Painting a Mirror Frame

[smurfchops]

I have got a gold mirror frame, it looks a bit like distressed shiny gold leaf. I want to paint it a shiny distressed silver ... any ideas ? Do I undercoat with white or paint over the gold, and do I use a pot of silver paint or spray it ? I don't want a 'dull' effect. What paint should I use ? thanks everyone.

[boxtops]

I'd spray it, you can get suitable paint from a craft shop, or I've used car paint spray with good effect. Just make sure the frame is not greasy with no flaky bits, before you start.

[heathfield]

Plasticote make what is probably the shiniest silver effect spray paint commonly available. It's the can with the cap that looks like it's chrome plated.

[Mosaic]

To get the distressed look, you can apply several layers of different colours then sand through. However, silver distressed effect might be better achieved using a 'crackle' effect - where the background underneath paint shows through cracks in the silver. Have a look at this for some tips:
http://www.designerco...ts/89-Crackle_Effect/