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Removing Silver Backing from Glass Mirror

Posted on October 18, 2011 by Eric Robert Posted in Blog Content, Tutorials 42 Comments

I made a post a while ago about the idea of etching mirrors, but someone asked me about removing the silver backing without using the sandblasting or sand carving process. So I decided to make a descriptive post about how to remove the silver backing. This is more ideal for those that were looking to use this simple cream type.

Typically the coating that gives a mirror that reflective property actually consists of multiple layers. These are the layers that may be on the glass:

  • Gray or black paint (outer paint to protect the silver backing).
  • Copper coating is sometimes sandwiched in between these.
  • Silver backing

Paint Stripper

To remove this you usually have to remove the paint first with a paint stripper. Most paint remover products should work, but I heard Citri Strip works well. Paint the stripper onto the gray and copper coating. Let that sit according to the manufacturers directions and wipe off. You may have to do this another time for the copper coating.

Silver Backing Remover

Muriatic acid used to remove silver backing from mirror glass.Then you would need to remove the silver backing which can be done with various substances. Here are a few that work:

  • MSR (known as Mirror Silvering Remover)
  • Muriatic acid
  • Nitric acid (which is more dangerous)
  • Toliet Cleaners such as Snobowl, Lysol, CLR, Limeaway, & Zep
  • Bleach

I hope this is helpful. If someone has a better way, please leave a comment below. Considering this information, you can create interesting designs into mirror glass without even etching it. All you would have to do is place a reverse stencil on the back of the mirror and use these chemicals.


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42 thoughts on “Removing Silver Backing from Glass Mirror”

  1. Chris South Africa says:
    October 26, 2011 at 4:54 pm

    Thanks Eric for this tip it make my work faster and more profesional

  2. Ali says:
    November 8, 2011 at 2:20 pm

    Please tell me some thing for glass design

  3. Charles says:
    October 9, 2012 at 11:05 pm

    why would you want to remove the backing? and isnt the backing what makes it a mirror? seems to me if you remove the backing all you will have is another plain piece of clear glass?

  4. Eric Robert says:
    October 11, 2012 at 8:19 am

    Charles- the post is meant for people that want to make designs into the mirror, not remove all of the backing. By either etching or removing a small section in the shape of a pattern, it really makes the image pop out. See here for examples: https://www.glassetchingsecrets.com/member/sandblasting-mirror/

  5. Angie Sharp says:
    January 14, 2013 at 11:25 pm

    Thx for this info…have been looking for this info for about 10 years! Do you know where to get the MSR?

  6. Eric Robert says:
    January 19, 2013 at 11:54 am

    Angie, I found this place to be the cheapest: http://angelgilding.com/A2124.html

  7. Crafts by Terry Nastase on facebook says:
    March 30, 2013 at 2:49 pm

    I am doing what I call photo mirrors, I remove the grey backing & the copper lining from the back of the mirrors in the area or areas I want to place a photo so there is still mirror around the photo. I have been looking for an easier way to remove the grey backing. The “Citristrip” works excellent. Thank you for this idea. I remove the copper lining with toilet bowl cleaner which works great. Now my projects will be less time consuming & easier to do. Once again thanks for the idea

  8. Crafts by Terry Nastase on Facebook says:
    March 30, 2013 at 2:57 pm

    The “Citristrip” works great for removing the grey backing from mirrors. Thanks for the idea. I design photo mirrors & was looking for a more faster method of removing the backing. I use toilet bowl cleaner for the copper lining which works great. Once again Thank You Eric for this idea, makes my projects less time consuming.

  9. Eric Robert says:
    April 9, 2013 at 10:26 pm

    You’re very welcome. Thanks for letting me know it was helpful!

  10. Milton says:
    May 21, 2013 at 5:08 pm

    Hello, my name is Milton. I have been engraving/ etching mirrors since I was a teen using a drimmel tool. why take the silver off, just scratch the design right into it..I write backwards and reverse paint with acrylic paints making all sorts of paintings. Because I do it in the back of the mirror, the mirror is still fully functional and AWESOME! Check out some of my work on Miltonsmirrors.com or Pinterest.com/miltonsmirrors..

  11. Eric Robert says:
    May 21, 2013 at 5:24 pm

    Milton, there are other types of etching methods as the post discusses. It is for cream etching which can not remove the silvering.

