Cheval Mirror Painted for an Antiqued Look

What do you do if you have a modern piece but want a vintage look? No problem -- fake it 'til you make it! This is a modern-day cheval mirror which started with a slick shiny finish. I prepped the wood with Java Gel stain and gave it a bit of texture before painting it with a layered paint finish. The final color is Duck Egg Blue with a java glaze.

Before:

Before: Modern slick finish.
Just wait and see how different it looks now!

HOW TO CREATE AN ANTIQUE FINISH:

To add a little textured aging to the modern smooth finish, first I applied some wood filler with a spatula here and there and let it dry. 

I didn't want the light stained wood to peek through where I would later sand the paint. So next I used a foam brush to apply a Java Gel Stain over the entire mirror frame.  I love the gel stain products by General Finishes because they are less messy than traditional stains. 

I applied Duck Egg blue chalk after the stain dried.

Applying Java gel stain with a foam brush.

After:

I sanded the paint a bit here and there and then sealed it with clear wax. A little more of the lighter wood peeked through than I planned for, so I applied a java glaze over the waxed finish and then wiped it off with a shop towel. The glaze nestled into the nooks and crannies and gave it the antiqued look that I wanted.

Close up of Duck Egg blue finish.

Thank you for stopping by the blog today!

Supply List (contains affiliate links):

Wood filler & putty spatula
Java Gel Stain
Duck Egg Blue (The small project pot size should be plenty for this size project. But I always buy the larger size because I use it so much.)
Clear wax & wax brush
Java Glaze (Similar to stain but the consistency is a bit different.) Alternatively, a dark wax could be applied instead of the glaze.
Blue shop towels (to wipe off excess glaze)