repairing silver back of old mirror

Hello everyone,

We have found a wooden cupboard (with loupe de noyer plating). Everything in quite a nice state. I just cleaned it and gave some care for the wood.
There was also a mirror on it, in not so good state.
We took it off and actually, the paint hiding the silver backing is all flaking off. I used a soft brush to take most of the remaining paint off.





We do not care if we can't use the mirror as such. And I have seen that re-silvering it costs a lot of money.
What I want to do now is to spray the back (over the remaining silver) black and maybe put an additional layer of paint over it to protect it and fix the mirror back.

Is this stupid ?
O.

PS Sorry for my English... is not my mother tongue

 

I would suggest testing that paint for lead before you do anything else to it, especially if there are children that may come in contact with the chips.

I don't know where you are located, but test kits are readily available in most hardware and home improvement stores.

 

I'd not use black paint. I would use a clear spray lacquer. The mirror will still keep its aging and patina, and that's part of its history.

 

I have heard of using silver paint on the back of an old flaking mirror, to keep the rest of the mirroring intact. Although non-reflective, I would think that to be a less noticeable match, than black paint sprayed onto the back.

@Odrade

 

There’s a remedy I heard about using sheets of silver leaf for small patch ups but that could get expensive if there’s lots to do. See what tinfoil looks like?

 

Id just get a cheap piece cut to fit it ,or find a cheap mirror in the thrift or a discount store that had the same measurement and swap it out. That peeling paint would drive me bonkers,but Im weird that way !

 

Looks like you've got a barking dog there:


Try spraying over it. If it doesn't work out, you've got other options to try and, as johnnycb09 said, you can always find another piece of mirror to swap it out.

 

just slop some more paint on it, hopefully same colour.

 

ARG!

 

There was a thread about this not so long ago and I think the conclusion was to strip what was left of the old silver backing, buy a cheap mirror and get it cut to size and fit it behind the old glass.

 

Ooooh thank you all for your answers !
Sabre, indeed, it looks like lead paint. At least there are no children around and my cats are not interested. I will take care of the chips like it was lead paint.

ownedbybear/antidiem, I'm afraid that if I use silver/chrome paint it will look like a bad attempt of repairing. I prefer black paint to show it is not a repair, but it will keep the remaining silver visible.

Houseful, yes silverleaf "glueing" could be an idea, but indeed expensive and I'm not so professional...

KSW yes, could be an idea if my black spraying doesn't look nice. And indeed, otherwise I will try to find another mirror.

And thanks again for your answers !

O.

 

Unless you want it to look bad, just put a new mirror in place of the old one and keep the old one for the next owner to decide upon.

 

Yes cherryhill, I will look indeed for another mirror and keep this one for experiences

thanks again for all your advices ! Have a nice weekend !

O.

 

the barking dog

 

Here, the aged glass would be considered way more desirable and saleable than a modern swap out. I love the look of it.

 

Oh there is a lot more than a barking dog : I see a growling bear, a dwarf, a hammershark...
I will let it rest till next week and go further (bad weather here these days and I work under a cover, but open to outside).
Hard to make photos of a mirror, but I will try to keep you posted.

Have a nice sunday !
O.

 

If this were my piece to sell it, I'd not alter the glass. I'd let the buyer decide..

 

Me too - if I were keeping it, I'd like the original.

 

The problem is : the original has now only a part left silvered. The rest is with black spots or away. What I will do is try to get away all the (lead) paint I can so that it will not damage more the silver laying under and protect the silver with spray paint. I will see what it makes...

 

So.
I cleaned it as much I could from the (lead) paint that came off, trying not to damage more the silver layer.
Then I sprayed it with black paint, 2 layers. I worked very satisfactory : the remaining lead paint was stabilised and the silver was protected.

This is how it looks now :


Of course the mirror looks old and weary, but that's OK for us. The important thing is that now, it won't become worse and we have an old-looking furniture in our room that matches with the general personality of our house.

Thanks again for your messages
O.