Have you ever admired the beautiful aged surfaces in antique Trumeau mirrors? If you’re like me, you might have even wished for one of your own. But at $1,000 and up, they can be a little out of reach. In this tutorial, I’m going to show you how to make your own mini Trumeau mirror – and it only takes a few hours! So gather your supplies and let’s get started.
Supplies used:
Wood board
Small piece of clear glass
Mirror spray
Pink paint
Red paint
Tightbond glue
Steel wool
Step 1) Make a plan for the project. I recommend using the project planner printable to help you stay organized. This will ensure that your mini Trumeau mirror turns out exactly the way you want it to and that if you want to make another you’ll have a record of everything you used and all the steps.
Step 2) Paint your board with white paint and let dry.
Step 3) Clean both sides of your piece of glass.
Step 4) Dip your fingers in clean water and sprinkle some on the glass in a random pattern.
Step 5) In a well ventilated area and using the Mirror Spray make a few passes over the sprinkled water on the glass, wait 30 seconds and blot with a shop cloth or paper towel.
Step 6) Repeat Step 5 and then let dry completely.
Step 7) Paint the back of the mirror with 2 coats of the black paint being sure to thoroughly dry between coats.
Watch the video tutorial below.
Step 8) Using the Brocante cut out (I cut out the ‘Marie Antoinette’’ image from the cover of the IOD Brocante Transfer) and mirror you made plus the moulds begin to plan your design.
Step 9) After you’re satisfied with your layout, get your Tightbond glue and glue down the moulds while they’re wet. You can follow my design or I encourage you to make your own. Let dry completely.
Watch the video tutorial below.
Step 10) Time to paint and create the rustic blending. Pour each of your colors in their own bowl. Paint the top of the board with white then move to the light pink in the lower middle of the board and finally paint the bottom of the board with the red. (Don’t worry if paint gets on your mirror you can razor it off later). While paint is still wet, spray lightly with water and tip the board up to let the watered down paint move to the bottom.
Using your artists brush, move and blend the paints into each other. If you want you can spray with more water and repeat these steps and also use a small sea sponge to manipulate the paint until you’re satisfied with the look. Let it dry.
Here’s the video tutorial below.
Step 11) Time to apply gold leaf. Pour a small amount of size into a bowl and lightly brush size onto everything you’d like to gild. Wait approximately 3 – 5 minutes for the size to come to tack – tack is when the size is no longer wet but is sticky or tacky to the touch. Take a sheet of gold leaf and lay over all areas that were painted with size. When you’ve covered everything, use a soft brush to brush away excess leaf.
Step 12) Apply your IOD Transfer.
Here’s the video tutorial below.
Step 13) Soften the brightness of the gold leaf with #000 steel wool. Softly buff the gold leaf with the steel wool where you want to burnish the leaf and give it a more satin look.
Step 14) Let’s finish with wax. First apply a slip coat of clear wax, this stops the dark wax from ‘staining’ the paint. Next, mix a little dark brown wax into your clar wax until you like the color and apply using a natural bristle brush getting into all the nooks and crannies and avoiding the transfer. Using a clean cloth gently blot away the dark wax from all the high points. Let dry and you’re finished with your Mini Trumeau Mirror!
Here’s the video tutorial for the last steps below.
Love painting and really want to deep dive into different paint techniques and finishes? Join the Surface Anthology Membership and enjoy the perks, workshops, lives and more! Click here to learn more and join!
