I absolutely love painting furniture, but now that I have enough furniture to fill my own house, I don’t paint as often as I’d like.  When I spot a great piece at a bargain price, however, I can’t pass it up.  That’s what happened with this small secretary desk that I got for $25 on a local resale site.

With so many people working from home now, I knew this small-scale desk would be the perfect piece to fix up and re-sell! 

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Since I decided to paint it to sell, I did not do anything fancy to it.  I wanted to appeal to the masses!  So I gave this small secretary desk a makeover with classic black chalk paint. 

I originally planned to give it a two-tone look by leaving the drawer the natural wood.  After I saw the desk like this I decided I didn’t like it. 

And so, I painted the drawer black, too. 

I sealed the whole piece with my favorite furniture wax, and then I also used antique gold wax to shine up the visible hinges.  I also swapped the original plain drawer knobs for these cute white and brass knobs.

Once it was finished, it looked fresh and ready for a new home office! 

I listed it on Facebook Marketplace and sold it in less than an hour. 

On to the next furniture flip!

-Bre

My new house was built in the 1970’s and is overflowing with mirrored surfaces! I’ve already eliminated one reflective surface by wallpapering the mirrored bookcases next to the fireplace, but for my built-in china cabinet makeover I decided to antique the plate glass mirror that was part of the cabinet, instead of totally covering it. 

Here’s what the china cabinet looked like after I painted it, but before I antiqued the mirror. (Aren’t the construction debris piles you see in the background nice?  :-))

Why Antique a Mirror From the Front?

Since the mirror is attached to china cabinet, I couldn’t follow one of the typical DIY mirror antiquing tutorials, because those all require you to remove the back layer of the mirror (the gray covering on the back of any mirror).  Because of that, I experimented a lot and came up with my own way to antique a mirror from the front with paint – no chemicals at all!

This method of antiquing a mirror is fantastic because it costs hardly any money at all, is actually very easy to do, and lets you antique ANY mirror!  It is not always possible to remove the back of a mirror (for example – if the mirror is glued in place, like mine, or if you don’t want to work with harsh chemicals, which are required for traditional antiquing methods), so this is an awesome alternative mirror antiquing technique for everyone.

Supplies Needed for This DIY Antique Mirror Finish

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• Black metallic multi-surface craft paint (any brand will work – just make sure it’s metallic and multi-surface)
• Silver metallic multi-surface craft paint (any brand will work – just make sure it’s metallic and multi-surface)
• Craft sea sponges
• Windex made with vinegar
• Paper towels
• Clean, dry wash cloth or terry cloth towel
• Paper plate or paint palette
• Optional: small craft mirrors to test your technique prior to painting your mirror.  I purchased small mirrors at Dollar Tree to do my testing.)

How to Antique a Mirror From the Front With Paint

I took photos of each step of this process, but it may be a little difficult to understand with photos and text alone.  Don’t worry – I also made a video to help show you how to recreate this technique yourself.  You’ll find that near the bottom of this post!

Begin with a clean mirror surface.  Once the mirror is dry, you’re ready to go!  Begin by squirting a small amount of silver metallic multi-surface craft paint onto a paper plate or palette.  Take one sea sponge and run it through the paint.  Dab off excess paint and then begin stamping the mirror.  

Notice that I did not cover the entire mirror with the silver craft paint – instead I made sure to leave some parts of the “regular” mirror showing.

Once you complete a small section of the mirror, and before the silver craft paint dries, lightly mist the mirror with a spray of the Windex with vinegar.  

You’ll see some of the paint run down the mirror.  That is OK and what you want to happen!  Take a clean sea sponge (not one with paint on it), and start dabbing up the Windex with the sponge.  

This creates a different texture than the original paint stamping.

Next, take a paper towel sheet and press it onto the painted surface.  This will remove more of the Windex and paint, and also cause a blurred imprint to transfer to the mirror surface.

Repeat this paint, spray, dab, and press process until you cover the mirror with the silver craft paint.

See how the reflection is blurred, but parts of “regular” mirror remain?  That’s how it is on authentically antiqued mirrors, too!

Next, it’s time to add the black metallic craft paint. This is what really takes the antique look to the next level.

For this part, you dab the black paint on the exact same way as you did the silver paint – apply it with the clean sea sponge.  

You don’t need to add as much black paint as you did silver paint.  The black is more of an accent whereas the silver paint formed the base of the antique mirror look.  So, just do this process in strategic areas to really give your mirror that old look.

