It’s no secret that I love gold. Gold is an accent color in every room of my home. Shiny, dull, brass, gold, champagne, I love it all and love the warmth that it can bring to a room. And one thing that I have learned to love is gold leaf you can buy at Hobby Lobby. They come in small sheets that can be applied to just about anything you can think of. And it’s the most easy thing ever!
BEFORE 
AFTER
Here’s what you need:
- Composition Gold Leaf Metal Sheets
- Metal Leaf Spray Sealer
- Metal Leaf Brush On Adhesive
- One small art paint brush
- One soft bristle paint brush a bit larger
- Plastic sheet for collecting the excess foil pieces (9×12 or similar size)
This is the easiest project ever. Start with an old (or new) frame that you want to add some glam to. I started with this large mirror from Kirklands. There was a crack in the frame and the bronzey finish just wasn’t doing it for me. I could envision the gold foil look and knew that it would be the perfect piece for my foyer.
First, you take your adhesive and brush it onto the surface where you want to apply the foil. If your frame has grooves, you may have to do two coats of foil. Do not apply too much adhesive because we want it to dry a little bit until it feels tacky to the touch. This will allow the foil to adhere much better. If it is too wet, the foil tends to break apart and get soggy. Follow the directions on the adhesive. I always err on the side of more wet just because I don’t want it to lose its stickiness.
Next, once the adhesive feels sticky at the touch, take the plastic sheet that comes in the gold foil sheets and use it to lay on top of the foil sheet. This is used because the foil WILL stick to your fingers and cause it to break apart. It should stick to the plastic sheet easily so that it picks up without you really having to do anything. Gently place the gold foil side on the area that you have applied the adhesive. You can take the extra dry soft bristly paint brush and help smooth it out or help push it into some of the grooves. If it breaks apart, that’s totally fine. You can apply a second layer over the cracked areas once it dries.
Continue this process until you have covered your frame once. You should let the frame dry until it no longer feels wet or sticky. Then, take the dry brush again and lightly brush the excess gold foil pieces off. This is where your extra plastic sheet comes in. This stuff can get everywhere!
Once that has been completed and all the excess foil has been removed, you can decide what gaps you need filled in. It actually took me two full layers and some spot touch ups to cover this entire mirror. There were so many groves and designs on the frame that I wanted it to look fully covered. After each layer, be sure to brush off the excess so that you don’t have loose pieces hanging off.
Once you are pleased with the outcome, be sure to give it a gentle final brush before you apply the Metal Leaf Spray Sealer. And that’s it! Let it dry and it is ready to hang! How easy was that?
We would love to see pictures of your frames! Have a different way to do it? Let us know below!