DIY Whitewashed Mirror

We’re back to the bathroom talk today, but only because we wanted to show you a pretty upgrade we made above the sink…

Ooo, la la! I am so excited about the mirror in here because 1. It’s currently the only mirror hung in our house, 2. We got it for a steal at $15 from our local thrift store, and 3. All it took was a quick and easy makeover to make this baby shine… er, reflect! 😉

I really liked the idea of a natural-looking, whitewashed mirror for above the sink in this bathroom because it ties in with the general feel of the space (at least according to our original thoughts and plans), all the while keeping things light and clean.

Just looking at that moodboard gets me so excited to see it all come together! But back to the mirror… In the beginning of July, our local Habitat for Humanity Restore (you can read all about our love for this place here) was running a huge sale… 50% off the whole store! Among a few other things, we walked away with this solid wood mirror that was just the right size for over the bathroom sink… for fifteen buckaroos. Not bad for a hefty mirror (that sucker is HEAVY) and a perfect fit!

The only thing it was missing was the whitewashed effect we were looking for, so a little DIY was in order. This project is super simple and you can have it finished and hung in an afternoon if you put your mind to it. The first step was to tape off the mirror with painters tape, protecting it from any paint. Oh, and five points to anyone who can guess which show I was watching during this whole production. 🙂

After that, take some sandpaper and rough up the wood grain… if there is any stain or shiny topcoat, you’ll want to sand enough of it off that the white paint you’ll be applying next will stick to the wood. Don’t forget to wipe the whole thing down when you’re finished sanding!

Next step… paint! I just used some leftover trim paint we had in the basement. Isn’t it the best feeling ever to be able to use something you already have instead of having to buy new? It always feels like a little victory to me, like I cheated the system in some way. Or maybe I’m just weirdly excited about being cheap. 🙂

Since we’re going for the “imperfect” white washed look anyway, I didn’t worry too much about a super even paint job… just enough to get a good coat on the whole thing.

Let that completely dry and now comes the fun part… adding the character! I used a fine grit sandpaper (go for the higher numbered stuff, like 220) and carefully sanded away some of the paint so the wood grain showed through.

This part is totally up to you- the more you sand, the less white it will be, so just sand until you have the look you want!

When we finally hung it up, it was like the room came to life a little. Like it finally had a jolt of personality and now it’s just waiting for the rest of the space to catch up. I’m talking to you, missing light fixture and bare outlets…

So what do you think? Super simple makeover, right? I bet you’re scanning your surroundings now, just looking for something to whitewash… don’t worry, I find myself doing that often. 🙂

Psst. This isn’t our first “whitewashing rodeo”… check out this post to see how we gave the same treatment to a pair of bamboo blinds in the guest room of our last house!