A mirror is an integral household item in human life. It is impossible to imagine the interior of an apartment or a handbag without it. But over time and improper care, the appearance loses its reflective ability. Chips, scratches, and amalgam peeling often appear on the inner surface of the mirror.
It is impossible to imagine the interior of an apartment or a handbag without it.
Often in antique mirrors the glass itself is already so cloudy that it simply does not make sense to repair, preserve, or polish it.
Although all the ingredients for restoring a mirror surface are freely sold in pharmacies and stores, you will not be able to create a smooth mirror surface on your own the first (or even the fifth) time.
If the mirror is badly broken, then, of course, it is better to dispose of it. Because it is simply impossible to restore a broken mirror at home - this is a labor-intensive and hazardous technological process using mercury. But you can repair minor damage with your own hands.
A mirror is an integral household item in human life.
The original table accessory is ready; it will last for many years and will be a worthy part of any interior.
If the frame of the mirror is wooden and has lost its shine, you can update it by applying varnish of the required color.
Benefits of DIY restoration
What are the advantages of restoring a mirror with your own hands?
- Not every city and town has a restorer who knows how to restore damaged amalgam.
- Repairing a mirror coating is labor-intensive and requires investment, so mirror restoration will probably not be cheap.
- Time is wasted in searching for a restorer, delivering the item to him and back home, and on the way the mirror may break due to improper transportation. Therefore, it is easier to repair minor damage at home using improvised means.
Chips, scratches, and amalgam peeling often appear on the inner surface of the mirror.
Restoring a mirror with your own hands is quite accessible to a home craftsman.
Or change the look of the mirror by decorating it with jewelry, shells, bamboo sticks or broken dishes.
Methods for restoring a mirror surface
Depending on the damage to the amalgam, different methods and materials for restoration will be used. For minor damage, silicone sealant is used, and large areas are restored using foil and glue.
If the mirror is badly broken, then, of course, it is better to dispose of it.
A simple mirror restoration can be done at home; this will eliminate minor scratches, or at least make them less visible.
It all depends on the owner’s imagination.
Materials and tools required for mirror restoration
For major damage:
- glue for metal and glass;
- brush;
- soft fabric;
- glass cleaner;
- gasoline or alcohol-containing product;
- foil;
- brush;
- scissors;
- sponge.
But you can repair minor damage with your own hands.
Polishing, as a separate method of mirror restoration, is also performed in case of clouding of the reflective surface.
In modern interiors, mirrors often play an important role.
For small scratches and chips:
- water;
- alcohol;
- sponge, soft napkins;
- silicone sealant.
But over time and improper care, the appearance loses its reflective ability.
If abrasion or a shallow scratch appears, the mirror can be ground, and the top layer is removed from the reflective plane using coarse abrasives.
Mirrors not only have a utilitarian meaning, but also serve to decorate the interior and visually enlarge the space.
Procedure
When restoring a mirror, it is recommended to follow step-by-step instructions. Following the exact procedure will help you avoid mistakes and get the job done efficiently.
Scratches and chips
To eliminate detected cracks and chips, you can resort to different methods, using improvised and specialized tools. The most common options are the following:
- Toothpaste. A small amount of paste is applied to the product and lightly rubbed with a flannel cloth, making rotational movements. After the toothpaste has dried, the surface is thoroughly polished, as a result of which all minor defects become invisible.
- Mustard powder. Dry mustard powder and vinegar essence with a concentration of 9% are mixed in a container, maintaining equal proportions. The components are mixed and the resulting mass is applied to the damage. Excess mixture is carefully removed and the product is polished with a soft cloth until shiny.
- Cerium oxide. A specialized chemical allows you to visually hide chips and scratches. The product is often called jewelry blush due to its property of optically smoothing the mirror surface. In powder form, cerium oxide is dissolved in liquid and applied to the product. Then polishing with a damp cloth is required. If necessary, the procedure can be performed several times in a row.
- Nail polish. Deeper chips and scratches must first be filled with a substance and then polished. Due to its special consistency, transparent varnish is excellent for this purpose. First, a layer of varnish is applied to the damage, the excess is removed and wait until it dries. After this, wipe the surface until shiny with a soft cloth.
- Paste GOI. The substance is crushed to a powdery state, applied to a piece of cotton wool and spread in a thick layer over all defects. After waiting 1.5 minutes, rub the product into the surface and wipe with a clean, dry cloth. After completing the procedure a second time, the duration of polishing is increased to 15 minutes. To prevent the paste from becoming dull, you should not rub it intensively into the product to repair the surface.
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DIY decoration
Large cracks in the mirror can be repaired using decorative elements. The advantages of decorating yourself are the ability to not only hide defects, but also transform the appearance of the product, showing your imagination. The easiest method is to use transparent stones. Having chosen the stones you like, they are glued to the surface by dropping a drop of silicone sealant onto the back side. The design of a mirror looks most original when using transparent and translucent stones, which can be monotonous or colored.