  12. David says:
    February 17, 2015 at 12:43 pm

    I have been doing a lot of fine detailing on mirrors over the past decade or two. One tool that I have found for working with mirrors, that simply is irreplaceable is a wood burner. Set on high, and using the various tips gives great results. Simply melt away the area you want clear, and then give it a good cleaning with windex, and you can paint it, put colored foils etc. behind it, and even have lights that can shine through it.

  13. Mary says:
    September 10, 2015 at 3:52 pm

    My mother had quite a few old mirrors in the shed. I’m using this recipe so that I can have just the glass to make window mosaics. Sure cuts down on my glass purchases!

  14. Lisa says:
    November 9, 2015 at 1:08 am

    Can u remove all the silver then spray paint the glass? I hav a mirror wardrobe I want to change the doors to a glossy white….

  15. Eric Robert says:
    November 9, 2015 at 11:18 pm

    @Lisa, you should be able too. Thanks

  16. Laura says:
    January 3, 2016 at 8:10 pm

    This is for David. Does the wood burner work on mirrors to reveal the glass
    underneath, with no need for any chemicals? I would like an easier way to stencil something
    directly on the mirror.

  17. Lupe ramirez says:
    March 28, 2016 at 4:52 pm

    Were can I buy msr

  18. Lupe ramirez says:
    May 11, 2016 at 8:59 pm

    Hi my name is lupe n I would like to purchase msr mirror sliver remover can u tell me were it can be. Purchase at I really need some real bad thank yo . Or call me 505 426 4444 I am in new mexico

  19. Eric Robert says:
    May 12, 2016 at 3:17 am

    @ Lupe, I thought I sent you an email about this– could you check your spam folder and whitelist me?

    Also, I updated the links above for you to find. Thanks

  20. Marcia says:
    June 6, 2016 at 11:47 pm

    I am wanting to remove everything except the mirror. I want to antique the mirror to make it look old. Will this product eat away the mirror part too? Thank you Marcia

  21. Aabid Hussain says:
    June 9, 2016 at 7:06 pm

    I know these Techniques but I wanted to know that how can I remove the silver which is not dangerous, These all Techniques need Gloves too.

  22. Donna says:
    August 14, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    This is a response to a question about why you would want to remove the silver from an old mirror. Some very old mirrors are scratched on the back giving a damaged look. An antique dealer suggested removing the silver then placing a new mirror behind the glass to preserve the beveled glass look. Have not completed the task yet.

  23. ronnie says:
    September 27, 2016 at 5:49 pm

    If I want to only remove part of the layers of backing what do I use so I can have a straight line? I have used tape but the stripper takes it off too

  24. Eric Robert says:
    September 28, 2016 at 1:15 am

    @Ronnie, have you tried a low tack tape like painters tape?

  25. Jill says:
    October 12, 2016 at 9:51 am

    Hi Lovely community… can someone please confirm what the best way is to remove the copper coating that you find on a commercial mirror once you have removed the paint backing, am I correct in thinking this can be done with Citristrip?(which is an awesome product by the way)… or toilet cleaner?

    I live in Australia, we are so far behind in products available to us. I can see so many products that would make my life so much easier but they are either unable to be shipped or cost a fortune to get here. Any help would be much appreciated.

    Cheers

  26. nickey says:
    October 13, 2016 at 9:37 pm

    where can I buy sliver back remover ?

  27. Sushant says:
    February 20, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    Hi thanks all
    Pls can any one help me in making a 2inch gap by removing silver from back side strip like
    Any ideas to do at home
    Cos I want to do a design thank s

  28. Lisa says:
    March 24, 2017 at 2:39 am

    I search for 2 days and finally came across this blog. This is just what I needed.
    Solutions and suggestions.
    I needed to get the silver of but could not find anything local and I read this and tried the Lysol bowl cleaner and it worked perfect. Something I already had and didn’t have to order and wait for it to be delivered.
    Good Job

  29. Paula says:
    April 21, 2017 at 6:24 pm

    I have an old medicine cabinet and the mirrors are all spotted. I can’t find a medicine cabinet the size I need so am hoping this will work. I will remove the layers and then repaint. Thank you for the bathroom cleaner idea. I am trying to keep the expense down. I can’t find replacement mirrors the size I need.

  30. Eric Robert says:
    April 28, 2017 at 8:32 pm

    @Paula, you could probably purchase some inexpensive flat mirrors and cut it to size. Glass cutter is very easy to do with a straight edge and a decent cutter. Most decent cutters are fairly inexpensive on Amazon http://amzn.to/2qo7JcN . The oil feed ones are probably your best bet.

