Can you paint a mirror?

[720L]

Anybody know if you can paint a mirror? We have a whole wall of mirrors that we want to get rid of and instead of removing them, we have decided painting would be easier. We want it to look like a wall, not a mirror.

 

[Charade]

You can paint mirrors but in your case I'd recommend taking them down. You won't like the painted look.

 

[720L]

It's ok if I don't like the look, this is not in my home. Our main purpose is to get rid of the reflection we don't care what it looks like!

 

[poohandwendy]

I can't think of anything you could paint glass with that would not scratch off really easily. Also, if they are mirror tiles, painting them would make the edges noticable.

I would remove them. I'm interested to see what other people come up with though, I have never heard of anyone trying this.

 

[golfgal]

The glass isn't a porous surface so it won't absorb the paint. It will scratch off very easily and look horrible. I would remove them. We had a mirrored wall in our old house. The mirrors were on a track system and fairly easy to remove.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

If you do paint them, I would think it would be best to use a primer. Otherwise, the paint won't adhere to the surface very well and flake off.

Although the "this is not my home" comment has me a little . Are you a renter? If so, have you gotten the okay from the owner? I don't think they'd be too pleased with the mirrors being painted over.

 

[720L]

If you do paint them, I would think it would be best to use a primer. Otherwise, the paint won't adhere to the surface very well and flake off.

Although the "this is not my home" comment has me a little . Are you a renter? If so, have you gotten the okay from the owner? I don't think they'd be too pleased with the mirrors being painted over.

It's a business (our business) and the building and mirrors are over 50 years old, which is why it doesn't matter if it looks crappy painted, the whole building is crappy! Paint will improve it. We are putting filing cabinets in front of the mirror so nobody will be touching the mirror to scratch any paint off.

 

[tkd lisa]

I've seen them do this on Discovery shows like "Sell this House". I think they used a special paint though. I'd go to a Lowes or Home Depot and ask in the paint department.

 

[Charade]

I would still recommend taking them down. They're probably glued on so it won't be easy. I wouldn't recommend putting something (like paneling) over them because the next person may not know there's glass behind the paneling.

But painting is easy, cheap and if you don't like it you can always remove them. However, if they are that old and in good shape, they might be worth something to a salvage/restoration company and you could donate them for the cost of removal.

 

[beavismom]

But painting is easy, cheap and if you don't like it you can always remove them. However, if they are that old and in good shape, they might be worth something to a salvage/restoration company and you could donate them for the cost of removal.

I think this is a great idea. Those mirrors are very expensive and you might actually be able to make some money on the deal. At the worst, you might get them removed for free. I would call a local glass business and see if they have any ideas.

My SIL had a mirror wall in her house and they had to remove it, but it looks so much better.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

I like Charade's idea of donating them to a salvage/restoration company, if it's possible.

Does your local Habitat for Humanity have a ReStore? They have one here in Richmond, where they sell some new and a lot of slightly used materials. They might be interested in something like the mirror.

I'd still recommend using a primer. We did when we painted our paneling and haven't had any problems. Like tkd lisa said, check with the folks at Home Depot or Lowe's, or even Sherwin Williams.

 

[Princess89]

I just helped a friend do this for a business. We used a primer, and also experimented with paint, regular paint right from the shelves flaked off. But an appliance type paint recommended by the paint department in Home Depot worked better.

 

[shrubber]

Rather than paint, would you consider wall paper?
It should adhere to the mirror well enough and you wont have to worry about it chipping off.

 

[shrubber]

better yet, try this
http://wallpaperforwindows.com/shop/customer/pages.php?pageid=13