Antique Mirror

It Improves a Home’s Appeal
Adding a mirror to a room can make it more beautiful and enjoyable. Use a mirror’s reflection to draw attention to a beautiful vase or another eye-catching feature, for example.

It Makes a Great Atmosphere for Your Guests
Antique mirrors are highly suitable for “feng shui” design. Mirrors emphasize the intended use of each room, creating a more intentional design. For example, you can hang a large antique mirror over the mantle of a fireplace to tone down the harshness of the flames. Another great idea: you can add a mirror to your foyer to make visitors feel more welcome into an inviting and open space.

It Creates the Illusion of a Larger Space
Include antique mirrors in your decor if you have smaller rooms or spaces. The reflective nature of a mirror will make a small bathroom or bedroom appear more spacious. Antique mirrors can also be used to open up a narrow hallway. To make the corridor appear more spacious, place a few identical mirrors next to one another along the wall.

It Enhances a Room’s Lighting
An antique mirror’s reflection can be used to boost the brightness of a room. Mirrors are a useful tool when it comes to brightening up a dark home or a poorly lit room. To add extra natural light to the room, hang mirrors on the opposite wall of a window. Mirrors can also be positioned to reflect artificial lighting too. If you have a chandelier in your dining room, try hanging an antique mirror to reflect the beauty and brilliance of the lighting fixture.

It Provides Additional Security
Half-sphere mirrors are used by security personnel to keep an eye on potentially dangerous individuals in retail establishments. Antique mirrors placed strategically throughout your home can provide a similar effect, allowing you to see around walls and entrances to provide additional security.

Antique Mirrors Make a Statement
Strategically placed mirrors make a bold design statement. You can create an eye-catching statement with oversized or fancy framed mirrors. Display them where everyone can see them, such as on the walls of a luxurious dining room. Leaning a tall, slim mirror against the room’s corner can add character to dressing rooms and closets. You could also add a light behind the mirror to make a more dramatic statement.

Application
Antique (or distressed) Mirror Glass can be used for most of the applications considered for standard mirror glass, from simple frames to kitchen splashbacks and furniture to wall-cladding. Where standard mirror glass offers a fairly glitzy if predictable material, antique mirror glass offers a depth and richness which enhances any application.

Style
As you might expect there are a variety of different antique mirror styles available, from beautifully authentic hand distressed antique mirror glass to marbled and mottled ready-made styles in a range of colours and patterns including warmer hues.

Thickness
Most distressed mirror glass is offered in 4mm or 6mm thickness, but handmade antiqued mirror styles can allow for greater thicknesses.

Protection from Breakage
Health and safety requirements mean that all mirror glass must be either safety-backed with safety tape/foil or toughened. Toughening antique mirror glass is definitely worth considering if the glass will be near a direct heat source, for example, a gas hob or Aga.

Edges
As with standard mirror glass, edges can be polished, chamfered, mitred or bevelled to a depth from the edge of the glass. All our glass is supplied with standard polished edges to prevent the risk of injury as this removes the sharpness of the cut edges.

Fixing
Given the value of antiqued mirror glass, it's often worth thinking through the fixing options carefully. Mirror adhesive is the straightforward, permanent option for most flat walls, but if you want the flexibility of moving the panel(s) to another location then screwing them to the wall is a good alternative. This requires holes to be made in the glass when it is first being cut. Once in situ, the screws themselves can be covered with decorative screw caps.

Timeframes
The lead times for distressed mirror glass varies from 2 weeks for ready-made antique mirror styles to 6 weeks for hand finished antique mirror styles, depending on a number of different factors including the volume required.

Cost
The cost for antique mirror glass is considerably higher than standard mirror glass. Handmade antiqued mirror is the most expensive option due to the time and process involved in making these styles. The costs for our handmade styles start from £588 + VAT per square meter, with additional costs for toughening and processing.

Measurement
The costs of antique mirror glass mean that getting the measurements right the first time is crucial. If you're putting a number of panels together, particularly on a wall, it is worthwhile having a full, professional survey done to ensure all the measurements are accurate. Most companies that supply distressed mirror glass offer such a service.

Installation
Depending on the complexity of the project, it is well worth using the services of a professional installer to ensure the panels are carefully fitted, aligned and flush.

Check whether the glass is original or has been replaced
Glass that has been replaced doesn’t tend to have a huge effect on an antique mirror’s value. A mirror that still has its original glass is, however, often more desirable. If a mirror still has its original glass this may help to give away its age – older glass is usually much thinner than modern glass and normally has a yellow or grey tone, rather than being colourless. Glass that has been around for a long time also has more character, and some small imperfections, such as light foxing, may even add to its appeal.

Look at the back
Looking at the back of an antique mirror could provide more clues as to its age and origin. You may find an engraved or stamped name or logo, which might help you to identify where it was made and by whom. Older mirrors tend to feature wooden rather than paper backing, so this is also worth checking.

Check for signs of ageing
A genuine antique mirror will always have suffered some wear and tear. Check the wooden frame carefully for areas of fading or darkening, as well as any stains or woodworm. The mirror glass itself will also have signs of ageing if it is original – look out for any cloudy spots or foxing, as well as any scratches or chips on the surface.

Do your research
If you’ve seen and fallen in love with an antique mirror, it might be difficult not to buy it there and then. When it comes to antiques, however, it pays to do your research. You may want to take a photograph of your mirror and then spend some time researching its design features and looking for similar models online so you can be more sure that it isn’t just a modern-day replica.