I inherited this beautiful mirror from my mother and wanted to hang it in our new home, but the gold in the frame was just a little too orange for my taste. I love the rich colors and detail of the frame, but I wanted to tone down the orange tones so it doesn’t steal the show from the rest of the mirror, and to also fit in with the rest of the decor in my home.
The Before
Cue in the Rub n’ Buff! This stuff is magic. I’ve used it on a number of objects in my home to give it the right metallic tone I’m going for, and they have a variety of fun colors to choose from. For this project I used antique gold, which is a beautiful neutral gold color.
All I needed for this project was the Rub n’ Buff and my application tools. I opted for a microfiber rag and used these small buffing tools that came with the Rub n’ Buff when I ordered from Amazon (totally optional, but found them useful for getting in the hard to reach areas).
I started in one corner and worked my way around the frame. You can clearly see the difference in the two gold tones! It’s as easy as applying the Rub n’ Buff to the desired areas with your rag, and then lightly buffing it out to your liking. You can build on to the color until you get the desired look. It’s a wax-like substance that bonds to surfaces quickly and doesn’t come off easily once dry. A little polish remover can help remove any unwanted applications, but it may be a good idea to do a test area first depending on what substrates you are working with.
I applied the Rub n’ Buff on both the outside and inside of the frame, and also selectively around all the little details. You can really see the difference in the two photos above. The antique gold color was perfect for toning down the orange tones and gave a beautiful result. It looks more modernized and neutral, fitting in with the other decor styles in my home. I love that the colors still pop and are no longer competing with the bright orange gold it was before.
The After
This was such a quick, simple & inexpensive project that made such a dramatic change in this mirror. I loved it before, but I adore it even more now with this simple change. Rub N’ Buff is a fun way to restore or renew things you already own in your home and give them new life!
Materials I Used:
- Rub n’ Buff (Antique Gold)
- Applicator tools (were included with Rub n’ Buff)
- Microfiber cloth
Thanks for your support and following along throughout this project! I hope you found it useful or it sparked some inspiration in your own home.
Xoxo,