Before the black paint dries, dab it with the clean, dry wash cloth or terry cloth towel.  You do not spray the black paint with Windex!  Just press and dab with the towel in order to give it a slightly different look than the silver paint.

Let the paint dry and then you’ve successfully antiqued a mirror from the front instead of the back!

Since this is a painted finish, it’s important to take care when cleaning a mirror you’ve antiqued in this manner.  I generally just dust the mirror with a soft cloth to clean it.  Since it doesn’t need the shiny finish of a regular mirror, there’s no need to spray it with window or glass cleaner!  

How to Antique a Mirror From the Front Video Tutorial

Now, as promised, here’s the video that shows you how I achieved this antiqued mirror look with paint.  I hope this helps you understand how easy this faux finish is to replicate!

-Bre

Our new house came with some nice architectural features, but they were all pretty dated.  I already tackled a makeover of our 1970s stone fireplace, and most recently finished the built-in dated oak china cabinet makeover, which has made a HUGE difference in my dining room already!  

Here’s the built-in oak china cabinet a little over a month ago.

Notice that the dining room was being used as a temporary e-learning classroom for my kids (hence the folding tables), and that we have no “real” furniture. 

We left our dining room furniture in Illinois for the new homeowners because we knew it wouldn’t fit in our new space.  (It makes me happy in a way to know the furniture is still there in the house.  It’s like a little piece of us is there.  :-))

My kids did not like doing their school work in the dining room, so they kept abandoning their work tables and infiltrating my living room and kitchen.  I decided that if they weren’t going to stay in their space, then I would take over “theirs” and start the makeover process!  

The first thing I did was refinish the oak countertop with gel stain.  I’ve previously used gel stain to refinish my front door and lots of other wood finishes in our new home (here are my best gel stain tips), so I knew it would work perfectly for this countertop. 

Next, I ordered new lower cabinet doors from The Cabinet Door Store and new hardware from D. Lawless Hardware.  I really wanted to modernize this cabinet, so I figured new lower doors (removing the arched top and paneled inlay), and new hardware (in a brass finish to mirror the brass on the leaded glass upper doors), would help do the trick.

The new cabinet doors were great quality, and the cabinet hardware was beautiful and priced right.  I recommend both of those vendors if you’re in the market for cabinet doors or hardware.

Next, I chose Benjamin Moore’s Waller Green for the paint color.  Waller Green is a gorgeous shade of dark green that is almost black.  I knew I wanted green for this china cabinet, but I also wanted a color that would be timeless because Heaven knows I do not want to repaint this beast again anytime soon. 

Because I had a lot of interruptions, and because I was being a perfectionist, it took me about a month to paint this oak china cabinet using Benjamin Moore Advance paint (a perfect paint for cabinets).  I followed the kitchen cabinet painting process detailed in my DIY Cabinet Painting Pro guide, which is an incredibly helpful resource for anyone wanting to paint their wood or laminate kitchen cabinets! 

The finishing touch was applying a faux antique mirror finish to the plate glass mirror already on the china cabinet.  Because the mirror was already attached to the cabinet, I had to come up with a creative way to achieve this antique mirror finish, as antiquing is typically done by removing the back layer of the mirror.  I wrote blog post on how to antique a mirror from the front, so check that out if you’re interested in trying that technique!

The hard work was definitely worth it. 

I am in l-o-v-e with my built-in china cabinet now.  I feel like it’s an asset instead of an eyesore. 

Next up, I will be painting the room, replacing the light fixture, getting furniture, and decorating! (P.S.you can see my son and dog crate in the door reflection – ha!)  (Wanna see the finished dining room makeover?  Check out my Modern Vintage Dining Room post!)

I can’t wait to be able to entertain in here . . . someday! 

I’d love to know what you think of my dated oak china cabinet makeover.  Much better, don’t you think?  Please be sure to PIN this image to share the love!

-Bre

There is nothing worse than getting ready to start a painting project and finding your paint brush dried out and too hard to use!  Before you get frustrated and go buy a new brush, let me show you how to soften a hard paint brush without chemicals. 

It’s so easy and will have you painting again in no time!  In all of my time painting furniture, I’ve encountered the hard paint brush too often, but I promise this technique works to soften paint brush bristles!

What is the best way to clean paint brushes?

