Welcome back Friends! I've got a fun project to share with you today. A Mirror make over!
I will be stenciling with plaster, a technique I have been wanting to try for a while.
We start from humble beginnings.
This mirror is made of pine and is solid. No repairs were needed (yay!). It appears to have been handmade and I will take an educated guess, that it is 20-30 years old. I gave it a scuff with some 220 grit sandpaper and a good cleaning. I then gave it 2 coats of chalk paint (ArtMinds brand, colour is Porcelain.)
The next step was to design and cut my stencil. I used Design Space and my Cricut machine. If you don't have a Cricut (or similar machine), you could purchase a stencil online or in your favorite store. Make sure it will fit the surface you are working with.
The stencil I designed is sitting here on the edge of the frame. Make sure you measure twice and plaster once ha ha!
And here's the layer of plaster. I used Polyfill from LePage. I squeezed out a generous amount and smoothed it out. It's easy to add plaster to build up the height. Keep in mind if you put a thick amount of plaster on, it will take much longer to dry. Also, the plaster will shrink as it dries (in width and height). In terms of texture, if you want a rustic finish, apply the plaster and don't smooth with water, squeegee or sandpaper. I chose to smooth my plaster with my squeegee, which I had dipped in water. This will help later, during the sanding stage. A word to the wise, clean your stencil every so often. If you don't, the plaster will cake on the stencil and wont allow the plaster to fill the area as much as it should.
And here is what it looks like as I remove my stencil.
Once I placed all the stenciled designs around the frame, I let the plaster dry overnight.
I then assessed the texture, height and quality of design. I was mostly happy, only adding a little more plaster in a few areas. Once dry, I used 220 grit sandpaper to smooth out the plaster. Keep in mind that the plaster dust is very fine and will get everywhere. I made sure I was in a well ventilated area and wore appropriate PPE.
Once the plaster is dry, you can paint it, faux finish it - whatever you like! I chose to keep it simple and paint it to match the frame. I then distressed the frame.
So here is the finished product!
And a close up, so you can see the detail better.
I just love the way this turned out! The subtle distressing coupled with the simple plaster design - perfection!
Until next week, thanks friends!