After building the frame from two 8' 1x6 pine boards, I tested the Carbon Gray and Whitewash Stains on a leftover wood scrap. I applied a coat of the gray with a sponge brush and left it on for two minutes before wiping off the excess with a cloth. Once that was dry, I applied a coat of the whitewash to half of the scrap in the same manner, also waiting two minutes before wiping with a cloth. As you can see from the second photo, I was left with a pretty and perfectly whitewashed piece of wood; I also love the Carbon Gray Stain on its own.

Since I was going for a more rustic/farmhouse look, I tried the following on the back of the frame: Again using a sponge brush, I applied the gray stain in sections, immediately wiping off the excess (third photo). Once dry, I did the same with the whitewash. This was better, but still a bit too uniform (fourth photo).

It was time to stain the front of the frame and I changed my technique again: I barely dipped a soft cloth (a t-shirt scrap) into the can of gray, dabbed the excess off onto the can lid then rubbed the stain into the wood until it appeared dry. I repeated this process over the entire front of the frame; this resulted in a less uniform, more rustic look. Once dry, I lightly sanded a few spots (120 grit) so the frame would appear aged/worn from time. I used a tack cloth before applying the whitewash in the same manner as the gray. Once dry, I again lightly sanded a few spots with the same 120 grit.

In addition to the free stains from Creator's Studio (thank you very much), I snagged the mirror for free on the Nextdoor website, so I only had to purchase the pine boards and the hardware - woohoo! Btw, the mirror overlaps my frame on all sides by 1".

Currently, my new mirror is leaning against the sofa. I'll add the hanging hardware and get it up on the wall above a table, but that'll require hubby's help - this thing is heavy!

The mirror is now hanging in our entryway. In the final photo, it appears darker than it is. The main photo is truer, at least on my monitor. We ended up using a French cleat that holds 90 lbs; the mirror weighs 32 lbs. We're planning to build an entry table and applying the same finish and removing that oogly wallpaper!

p.s. The black fireplace surround reflected in the mirror was brush-painted about 10 years ago with Rustoleum High Heat paint (it was originally ugly brass). It looks as good today as it did when I painted it!

A DIY Farmhouse Mirror (34" x 49")