If you’ve never painted one of these mirrors or any of this type of molded plastic, you really should. It is amazing how they turn out. It is like they take on a life of their own and they decide how they will turn out.

This one decided to be absolutely spectacular. By the way, it is available and we will ship.

I thought I would share how I got this look.

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This is a vintage Syroco, Inc. mirror, made in the USA. This one started out gold and is made of the molded plastic type material so popular back in the 70s and 80s. You would see these mirrors and other items a lot at Home Interior parties.

Before:

The final result is white with some liquid gold leaf highlighting. But the magic came when I sprayed it with my secret shimmer. The steps I took are below:

1) Remove mirror, prep

2) Paint dark gray. I used our Missouri Limestone Paint Company chalk-style paint “Gray Goose”.

3) Lightly distress – I distressed because I was going to have gold highlights on top and wanted to see a little gold showing down inside also.

4) Heavy dry brush of white I used our Missouri Limestone Paint Company chalk-style “January” – allow some of the dark gray to continue showing

5) Lightly dry brush liquid gold leaf (I used the Plaid brand I found on Amazon) on flower areas and very light across much of the top. Be sure to seal gold leaf or it will tarnish.

6) Spray with can spray – Varathane Polyurethane

7) Spray with Modge Podge spray – Pearl Glaze (My Secret Shimmer)

And, that’s where the magic happened! (Enlarge the pic for a closer look.)

This beautiful mirror now has a new life and should be good for at least another 50 years! 🙂

Update: I have now painted three pieces with this technique. I have decided it was time to give it a name. It is my “Shimmery Sheen” Technique. If you try it, please add pics in the comments. This technique also works well on metal and antique wood.