How to remove paint from a mirror in 2 easy steps without using a razor blade.

Hello readers! I have been working on the mahogany

 

cheval mirror I mentioned in my last post. Well, that is really an overstatement since it suggests that I the project has gone on for some time. Let me correct any misconception on that score: painted the cheval mirror in under 2 hours including drying time and waxing.

Yes, in just 2 hours it went from this:

                               
                                                  to this:

And, as always, it was a fun journey of discovery! I learned how to easily remove dried paint from the surface of a mirror, without using a razor blade. So not does my mirror look much better in Old White, but I now have another skill in my furniture painting portfolio. Bonus!


Before I could start painting this project I decided to spray the whole red mahogany frame with Zinsser shellac. I did that because furniture made from mahogany and some from the 40's and 50's with reddish stains can sometimes bleed through the Chalk Paint. So rather than wait until I had painted a coat on the frame to discover if it was going to bleed I just sprayed the shellac at the start. If you are new to this, that is Tip #1 from today's blog!

When working with spray paint, please take my advice and don't do what a friend of mine did: never spray paint furniture in the house! It will get places you don't want it to no matter how well you think you have protected the area. air is constantly moving, and the fine droplets in the spray travel! So, I worked outdoors for that part of the project. 

Because I needed to protect the mirror from the spray, I cleverly covered it with newspaper. 

 Unfortunately, I discovered that I hadn't taped the newspaper down as well as I had thought when a sudden gust of wind whipped the paper up just as I was in mid-spray. I was SO annoyed with myself when I saw that white shellac on the surface of the mirror.

I knew I had to get that shellac off the mirror but for whatever reason I elected to wait until after I had finished painting and waxing the frame. Frankly, I was so frustrated I think I was just trying to avoid the whole situation.

Now, most people will tell you to carefully take it off with a razor blade and I know that works for some, but I have tried it in the past and it has not worked well for me. One time I cut myself and most times I have managed to scratch the glass. (Yes, that does mean that I have a history of getting paint on glass.)

As I stood lamenting the condition of the mirror I had a brainwave. And that is how I discovered a much easier way to get paint, including sprayed on white shellac, off a mirror without using a razor blade:

Step 1: Dip a clean cloth into a little white mineral spirits and press onto the surface of the mirror. Just hold it there for a few seconds.

Step 2: Wait about 30 seconds and then, using extra fine #0000 steel wool  very gently "polish" the mirror surface where you want to remove the paint. Don't apply pressure. You are not scrubbing. The paint will just roll off in little flakes that you can then wipe off with a clean cloth. To help you see it in the photos I placed a dark cloth behind the mirror so that the paint would show up nicely in the reflection.

Voila, lovely clean mirror in Old White Chalk Painted frame!

You can see the vintage maple highboy I painted recently reflected in the mirror. The room is coming together!

Blessings,
The Duchess of New Life