You can also decorate the defect with painting. This requires special materials, including:
- Glass outline. It is a colored or transparent composition in a container with a pointed spout. The substance is applied to the mirror in a thin strip and the contours of the invented design are drawn. The circuit can be with or without firing, but in everyday conditions it is easier to use the second option.
- Stained glass paints. This type of paint differs from simple ones in that after drying they become transparent. Paint is applied with brushes or squeezed out of a tube and distributed over the mirror with cotton swabs.
- Glitters. Small shiny elements can take the form of different geometric shapes - stripes, circles, polyhedrons. Glitters are added to paints and varnishes, which gives them an original shine. A substance with glitter is applied to the crack, drawing a pattern.
Tarnished surface
As a result of exposure to high humidity and sunlight, characteristic stains and tarnishing appear on mirrors over time. You can restore the natural shine of a tarnished product using a mixture of water, vinegar essence and crushed chalk.
To make a surface treatment solution, first add a tablespoon of essence to a glass, and then a similar amount of chalk.
Before use, the solution is heated and allowed to brew, and then a few drops are added to a fluffy rag and wiped over the mirror. It is important to consider that this method is only suitable for mirrors with an aluminum reflective layer. To remove tarnished stains and ensure the original shine with a hint of blue, you can clean the products with a solution containing blue. In case of strong darkening of the mirror, treatment with a mixture of water, magnesia or ammonia mixed with gasoline is required.
Amalgam restoration
If defects appear on the amalgam on the back side of the product, you can visually hide them and restore the condition of the surface by gluing foil. To do this, carefully remove the mirror from the frame or other structure and place it on a flat, soft surface with the front side down. Then a piece of foil of suitable dimensions, which should be slightly larger than the defect, is smoothed out and glued to the surface of the amalgam.
Step-by-step instruction
How to restore a mirror with large amalgam damage?
You need to carefully remove the mirror from the frame and place it on a table covered with a soft cloth. Thoroughly clean the damaged surface with a brush. Then wash with glass cleaner and dry. Now degrease the damaged area with gasoline or alcohol and dry again. Using scissors, cut a piece of foil slightly larger than the size of the damaged area. Apply glue to the treated area of the mirror, apply the foil with the shiny side down and press. Use a napkin to smooth the surface of the foil from the center to the edges. Carefully remove excess glue with a sponge and dry the mirror for several hours. Place the restored mirror back into the frame.
Repairing a mirror coating is labor-intensive and requires investment, so mirror restoration will probably not be cheap.
To restore the surface of a mirror that has minor damage, grinding and polishing are used.
Is it possible to restore old mirrors and how to do it correctly at home?
Over time, all interior items lose their pristine beauty and mirrors are no exception. If this piece of furniture is broken, then it will not be possible to restore it - the solution is recycling. As for small defects, they can be easily restored with your own hands.
Is it possible to repair old canvas?
The process of mirror restoration is very painstaking . Many experienced specialists in this field can not only collect the fragments, but also restore complete integrity. Dust from the inside, clouding, scratches, amalgam defects - all these damages can be eliminated independently using a minimum of tools that every home craftsman has.
But you should understand that in exceptional cases, inserting a new mirror into the frame is much more profitable than restoring the former beauty of the old canvas. Expensive and complex restoration is very rarely applied to museum exhibits that have historical value.
But if the mirror is slightly damaged, then it is stupid to throw it away, so in case of minor defects, it is advisable to restore the surface with your own hands .
If you use the right chemicals and abrasives, the mirror will shine like new. The main criterion is a correctly calculated dosage and a little effort.
Benefits of DIY restoration
Do-it-yourself mirror restoration has its own special advantages:
- It is not always possible to find a master in your city who can restore amalgam.
- Repairing the surface of a mirror will require patience and an investment of money, so turning to a specialist will require a large investment.
- It will take a lot of time to find a craftsman; in addition, during transportation, the interior item may break. If the damage is small, then it is easier to do everything yourself.
Methods for restoring mirror coating
There are several restoration methods, it all depends on the degree and type of damage. If the scratches are small, then a sealant is used, and for significant defects, glue and foil are used.
Repair
It is possible to restore a mirror surface even if cracks appear , and the repair can be carried out in such a way that no defects will be visible even with the naked eye.
But it is better to carry out this process only with those mirrors that have historical value.
Thus, it is not advisable to restore a simple household mirror on the wall - such repairs can be quite expensive.
Do-it-yourself restoration work is carried out only if it is justified, for example:
- minor scratches;
- small chips;
- abrasions;
- cracks in amalgam.
Let's look at some methods that can be used for recovery at home.
