Change Your Glasses Color and Finish

Are you tired of your boring plastic frames? Maybe you just need a little more color in your life. This is an easy way to restyle your eyewear into something more bold and unique. I will be demonstrating a few techniques on 3 different pairs of glasses.

A few easy to find items is all it takes.

- #000 Steel Wool

- Regular Elmer's White Glue

- Small Jewelers Size Screwdriver

- All Surface Spray Paint

- Mod Podge Gloss Finish

- Small Paintbrush

Optional items

- Syringe for Dispensing Glue

- Toothpick for Fine Detail Paint Work

- Tea Light Candle

- Crackle Medium

- Acrylic Craft Paint

Start by carefully removing your lenses. This can be achieved by using both thumbs simultaneously on the backside of each lens.

Most lenses will come out pretty easily. However, If they don't want to budge you may want to take your glasses to a local optical shop to have them removed at no charge. Make sure to you separate the right from the left to avoid any confusion when reinserting them.

Use your steel wool to rough up your frame. You want to knock off that shine it has and give it a dulled appearance. Get inside the groove where the lenses go also.

Once that is done, you can grab your glue. Put a small amount of glue on each hinge to keep them from getting clogged up with paint. Let your glue dry for about a half hour.

Don't worry if you make a mess with your glue. This kind easily cleans up with water.

- Optionally, you might want to use some painters tape or masking tape to cover any areas or logos you don't want painted.

Time to break out the paint and make those glasses one of a kind.

Using a multi-surface spray paint - Spray lightly with a sweeping motion, always keep moving and shake the can frequently. 2 light coats work best. Follow the manufacturers suggested instructions for re-coat time. Allow it to dry overnight.

I chose to highlight the logo on mine with a little white acrylic craft paint using a toothpick. Small amounts of paint on the tip and a steady hand will create the best results.

After applying your base coat and letting it dry, you can take it a step further if you like.

I decided to make the others a little distressed looking to add a little more character.

First, I took the tea light candle and rubbed it along the edges of the frames.

Next, I start applying a contrasting color of acrylic craft paint using long even strokes with my brush. 2 light coats work best. Allow each coat to dry for about 45 minutes.

Then you want to take your steel wool and rub along the edges until you get the desired amount of weathered finish.

Finally, I used a crackle medium to further the look. 1 coat using light even strokes of your brush should do it. Allow to dry for about 2 hours.

Time to apply the Mod Podge. I prefer the super gloss finish. Apply lightly with even strokes using a small brush. Apply 3 coats about 20 minutes apart should provide a nice finish. Try to keep from getting to much Mod Podge in the inner groove of your frames. This will make it more difficult to insert your lenses.

After the last coat dries for a few hours, grab your jewelers/optical screwdriver. Using the edge of your screwdriver blade you can also now remove the small amounts of glue around the hinges to reveal the metal.

If you decided to use any tape to cover any portions of the frame (logos), now would be the time to remove it.

We're almost done. Grab your lenses. Starting with the right lens, insert top outside edge of your lens into the corresponding outside grove of your frame.

Next, insert the top inside edge of the lens into the corresponding inside groove.

Follow up by inserting the outside bottom edge and then finally snapping in the bottom inside edge.

It helps to have a hair dryer around to warm your frame slightly which expands the plastic for the lens to be inserted more easily.

If you have any difficulty getting your lenses back in you may want to take your glasses to a local optical shop to have them inserted at no charge.

Time to show off your new style. You now have no match. Your new look is uniquely yours.