Antique mirror restoration: silvering, edges and backing

Every old mirror starts on my bench with an unhurried inspection. I look for clouding creeping in from the edges, black specks where the reflective layer has corroded, scratches through the coating and chips along the edge or bevel. I take the glass out of its frame, photograph each area before any work begins and write down what I find, so you see exactly what state the piece arrived in.

One warning I give every client: genuinely antique mirrors were sometimes backed with a mercury amalgam. Such a mirror must never be sanded, heated or opened up at home. I handle it only with special precautions, and when the job calls for it I refer it to a specialist organisation. A large mirror is also heavy and fragile, so it is always taken down and carried by two people in gloves, with the glass taped over with film, and it goes back on fixings rated well above its weight.

I will be frank: old silvering almost never comes back looking brand new. You decide whether to keep the noble age spots and simply stop them spreading, or to replace the glass while keeping the original frame. Either way I clean the face gently, consolidate and seal the back, restore the edge and bevel where the glass allows, fit a proper backing board and reassemble with soft spacers instead of a rigid clamp.

What the service includes:
— inspection, photo record and a written condition report;
— removal from the frame and gentle cleaning of the face;
— stabilising and protective coating of the back;
— edge and bevel repair where possible;
— optional new glass in the original frame;
— correct backing, new hangers, cushioned assembly;
— a clear estimate, agreed dates and careful delivery.