Gilded Mirrors and Frames, Caring for and Restoring Gilding

A gilded mirror or frame needs very little care, and most damage comes from too much of it. Dust it gently with a soft brush once in a while, keep it away from damp walls, radiators and fires, and never wipe it with a wet cloth or spray. If the gold is flaking, lifting or has been touched up with gold paint, leave it alone and ask a gilder or conservator, because restoring gilding is a job of consolidation, careful regilding and toning, not a quick coat of something shiny.

Real gilding or gold paint?

Before you clean or repair anything, it helps to know what you have. True gilding is real metal leaf, beaten so thin it is almost translucent, laid over a prepared ground. Gold leaf does not tarnish, so even an old frame keeps a clear, bright sheen where the gold survives. Look closely and you may see faint straight lines where one square of leaf overlaps the next.

Gold paint, often called bronze paint, is made from metal powders in a binder. The Institute of Conservation (Icon) describes it as a muddy, slightly granular, streaky coating against the bright sheen of real gold leaf. These powders are not gold, so they can oxidise and turn brown or green over time.

Some old frames were finished with metal leaf or bronze paint from the start, so a darker area is not always a later repair. If the piece matters to you, let a professional decide what is original before anything is removed.

Water gilded and oil gilded frames

Most good antique frames and mirrors were gilded in one of two ways, and the difference matters for cleaning.

Water gilding

The wood is built up with many layers of gesso, a mixture of chalk and animal glue, then coated with bole, a fine coloured clay, often red or yellow. The gilder wets the bole, which reactivates the glue, and lays the leaf on top. According to the Royal Collection Trust, the bole is slightly springy, so selected areas can be burnished with an agate stone to a mirror bright shine and set against matt areas. The catch is that everything under the gold is held together with glue that water softens, so water can lift the leaf and the bole with it.

Oil gilding

Oil gilding uses an oil based adhesive called size. The leaf is laid when the size is almost dry but still slightly tacky. It cannot be burnished, so it has a softer, more even glow, but it is tougher and copes with water far better, which is why it is used on outdoor gates and architectural ornament. If you would like the full comparison, read our guide to water gilding vs oil gilding.

How to clean a gilded mirror safely

Icon advises that dusting about once a year is enough, because even gentle dusting slowly wears a gilded surface. When you do clean, keep it simple.

• Use a very soft brush. A soft, dry artist's brush or make up brush works well. Wrap the metal ferrule in tape so it cannot scratch.
• Catch loose pieces. If you use a vacuum, set it to low suction, cover the nozzle with fine gauze and hold it near the brush, never touching the frame.
• Clean the glass carefully. Put a little glass cleaner on a cloth, never spray it at the mirror, and keep the cloth well away from the gilded edge. Sprays and damp cloths can lift water gilding.
• Handle as little as possible. Wear snug clean gloves, lift a large mirror from underneath with enough people, and never carry it by the top rail.

What not to do

• Do not wipe the gold with water, polish, metal cleaner or household sprays.
• Do not use gold paint, gilt wax or a felt pen to cover worn patches.
• Do not glue loose flakes back yourself. Keep any pieces that fall off in a labelled envelope for the restorer.
• Do not hang a gilded piece above a radiator, over a lit fireplace or on a damp wall. Changes in heat and humidity make the wood move and the gesso crack.

Common damage to gilded frames and furniture

Gilded mirrors, frames and gold leaf furniture tend to suffer in the same few ways.

• Losses. Chips and missing areas of gesso, often at corners and on raised carving, showing bare wood beneath.
• Flaking gesso. The gesso and gold lift away from the wood in small flakes, often after changes in humidity or exposure to damp.
• Wear. Rubbing on high points shows the red or yellow bole through the gold.
• Cracking ornament. Many later frames use composition ornament, a mouldable mix of glue, chalk, oil and resin. The Royal Collection Trust notes that it shrinks with age and cracks.
• Overpainting. Past repairs with gold or bronze paint that have darkened, turned greenish, or been brushed over sound original gilding.

What gilding restoration involves

Good restoration keeps as much of the original gold as possible and only adds what is needed. A typical sequence looks like this.

• Assessment. Working out whether the gilding is water or oil, what is original and what is later repair, and how stable the structure is.
• Structural repair. Securing loose joints, mitres and broken carving.
• Consolidation. Fixing flaking gesso and gold back down with a suitable adhesive so nothing more is lost.
• Cleaning. Gently removing dirt and, where agreed, old bronze paint that is hiding or spoiling the original.
• Filling. Rebuilding losses in new gesso, and recasting missing ornament to match.
• Regilding. Laying new gold leaf over the repaired areas, by water gilding or oil gilding to match the original, and burnishing where the original is burnished.
• Toning. Softening the new gold so it sits quietly beside the old, rather than shining like a new patch.

The aim is that you see the mirror, not the repair.

When to use a conservator

If a mirror or frame is old, valuable, of historic interest or simply precious to your family, ask an accredited conservator before anything is done. Icon has a Find a Conservator directory listing its accredited members, who have been vetted by the institute. Call one straight away if you see active woodworm, gilding lifting in flakes, or water damage.

Zavoré offers hand gilding in gold, silver and copper leaf, including new gilding and restoration of mirrors, frames, furniture and objects, using water gilding and oil gilding. For a decorative mirror, a modern frame or a piece you want to bring back to life, we are happy to look at it. For an important antique, we will tell you honestly if a conservator is the better choice.

Questions we get asked

Can I clean a gilded frame with a damp cloth?

No. Water can soften the glue under water gilding and lift the gold away. Use a soft dry brush, and leave anything more to a gilder or conservator.

Is it all right to touch up worn gilding with gold paint?

We would advise against it. Metal powder paints rarely match real gold, they can darken over time, and removing them later adds work and risk to the original surface.

Should a gilded mirror be completely regilded?

Not always. Many antiques look best with their age showing. A full regild suits pieces that are badly damaged or purely decorative.

Can you gild new furniture as well as restore old pieces?

Yes. Zavoré gilds furniture, frames, mirrors and objects by hand, as well as walls, ceilings and mouldings. See our guides to how to apply gold leaf and to gold, silver and copper leaf for more.

Where to go next. Visit our gilding page to see what we gild and restore, read about verre églomisé for gilded glass, or get in touch with a photo of your mirror or frame. You can also call or WhatsApp 07592 929191, or email support@zavore.co.uk.