Tarnished surface
If a mirror hangs for a long time in a damp room or during prolonged use, its surface may become dull. If a similar situation occurs, then there is no need to throw away the piece of furniture; it can be returned to its original state, or rather polished.
This is a universal restoration tool that is used very often. The process will remove dark stains, minor scratches and abrasions from the surface. Polishing can be done completely or partially ; in some cases, preliminary polishing is allowed.
When polishing, it is important to choose the right special products and their dosage, otherwise the mirror surface may darken even more.
Scratched canvas
If there are scratches on the mirror, you can get rid of them by sanding the surface using abrasive materials. The process works as follows:
- remove the mirror from the frame;
- wash well with soapy water;
- clean surfaces with a degreasing chemical;
- take an abrasive material with optimal particle size, it all depends on the depth of the scratches;
- After this, polishing is used to add shine.
But when carrying out this operation, you need to be very careful, as you can wipe the canvas to holes and the mirror will be damaged.
Attention! If you are not confident in your skills, it is better to look for an experienced craftsman who will bring the piece of furniture into proper shape.
How to restore amalgam?
Amalgam is a metal layer that creates a reflective surface that can peel off or crack over time. This damage looks very unsightly - bald spots all over the surface.
It is worth immediately noting that the restoration of amalgam is a long and multi-stage process, which is carried out using foil, special tools and chemicals.
We invite you to watch a video of how amalgam restoration is carried out using foil:
Required materials and tools
There are two sets of tools and materials for restoration , for minor damage and significant defects. In the first case you will need:
- alcohol;
- water;
- napkins and soft rags;
- sponge;
- silicone sealant.
In the second you should prepare:
- brush;
- rags;
- glue for glass and metal;
- wiper;
- alcohol;
- tassels;
- foil;
- sponge and scissors.
Once everything is prepared, you can start working.
Step-by-step instruction
Let's look at how to restore a mirror surface with your own hands if the amalgam is damaged:
- remove the mirror from the frame and carefully place it on a surface previously covered with a soft cloth;
- Clean the defective surface well with a brush;
- wash the mirror with glass cleaner and dry;
- degrease areas with defects with alcohol;
- cut a piece of foil that should be slightly larger than the damaged area;
- apply glue to the defective area and lay it down with the shiny side down;
- press it with a napkin and level it from the center to the edges;
- Carefully remove excess adhesive with a sponge;
- leave the canvas until completely dry;
- install into frame.
The mirror has been restored and is ready for further use.
How to remove scratches and chips?
The algorithm of actions is as follows:
- wash the surface and degrease with alcohol;
- dry the surface with soft cloths;
- fill the scratches with sealant; for convenience, you can use a toothpick;
- after the composition has completely dried, it is polished;
- The restored mirror is installed in the frame.
Decoration
If the frame in which the mirror is located has lost its presentable appearance, then it can be updated:
- sand and paint;
- decorate with shells;
- cover it with a mosaic made from broken dishes and so on.
How, with a little imagination, you can get an updated piece of furniture of the required design.
We invite you to watch a video about another method of mirror restoration:
Source: https://www.sdmeb.ru/zerkala/restavraciya.html
How to restore a mirror with scratches and chips
Using a solution of water and alcohol, thoroughly rinse the damaged surface of the mirror and dry with napkins. Now carefully fill the scratch with sealant and let it dry. Remove excess from the surface and place the mirror in the frame.
As you can see, restoring a mirror at home is not a labor-intensive task and does not require much expense or time.
Small damages are easier to repair at home using improvised means.
But it should be noted that there are cases so serious that restoring a mirror costs more than buying a new mirror.
How to remove scratches from glass
Removing scratches from car glass, window glass, and aquarium glass is much more difficult. In this case, you cannot sand the surfaces, as you will not be able to remove an even layer. Even if the glass looks normal, grinding will distort and obstruct vision, resulting in poor vision. Polishing is used to remove scratches from glass.
Polishing removes the minimum thickness of the surface layer, while removing small scratches and making the glass more transparent. Choose the finest polishing pastes with grains up to 0.5 microns. For stains and even the smallest scratches, finishing or diamond paste is suitable. By the way, if necessary, it also removes stains.
For thick glass, large scratches and a lot of damage, you can use hand grinding with sandpaper. Choose medium to coarse grit sheets ranging from 200-800. After processing, the glass must be polished.
Decorating a mirror
If the frame of the mirror is wooden and has lost its shine, you can update it by applying varnish of the required color. Or change the look of the mirror by decorating it with jewelry, shells, bamboo sticks or broken dishes. It all depends on the owner’s imagination.
Restoring mirrors is a rather painstaking task, the result of which should be the preservation of the original surface, especially if the mirror is antique.
Depending on the damage to the amalgam, different methods and materials for restoration will be used.
For minor damage, silicone sealant is used, and large areas are restored using foil and glue.
