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Trumeau Mirror Update & Crackle Paint Technique (Video)

I’ve updated my trumeau mirror (a project from my book, French Vintage Decor, and I’m in love! I accidentally discovered a new crackle paint technique!

Beaded chandelier with long mirror in a seating area.

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

My gorgeous trumeau mirror was a DIY project from my book, French Vintage Decor, and I gave it an update! When I created it for the book, it didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted it to but I still loved it.

Today I’m showing you how I updated it and also accidentally came across a cool crackle paint technique!

To learn how to make this mirror from scratch, check out my book, French Vintage Decor.

This is what it looked like before when I created it for my book:

Before long French mirror with gold and green paint.

I did a piping technique with drywall mud similar to what I did on my daughter’s French dresser.

Updating the rectangle on the mirror

First, we chiselled off all the swirly drywall mud design.

Chiselling over design on mirror.
Green, gold and grey mirror laying flat on table outside.

Now that rectangle needed to be patched over so I mixed about 1/4 cup of Fusion Mineral Paint (Little Lamb) with about 1 tablespoon of Fresco (this will give you that plaster look with lots of texture!) You want it thick but still paintable, like the consistency of icing/frosting.

I mixed them together in a plastic bowl (I often use my leftover yogurt and sour cream containers!) and a plastic spoon then I covered up the rectangle area over using a putty knife.

In my haste to get the project done, I didn’t wait for it to dry before painting the whole mirror over with just the grey paint (to get rid of the green splotches). In doing so, it made the most beautiful cracks!

Cracks in grey paint with gold trim.

Replicating the CRacks

I loved this crackle technique so much that I wanted it all over the mirror not just the middle rectangle, so I mixed up some more Fusion Mineral Paint (Little Lamb) and Fresco together, this time adding a bit more Fresco.

I poured in about 1/4 cup of the paint again and started with one heaping tablespoon of the Fresco. You’ll notice that it tends to get quite thick when it sits for more than a minute or so. Wait a couple of minutes. You can see in the photo below how thick it should be. You can always add a bit more Fresco to thicken it up and if you need to thin it out a bit, you can add a bit more paint.

Now add splotches wherever you want the cracks using a putty knife.

Plastering on some furniture.

Then I went back over those splotches with an artist’s putty knife or spatula to smooth them out a bit. You want it pretty thick. Some of the splotches I did didn’t ‘crack’ so this was definitely a process of finding out how to replicate the cracks!

I watched the splotches carefully so that it didn’t fully dry and when it looked dry (but truly wasn’t dry by touch) I painted over the splotches with just the paint and a paint brush, not with the Fresco.

After a couple of hours as it was fully drying, the cracks came through!

Putting paint and plaster on wood with grey and gold.

Then I painted wooden appliques with my Vintage Gold paint and glued them on using my hot glue gun. You could also use wood glue but I was worried with the frame being so bumpy that they would stick.

(I bought my wooden appliques at Lee Valley Hardware in Vancouver but you can find similar wooden appliques here and here)

Gold appliques on plaster wall.
Grey plaster with gold appliques.
Grey mirror with gold painted appliques.
French gold mirror with grey and beautiful design.

I love this new updated look! I can’t wait to try more projects using this new crackled paint technique.

Video:

Be sure to watch my YouTube video on my updated trumeau mirror with the crackle paint technique.

Make sure to pin it for later!

Crackle Paint Technique
DIY Trumeau Mirror

Jamie

Click here to order my book, French Vintage Decor.

Click in case you missed:

Anthropologie Inspired French Gold Mirrors

Anthropologie Inspired French Gold Mirros poster.

Ultimate Guide to Antiquing Mirrors

Ultimate Guide To Antiquing Mirrors poster.

DIY Small Wooden Display Case

DIY Small Wooden Display Case poster.

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15 Comments

    1. Love the updated mirror Jamie!
      I will definately be trying that crackle technique, then making some Iron Orchid Designs moulds to go on it.
      From Jo @ hoipolloiau. (the one who made your cheese safe. Lol)

    1. Aww, that’s not rude, Betty! I loved it before too but I wanted to change it up and give others an option if they didn’t want to do the freehand scrollwork and I didn’t want to replicate the whole mirror at this time!
      Hugs, Jamie

  1. I was thinking Oh Nooo when you started scraping the molding off but Oh Yeah it turned out Beautiful 🥰

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