How to Paint Dark Wood White with No Bleed Through

When Ed and I were first married we built book shelves in our family room and stained them. I didn’t like the way the stain looked – too dark and I wanted them white – so I painted them. A few days later the book shelves were pink!!! I am not kidding.

The stain bled right through the white paint. I was young and this truly was one of the first DIY home improvement projects I ever did. Off I went to the paint store to find out what happened. KILZ was recommended and I have been using it ever since.

Back in the summer I took part in the nationwide I LOVE Thrifting event. I met up with area bloggers and we had a great day thrift shop hopping. You can read all about it – I Love Thrifting Event. This mirror is one of the items I picked up that day. It cost me $12.90. I had no idea what I was going to do with it, I just liked the lines and knew I could use it somehow. I recently figured out how and easily made it happen with Kilz Clean Start.

The satin sheen on the mirror picks up a bit of light which helps with the glow factor. I am keeping my holiday decorating simple this year – Greenery, candles, and shiny ornaments only. Oh… and ribbon, too. I also love the fact that this mirror reflects my front door, sidelights, and transom – brings some life to the dead space.

Here is the Before picture of how this wall looked. It has always been a dead space. I have never liked anything I have put here, until now. The mirror fit perfectly above the piano – like it was made for the space. I know the original color of the mirror would match the piano – but that would be way too dark for me. The piano – like 90% of the furnishings in my house is a hand-me-down. I try my best to make them work with my style.

How to Paint a Dark Wood Finished Mirror to a Lighter Color with no Bleed Through

Kilz Clean Start is like having 3 products in one. It is multi-purpose -a primer, sealer, and stainblocker, plus it is extremely low odor and has Zero VOC’s which makes it as environmentally friendly. It can be used indoors and outdoors and can be cleaned up with water. Love that!

Here is the mirror BEFORE. Kindii is new to the world of mirrors. It is funny watching her checking out her reflection. “Hey, I am looking… GOOD!

I tried to remove the mirror from the frame, but it would not budge and I didn’t want it to break- so I left it in. I used painters tape to keep the Kilz Clean Start and paint off the mirror as much as possible.

When I opened the can I was expecting there to be that oil paint smell, but it had no smell at all. No headache induced from any paint fumes. It is a bit thicker than paint and I stirred it well. I lightly sanded the frame using a fine grit sanding block. You can buy them at any home improvement store. I cleaned off the grit with a tack cloth.

The first coat went on a little sluggish, even with my Purdy brush that I love. It didn’t glide-on as smoothly as paint does or the oil based original formula, but it covered very well even after one light coat.

The directions said to let it dry for at least 30 minutes before applying a 2nd coat. I had things to do and added the second coat about 3 hours later. I was very happy to see that the first coat was still as white as snow.

No bleed-through at all. The label says if you see a stain coming through to wait longer until applying the next coat. When painting any type of wood furniture – the joints that are hidden in the dark recesses of the wood suddenly show up.

I filled in it with caulk before applying the second coat of Kilz Clean Start.

After letting the second coat of Clean Start dry, I painted two light coats of Valspar Bistro White in a satin finish on the mirror frame. It came out just as I had envisioned and no bleed-through at all.

Here is how it looks at night. All aglow and sparkly. Much better than the dark wood finish.

I needed Ed’s help to hang it. He is the musical one in the family so he is happy to see me doing something with this part of the room. I am quite happy with how it came out. Having paid only $12.90 makes me love it even more!

If I am standing in my kitchen, the mirror reflects the clock that I recently brought up from my basement. My Christmas tree is reflected in the doors. Wish I could get that Bokeh effect with my point and shoot.

If you would like to make the icy branches I have on the piano, here is a post about them: How to Make the Icy Sparkling Branches

The light reflected looks different in the morning, afternoon, and evening. My room almost looks blue in the late afternoon.

It is hard taking a photo of a mirror – it reflects everything – even my arm.