Gold leaf or gold paint

[asleepattheshop]

I bagged myself a bargain at our local council reuse shop. A big mirror with a very decorative black frame. I want to change the frame to gold.
So I'm thinking of gold leaf or Mylands FTT-001™ - RICH GOLD paint. I have never put gold leaf on anything - it looks so easy when they do it on the box but I have painted quite a bit.
Any thoughts please on ease of use or the finish - I'd rather not do the job twice

Spray it. Mask it up, several thin coats. Better finish than paint and easier than leaf.

If the frame is quite intricate, paint it - but be careful to do thin layers so you don't flood the detail. I've learnt to do very basic metal leafing and it works really well, but you need time, patience and in my case, a mask so you don't waft the metal leaf with your breath!

Don’t spray it - it will give a very flat, one dimensional finish that never looks good. Gold paint can have the same issue.

i’d either -

use the gold paint as a base then use (faux) gold leaf on top (obviously use clear size, not the red one) this will mean you don’t need to be too fussy about the gold leaf covering every nook and cranny, and the finish will have different tones where the gold paint peeks through the gold leaf.

or

use gilding wax. Easy to apply but again I’d suggest using several different tones of gold to give a good finish. Use one colour as a base coat then highlight different areas with different shades of gold wax. I use a minimum of three shades of gold when i use this method.

rub n buff is your friend here

Thanks @Pollymollydolly that sounds like a quality job. Can you recommend the brand pf gold wax you'd use and the shades of gold please?

I’ve used Gedeo and Lefranc Bourgeois and found both brands easy to use. They have lots of different shades so take your pick! Try and go for some variation though, so you get the different tones. I like the classic gold and pale gold then I pick another shade such as renaissance.

the trick is to go very lightly. Build up your preferred base colour then use the other shades to highlight mouldings or carved areas. Even if the piece is completely flat you can add depth with the different tones.

practice on a piece of spare wood or card first. I use a paper plate to offload some of the wax first, you only need a tiny amount on the brush, especially when adding the different tones to the base colour.

Any advice on how to make a gold painted mantel mirror look better?

The paint effect is really flat and was done years ago.

@asleepattheshop sorry to jump onto your thread! Just been checking out the product suggestions including your Myland paint which is gorgeous.

It was recommended on Homes&Gardens as the best shade to go for, I don't have much experience with it, but they seem convinced that everything is turning gold for the fashion forward.😂