How To Add A Spooky Face To A Mirror For Halloween
I love DIY Halloween decorations and this spooky Halloween mirror is a great one. In different light the spooky face almost looks three dimensional.
If you’re looking for a tutorial on the spooky Halloween hand candle holders we can help you out there too!
I found this perfect mirror for the project at Goodwill. Can you spot my foot in the mirror? 🙂
In addition to a mirror, you’ll need a few other supplies.
- large garbage bags or something to protect your workspace
- paint stripper (I tried basic paint thinner and that didn’t do the trick)
- bleach
- paint scraper
- old paint brush
- chemical resistant disposable gloves
- some sort of work goggles or old sunglasses to protect your eyes from splashes
- paper towels
- bleach
- water
- matte black spray paint
- print out of a spooky face
- tape
First clean off the mirror and remove it from the frame.
Spray paint the frame with your matte black spray paint and let it dry.
Find An Image To Add To Your Halloween Mirror
I found a spooky image online and printed it out in black and white. Find your image first so you know approximately how big of a spot to remove from the mirror.
To save on black ink I spray painted the edges black. Let the image dry.
Removing The Mirroring To Add Your Spooky Face
Place your mirror face down on a large trash bag or waterproof drop cloth. I would make sure to do this project outside because of the strong chemicals.
Pop on your chemical safe gloves and goggles and open your paint stripper. I found this one at the hardware store. Read the instructions carefully and be extremely cautious when using chemicals like these.
There are kits you can get to remove the mirroring but nothing similar was available near me. After some research, a lot of people had luck removing mirroring using this multi strip product. But I haven’t tried it.
Pour on a thick layer about the size of your face you printed out. I let it sit for about 10 minutes.
Next I used a paint scraper to remove the paint from the back of the mirror. Remember to just work in a section that’s about the size of your image.
Wipe up the paint with a paper towel and add another layer of paint stripper to the area to start working on the copper layer.
I left this on for a while probably an hour, but it will depend on your mirror and what paint stripper you’re using.
This layer removed the copper layer. I used the paint scraper and cleaned the area off with water.
I dried it off and added a little bleach to the area.
This removes some of the silver layer so you can see through the mirror.
You can see the garbage bag through the section above.
Wipe clean with water and let it dry thoroughly.
Adding Your Spooky Face To The Halloween Mirror
Place your spooky image face down on the back of your mirror in the opening you just created.
Tape it in place.
The image shows through but is still reflective.
Use your spooky Halloween mirror on your mantle display or hang it in the bathroom for an extra spooky surprise.
While I took a mirror and removed the mirroring to add an image, you could also use a frame with glass and add looking glass spray paint to add the mirroring to the area around the face instead.
Check out some of our other fun Halloween DIYs.