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Antiques & Collectibles

how to back a vintage mirror??? need advice!

17 years ago

i was given a beautiful mid century mirror that is very large 3' x 4' and very heavy. i want to hang it over a pedestal sink from the ceiling. i need to rewire it so it will hang vertically instead of horizontally but i also need to lay down some paper backing since the original brown paper is disintigrating and peeling away. do i need a special type of paper? archival? can i just paste it down like the old stuff?

any experience with this or maybe framing would be oh-so-helpful.

thanks so much, sandee

Featured Answer

lindac

17 years ago

To replace the paper, buy a roll of brown wrapping paper ( won't need to be acid free for a mirror...and even for a print, that would be backed with acid free board) and cut a piece to fit the back of the mirror..add a little extra. Coat the back of the frame with a rubber cement, press the paper onto the wet rubber cement and then take a very wet cloth and wet the paper. When it dries it will shrink and become tight...that's what the professionals do.
Then with an X-acto knife, trim off excess paper.
Linda C

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Comments (7)

lindac
17 years ago
I don't think any of my old mirrors have a paper backing...just wood behind the glass.
Linda C
markmizzou
17 years ago
Sorry to disagree again --Many old mirrors just had wood behind the "silvering" while other furniture makers would put a heavy paper between the back of the mirror and the wood backing. The thing to remember here is that many many of the old mirror's silvering if brittle and fragile.
Be very careful when you are working on the backside of a non-protected mirror. any accidental scratches you make, and you wind up with a scratch that you can see clear thru. There is no "repair of scratches on a mirror -- that I know of. I have had to have several dresser mirrors resilvered as they were too far gone to even function as a mirror. This is usually cost-effective if it is/was a beveled mirror. I have also de-silvered some with muratic acid and then put a new thin mirror behind the beveled "ex-mirror. This will work if you are fantical about cleaning the surfaces, and you don't mind a "deeper look" on the finished product. Good luck
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lindac
17 years ago
I believe the Original Poster was referring to paper over the wood backing.
Under no circumstances would I mess with the wood backing on a fine antique mirror. And resilvering hugely diminishes any value the mirror might have had as an antique.
Linda C
xemom
Original Author
17 years ago
yes, it's brown paper over the wood. it looks like the back of a professionally framed picture. the paper is disintigrating now and peeling away (or vice versa) i want to protect it as best i can because it will be over the bathroom sink.
lazy_gardens
17 years ago
Take the paper off and replace it with fresh paper.

The paper, like the paper on old art work, was put there to prevent bedbugs and other vermin from nesting in the frame.

It's not part of the value.
xemom
Original Author
17 years ago
ooooh lindac, thank you so much. that's the info i needed. i'm off to buy some paper tomorrow.
thanks everyone for all for the help.
sandee

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