For future reference, as soon as you finish using a paint brush, make sure to clean it! This will help keep your paint brush soft and ready for use in the future!

If you used water-based or latex paint, you can wash the paint brush in the sink with warm water.  Keep rinsing and going through the brush bristles until the water runs totally clear.  If the paint is hard to remove, try adding a little dish soap and massaging it into the paint brush bristles.

If you used oil-based paint or stain, clean the brush by soaking it in mineral spirits or turpentine.  Plain old water will not help here!  Both mineral spirits and turpentine smell bad, so make sure to clean the paint brush in an area with good ventilation!

Why do paint brushes get hard?

No matter how carefully you clean your paint brushes, there are times that they will get hard.  This most often happens because even the smallest amount of paint left on the paint brush bristles can harden and cause bristles to stick together.

How to Soften a Hard Paint Brush Without Using Chemicals

Chances are you will have a paint brush that has hardened, despite your best efforts to clean it.  You’ll be happy to know that it is very easy to soften the paint brush, and no harsh chemicals are needed!

Step One: Heat Up Vinegar

First, pour vinegar into a pot and place it on the stove.  Heat the vinegar until it is just about boiling.

If you don’t have a stove, you could also heat the vinegar in the microwave.

Step Two: Pour the Hot Vinegar Into a Glass Jar

When the vinegar reaches the right temperature, pour it into a glass jar or some other container that you won’t be using for food storage in the future.

Step Three: Place the Hard Paint Brushes Into the Hot Vinegar

Now, place the dried paint brushes into the hot vinegar.  Make sure that all of the bristles are submerged in the vinegar solution.

Set a timer for twenty minutes and wait for the vinegar to begin softening the brushes.

After twenty minutes, check the paint brushes to see if they’re softened.  If not, wait another ten minutes.  

Step Four: Comb Through the Paint Brushes

Next, remove the paint brushes from the vinegar, and use a fork to comb through the bristles.  This will help remove any leftover dried paint within.

Step Five: Rinse Out the Paint Brushes

Finally, rinse out the paint brushes to remove any vinegar and dried paint bits left in the paint brushes.  

When you have finished that, your paint brushes will be soft again and ready for another round of painting and DIY!

Don’t you love that there is such an easy way to soften hard paint brushes without chemicals?  I have a feeling you’ll be purchasing far fewer brushes now!

Have you ever had a vision of how something would look in your home – and you were convinced it would be awesome?  That’s what happened to me when I purchased this antique tall dresser in a Facebook resale group recently.  I knew it would be gorgeous in my living room (to take the place of the changing table I turned into a console table)!

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It had some minor damage – like knicks, gouges, and missing hardware – but nothing that I couldn’t easily fix with wood filler and some paint in strategic places.

My vision told me I needed to paint this beauty a shade of mustard yellow or gold.  In my mind, the contrast of the yellow with the green walls in my living room was going to make a statement!  

So I got to work mixing up some homemade chalk paint using my favorite recipe: 8 oz. of flat latex paint, 4 tablespoons of calcium carbonate powder, and 2 tablespoons of water.  I used a yellow gold color from Behr and painted the front and sides of the dresser.

I put the drawers back in and knew it was ALL WRONG.

This was definitely NOT the statement I wanted to make!  My daughter said it looked horrible and I knew she was right.

Back to the drawing board as they say.

I used this as an example to show my kids that if at first you don’t succeed, try again!  (And hey, maybe this will be an example for you, too.  You don’t always have to get it right on the first try.  If you mess up, so what.  Get a new color of paint and try again!  Don’t let fear stop you from picking up the paint brush!)

I went back to Home Depot and picked out a shade of green paint about three shades darker than the green on my walls – Cypress Vine green by Behr.  I mixed it up using that same chalk paint recipe and got to work.  With the first coat, it looked almost the same color of the walls.  I was nervous!  

But after another coat and a topcoat of wax, it was just right!

I then got to work replacing the drawer pulls on the top two drawers because one of the original four was missing.  I found these antique brass drawer pulls (pull pictured on the left) and think they work well with the original look of the piece!

I put the whole thing back together and was so happy that this tall dresser now looks right at home in my living room!

It took a bit of effort to get here, but it was worth it!  I love the character of the piece and how the colors work together beautifully!

I hope my color choice mistake inspires you to take a chance and paint something, too!  It really is no big deal if you pick the wrong color.  You’ll find the right one eventually!

-Bre