knew he most likely saw me in my birthday suit because he was quite contrite. He kept his eyes glued to the roof. Making it very hard to work on the siding. I guess I can add that to my renovation experience! Next week I will share real renovation updates for you!!