4 Solutions for Dark Spots on Vintage Mirrors

From time to time, I’ve spotted a great vintage mirror at a flea market or thrift shop, but if the mirror had dark spots on the glass, I’ve just left it there because I didn’t know how to fix the problem.

I found a geometric mirror for a great price at the thrift store the other week and instead of running from my “black spot fear”, I decided to face it head on and figure it out instead!

It turns out there are a few tricks you can use to either totally repair, minimize, or conceal the damage that was caused from moisture on the silver backing of the mirror.

What Causes Black Spots on Mirrors?

Some of the spots on mirrors are opaque areas of damage on the reflective coating, and others are from the backing that’s been scraped or eaten away (so you can see through past the back of the mirror).

How I Remove Black Spots From a Mirror?

There are several ways to remove the spots! I’m sharing 4 ways below:

Use aluminum foil: This trick works really well if you have the kind of spots where the backing has been scraped off and you can see through to the other side of the glass.

To do this, you will need to smooth out small pieces of aluminum foil and tape them with clear tape to the back of the mirror.

The reflective foil is seen from the front and is much less noticeable when you hang it back up again. Since you probably already have tape and aluminum foil on hand, this is an easy solution for a few trouble spots!

Use mirror-like spray paint: This is a similar option to the aluminum foil and essentially does the same thing if you have the clear spot issue. Here is the spray paint I used.

If you have a bunch of small areas all over your mirror, it’s probably more efficient to spray the whole back so any little spots get covered and you don’t have to foil 20 different areas.

Paint a frame to conceal trouble spots: A lot of times, old mirrors will have spots around the edge where water got splashed or steam from a bathroom would creep behind the mirror.

Simply tape off a border or design, use a few coats of spray paint and create a new frame that covers up the spots!

I’ve found that most spray paints will hold up just fine when cleaning the mirror with glass cleaner, but you can always buy a small craft mirror and test out your paint first.

Re-silver the mirror: Re-silvering is basically removing the protective silver backing of the mirror and reapplying those layers again on the back of the glass.

It is a more technical process (see a full tutorial here), and I think the larger the mirror, the harder it would be for a first timer.

But, it is an option if your mirror’s black spots are overwhelming and totally beyond any other repair.

See? That original dark area looks SO much better. Since moisture is what caused the spotty damage in the first place, you’ll want to make to protect your new mirror from further damage by using a layer of protective polyurethane on the back.

Looking for a similar mirror? Click here!

Be sure to do it before taping the foil or after using the mirror spray paint if you are doing those options.

While it does still have that imperfect “vintage feel” to the glass, the makeover process made such a difference to this forgotten treasure, and I will definitely think again before walking away from another cool mirror find in the future. xo, Laura

P.S. Shopping for a new mirror? Check out our Full Length Mirror Guide (Splurge vs. Save)

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Get the How-To

Four ways to remove dark spots from old mirrors

Supplies

1x2x3x

• ▢ aluminum foil
• ▢ spray paint
• ▢ painters tape

Instructions

Use Aluminum Foil:

• This trick works really well if you have the kind of spots where the backing has been scraped off and you can see through to the other side of the glass.

  To do this, you will need to smooth out small pieces of aluminum foil and tape them with clear tape to the back of the mirror.

  The reflective foil is seen from the front and is much less noticeable when you hang it back up again. Since you probably already have tape and aluminum foil on hand, this is an easy solution for a few trouble spots!

Use Mirror-Like Spray Paint:

• This is a similar option to the aluminum foil and essentially does the same thing if you have the clear spot issue. 

  If you have a bunch of small areas all over your mirror, it’s probably more efficient to spray the whole back so any little spots get covered and you don’t have to foil 20 different areas.

Paint the Frame:

• Simply tape off a border or design, use a few coats of spray paint and create a new frame that covers up the spots!

  I’ve found that most spray paints will hold up just fine when cleaning the mirror with glass cleaner, but you can always buy a small craft mirror and test out your paint first.

Re-Silver the Mirror:

• Re-silvering is basically removing the protective silver backing of the mirror and reapplying those layers again on the back of the glass.

  It is a more technical process (see a full tutorial here), and I think the larger the mirror, the harder it would be for a first timer.

  But, it is an option if your mirror’s black spots are overwhelming and totally beyond any other repair.
• Since moisture is what caused the spotty damage in the first place, you’ll want to make to protect your new mirror from further damage by using a layer of protective polyurethane on the back.

© Author Laura Gummerman