The $6.99 mirror was a hideous bright green color, splattered with white blotches. It wasn't smooth either. It had a really odd texture all over it, but I was hoping that since I was going to do zebra stripes instead of a solid color, the pattern would help disguise the bumpy texture.
I also stopped at Fred Meyer and grabbed some sandpaper, some blue painters tape, three different sized paint brushes, a Polycrylic spray in Clear Gloss, and a small can of black paint (I already had a gallon of white paint at home that I could use).
The first thing I did was cover my table in newspaper. Then I laid the mirror down flat and started sanding down the texture as best I could, without using an actual sander (because power tools scare me!!). The sandpaper didn't make a huge difference, but the wood felt a bit smoother.
Next, I used the painters tape to tape around the perimeter of the mirror, to keep from getting any paint on it. Then I used the large brush to apply two coats of white paint. I was sure to let the first coat dry overnight before applying the second.
Once the second coat was dry, I used a black sharpie to draw in the outline of the zebra stripes. Since I'm no artist, I googled "zebra mirror" and printed out one that I liked, and copied those stripes as best I could.
Next, I used one of the smaller brushes to fill in the stripes with black paint. This also took two coats, even three in some places that looked a little splotchy. I also used the wider brush to paint the edges of the mirror black.
Once I was happy with the paint coverage, I used the Polycrylic spray to add a coat of shine. But first, I covered the mirror itself with newspaper so that the spray didn't get on the glass. I did a second spray the next day for a more high-gloss finish.
Lastly, I removed the blue tape and scraped any paint off the mirror with a razor blade. And, voila!! Behold, the finished project:
My sister loved it, and hung it in her bathroom above her zebra towels. How Jerseylicious of her!!
