How to make an expanding foam mirror

• 1 wall mirror (mine is 40cm x 1.6m)
• 2 x cans of Gorilla Pro Expanding Foam
• Resene Quick Dry
• Resene testpots in your choice of paint colour, Fleur used Resene Ironsand (x2), Resene Half Masala and Resene Stack
• Paint brush
• Paint scraper

Instructions

Step 1:  Start by covering the frame of the mirror with Gorilla Pro Expanding Foam as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Fleur used two cans. Moving the can quickly will give a thinner band of foam, whereas moving slowly will create a thicker look as more foam can build up. Don’t worry if you get any foam on the mirror where you don’t want it – this can be scraped off later with a paint scraper once the foam is dry. (Photo 1). Leave the mirror overnight before starting on the painting to make sure the foam is fully cured.

Step 2:  Prime the foam with Resene Quick Dry. I used the paintbrush in a swirling motion to get into all the crevices. (Photo 2).

Step 3:  Once the primer is dry, paint the outer half in two coats of Resene Ironsand. Fleur used two testpots of Resene Ironsand. Paint the next few inner centimetres in Resene Half Masala, followed by the next few centimetres closest to the glass in Resene Stack. Fleur decided not to paint right up to the glass to save on having to scrape any paint off the glass. Keep applying paint and merging the colours together until you are happy with the gradual gradient of colours. (Photos 3 and 4).

Step 4:  Scrape off any flicked paint on the glass with a paint scraper once the paint is dry.

Top tip:  For a weathered and antique look, apply your Resene basecoat colour, then Resene FX Crackle effect and then your chosen Resene topcoat colour. The Resene FX Crackle will cause cracks to appear in the topcoat so you will be able to see the basecoat colour. It’s a quick and easy way to get a unique antiqued effect.

Project and images by Fleur Thorpe. June 2021.