Painted Furniture
Upcycling a 1935 Classic
After decades on a dresser and a year tucked away in the study, this 1935 mirror is headed for a new life in the upstairs hallway.
Sometime way back around 1998 or 1999-ish, I picked up an old dresser and mirror from The Salvation Army store to use in one of the bedrooms. It's really quite a solid, well-built piece and I got it for about $25. All these years it's been a great piece for the house. However, in recent years, a very large TV was a put on top of that dresser, almost completely covering the mirror. At some point I realized there really was no need for that mirror. So, we removed the mirror and stored it in the study for the last... I don't know, maybe year or so.
From Dresser Mirror to Hallway Mirror
Then a week or two ago, it dawned on us that maybe we should do something with it. It's a rather pretty mirror and it was being wasted, just sitting in a corner of the study. So, we decided to put it in the upstairs hallway. Of course, it was old and some of the styling was a bit dated so we thought - let's do something different with it. And that's what I'm gonna tell you all about now...let's get into it.
First, let me point out my favorite thing about this mirror... the dog in its reflection! Charlie almost acted as if he knew it was him looking back. Little guy's a bundle of joy.
What's Behind a 90-Year-Old Mirror?
That out of the way, I started this project by removing the back cover of the mirror. It was surprisingly substantial at 1/4" of old-school plywood.
It also has mounting hardware on both sides. I don't plan to use them but thought it's a nice touch... they'll stay.
Once opened, the level of quality craftsmanship of the build was immediately apparent. As you can see...wooden wedges rather than framer's points...
There were also several wads of cotton along the sides and at the corners between the mirror edge and the wood. My Sherlock-like skills of deduction deduced that these cotton wads were there for cushioning!
A few of the original cotton wads fell out when I removed the backing, so at the time I substituted small rolled pieces of fiberglass insulation to provide similar cushioning.
And because I have sausage fingers, I just very gingerly pressed the new fiberglass wads into place using my trusty old putty knife.
All that done, I reinstalled the back. I reused some of the same small nails, but I also added some very small screws, just to give it a little bit more teeth into the frame. Of course, I was very, very careful and predrilled the holes for the screws, being sure not to drill too deeply. After the back was reinstalled, it seemed to lay much flatter and tighter against the frame, and a lot more secure as well.
And just for fun, I wanted to point out that, as with just about every single project here at 173, I used a lot more tools for this simple task than I would have ever imagined. But that's just how I roll!
A Surprise Date: April 11, 1935
And then I found something on the back that made me stop for a minute.
April 11, 1935.
Apparently that's when this mirror was made. I knew it was old, of course, but I don't think I'd ever really thought about how old. When this mirror was made, House 173 was only about eight years old. Somewhere, somebody was looking into this glass when the house we're living in now was still practically brand new.
Suddenly my $25 Salvation Army find felt a little different.
Not necessarily valuable. Not some priceless antique. Just old, nearly 90 years of people looking into the same piece of glass. And knowing that made me even more determined not to do anything stupid to it.
I don't say that lightly because back around 1999, I was rehanging a beautiful old Art Deco-style full-length mirror after painting the hallway. As I tightened one of the mirror clips, I gave the screw one turn too many.
Crack.
The mirror snapped right in half.
It was old, heavy and beautiful, and more than 25 years later I still think about that damn mirror occasionally. So yes... I'm being extraordinarily careful with this one.
Saying Goodbye to the Decorative Tacks
In 1935, and probably for many years after, the decorative tacks running across the top of the frame (and in the dresser too) were stylish.
However, in 2025 they had long since taken on the character of being tacky (see what I did there?).
.heic)
As much as I like to keep things as close to original as I can, in this case we're changing the entire look anyway so... out came the tacks.
Of course there will be a little repair work to do, but nothing big at all.
Literally less than two minutes and the holes were repaired...
She left the web, she left the loom,
She made three paces through the room,
She saw the water-lily bloom,
She saw the helmet and the plume,
She look'd down to Camelot.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The mirror crack'd from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.
- Alfred Lord Tennyson, The Lady of Shalott
Protecting the Mirror and Finishing the Prep
I decided that before I started sanding and really getting any further into this, it was time to protect the mirror itself.
So I started with some painter's tape around the edge just to make for less scraping after the painting was done. And before we move on...I love mirror pictures like this next one - looking up at the joists where I store a lot of wood and other odds and ends.
And because there would be a lot of work going on so close to the mirror, I decided to cover the whole thing with some paper to help prevent scratches and keep reminding me that I couldn't just casually plop things down on there with any force.
From there, I used one of those spongy sandpaper blocks and spent, I don't know, I guess 15 or 20 minutes sanding the frame, basically just getting the gloss off and sanding down where I had to used the wood filler on the old tack holes. And that's really all, it didn't take much to get it ready for painting.
And that's where I'll leave it for Part 1. The old tacks are gone, the holes are filled, the frame is sanded, and, most importantly, the nearly 90-year-old mirror is still in one piece.
Next comes the fun part: paint, antiquing and a topcoat. At this point it's already starting to look less like the mirror that sat on that dresser for more than 25 years and more like something made specifically for the upstairs hallway.
And I can't wait to see if what I'm picturing in my head actually works.
Hey, thanks for stopping by. See you for Part 2!
The minute you said the mirror was 'being wasted,' I knew a project was coming. 😂
And honestly, I get it. A beautiful old mirror like that deserves to be seen instead of hiding behind a television.
After hearing what happened to the other antique mirror, I would've wrapped this one up like the Mona Lisa too.
But my favorite part was Charlie checking himself out in 90-year-old glass.
After all those decades, the mirror finally found its biggest admirer. - A Woman Who's Refinished a Few Things
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is the House 173 hallway mirror?
A manufacturer's stamp discovered on the back appears to date the mirror to April 11, 1935, making it approximately 90 years old when this project began.
Can an old dresser mirror be reused as a wall mirror?
Absolutely. Many vintage dresser mirrors have substantial wooden frames that can work beautifully as standalone wall mirrors once they're safely separated from the dresser and appropriate hanging hardware is installed.
Should you remove the backing from an old mirror?
Only when there's a reason to inspect or repair it. Old mirrors can be fragile, and their backing may contain original hardware and materials worth preserving. If it must be removed, careful handling is important.
Why was cushioning placed around the old mirror glass?
Soft material between the glass and wooden frame can help prevent direct contact, movement and rattling. In this mirror, old cotton wadding appears to have served that purpose.
Can you paint an old wooden mirror frame?
Yes, although whether you should depends on the piece's historical or monetary value. For an ordinary vintage furniture mirror being repurposed for continued use, paint can give it an entirely new appearance while allowing the original structure to remain intact.
How do you protect mirror glass while painting the frame?
Painter's tape around the perimeter combined with paper covering the main glass surface helps protect against paint, sanding debris and accidental scratches during the project.
Keywords
1935 mirror, vintage mirror makeover, old dresser mirror, painted mirror frame, upcycled mirror, vintage dresser mirror, hallway mirror, antique mirror restoration, mirror frame makeover, painted furniture, Salvation Army furniture find, House 173