  31. Kathleen Sullivan says:
    May 4, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    Thank you for the information. I’ve been wondering about this process for some time now. I didn’t realize it was silver, I thought it was nickel. I’m excited to start a project that I’ve been wanting to do for several years now. I wish you a most wonderful day.

    Sincerely.
    Kathleen

  32. Mondo says:
    August 28, 2017 at 3:36 am

    I’ve taken masking tape and covered the back of mirror then either taken stencils or free hand and drawn designs on masking tape in reverse of how I want it to appear on front side of mirror. Then I take an Exacto knife and cut out design (note that some lines may need to be dbl cut so that lines will appear. And depending on how detailed u want ur design). Then after all your cuts are made u take your solvents to remove the paint on exposed area of back of mirror. Make sure all paint is removed. Then you can either leave it plan or u can use acrylic paints to color in your design.let paint completely dry then remove tape slowly so that u do not pull paint off with tape. Another thing I have done is make mirror frames with pics of my kids and family. It’s the same process . Just lay pic on back of mirror for sizing then cut out square,circle or what ever shape u like remove paint then tape pic to back of mirror then u have your pics framed with mirror around it .. I like to use round mirrors myself.

  33. Eric Robert says:
    September 8, 2017 at 2:42 pm

    @Mondo, that is a cool idea! Care to share pictures of it to feature you? Thanks

  34. Mur says:
    November 7, 2017 at 3:13 pm

    I have some 12×12 mirror tiles that I want to remove the painted back only. I have done it before with stripper but the tiles I have now do not work with stripper. I have tried Kleanstrip Stronger and Strongest. I have let it set any where from 15min to 1 hour. Nothing has touched it. It doesn’t bubble or soften the paint. Any suggestion what it could be and what else to try. I was told at the hardware store these were the strongest stripper better than Citristrip.

  35. Kim says:
    February 6, 2018 at 4:33 pm

    I have a beveled mirror that I am trying to “antique” by removing some of the silvering so that it is “splotchy” looking. I put muriatic acid – sprayed – left it over night and do have some clear spots with the red underbase…I then put on paint remover and that cleaned it up a bit more. I then took another piece of mirror and just sprayed it with the paint remover and after sitting on it for 1/2 hour it removed nothing. I am thinking of telling my client I just can’t accomplish what they would like…an expensive beveled mirror that I do not want to ruin. Was wondering if the de silvering product would work? Thanks.

  36. jimmy ocana says:
    June 25, 2018 at 4:24 am

    hi.i also do mirrors,but my tiqnique is different.i draw the pattern in the back of the mirror,then I scrape it with a scraper blade.comes out ok,but takes to long.anyoneout there can give me ideas to how to get it done right away.thanks.

  37. Kerry says:
    July 11, 2019 at 8:21 am

    I have a beautiful old mirror originally from a duchess. It has added sections all with beveled edges. I’m looking forward to restoring it now that I have your info.

  38. Carol says:
    August 25, 2020 at 12:06 am

    I want my mirror that I purchased at a discount store to look aged! I want black spots and edges black. What would I use? What layer would I take it to?

  39. Redmac says:
    August 29, 2020 at 11:00 pm

    Useful information. I am in New Zealand and I am trying to accurately removed the mirroring to create a “window” for a photograph. I have used a product called Kwik Strip by Selleys, but it bleeds beyond the area that I “paint”, and results in rough edges around the area. I can’t use masking tape or self adhesive vinyl template because it dissolves the glue and keeps underneath!
    Is “Citristrip” unlikely/less likely to do this.
    I used to do this very manually with a sharp scraper, but that is tedious.As one other poster, prior to that I had been etching from front and back of mirrors since a teenager with Dremel, then painting to highlight the engraved items.

  40. Saiwan says:
    December 16, 2020 at 9:18 pm

    Hello Eric
    Can I get this product from Amazon or From Alibaba?

  41. S Danfield says:
    July 11, 2023 at 11:44 pm

    I used the citrus paint remover and it stripped the paint perfectly to the silvering. I put ZEP in a spray bottle, sprayed the surface, saturated the silvering and let it sit for 10 minutes. I used a razor blade and it removed the silvering with ease. There were a couple of rough spots so I sprayed the ZEP one more time and I now have a clear piece of glass. This is a 3’X3′ mirror and took about 1 1/2 hours from start to finish.

  42. Mike says:
    July 6, 2024 at 5:43 am

    Limeaway worked after setting on the silver for about 5 minutes – just wiped off with a blade. Thank you!

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