- Double sided tape on the bottom (to stick to the board)
- Foam in the middle
- Double sided tape on top (to stick to the mirror back)
- Some suggested edging like stain glass window panes (great idea but I had know idea how to do that, didn’t have the materials involved, and I really didn’t want to invest any money into this project)
- Some suggested grouting the mirrors to the back board (another great idea but that would give me a different look than the one I was trying to create plus I worried that it would be super heavy)
Another idea for broken or odd size mirrors!!!
While working in my dad’s workshop, on another project, I spotted some pieces of mirror, that were all different sizes. Later that night I was flipping through some catalogs (PB and Ballard’s to name a few), I got to thinkin’ about those pieces of mirror and how I could create something modern, edgy, and FREE for my son’s bedroom.
Here’s what I came up with.
And here’s how I got started.
I dug out an old black metal frame that I have had a long time (like 20 years!) It measured 20x30 and is still in good shape.
Now over to my Dad’s workshop……
I cut a piece of plywood board to fit inside my frame (20x30). Like a puzzle, I began penciling out how I wanted the mirror pieces to lay out. Sketching and erasing until I came up with a design that I liked.
20 individual square and rectangle mirror shapes that need cutting!
Tools needed to cut the mirror: ruler (preferably with a cork backing), goggles, mirror cutter, and utility knife.
Because mirrors have a backing, the utility knife is used to cut through the backing after the mirror is snapped into two pieces.
Don’t let me kid you ----- Cutting 20 piece of mirror took the better part of an afternoon!
But I did learn a thing or two about cutting mirror/glass. I will have to create a video tutorial to show my new found knowledge.
Please excuse the dirty mirror and the 10,000 finger prints! My mother was appalled when she saw me take this photo and I hadn’t clean the mirror first. (Do I sound like a 10 year old being scolded by her mom!)
Okay, so moving and relocating to my kitchen table……...
I wanted each individual mirror to have different lifts and levels. So some of the mirrors would be tilted up, some tilted to the right or left, and some tilted towards the bottom. (see the very first photo)
Again my Dad to the rescue! He had some gray foam. I really don’t know what this foam is used for but it is exactly what I was looking for. The foam measured about 1/4” thick.
All I did was cut the foam into strips and began playing with how I wanted the mirrors to tilt.
Once I had that figured out….. (it’s kind of hard to see the lifts from this camera angle)
*notice the mirror is a little more clean*
Next, I removed all the mirrors but first I made a paper sketch layout of the mirrors, numbering the back of the mirrors, foam, and the sketch.
I painted the plywood board black and mounted into the frame.
For the next task……. how was I going to adhere the foam to the board? At Wal-Mart, I found a double sided foam tape. (see the photo collage above)
Basically I created a sandwich of foam and tape.
Just to make sure the foam and tape wouldn’t be seen on the finished project, I went back outside and sprayed the foam piece black. I left the paper backing on the sticky foam while painting and let the paint dry.
While the paint was drying…..
I still had one more thing to do. I didn’t want to leave the mirror edges raw.
But how to treat the edges……hum…..finger tapping on chin…..
This is were I had a lot of input from family members:
Then it dawned on me…….
I had received Gorilla Tape in a contest from DIY Club! I have never used it before but it looks a lot like duck tape. The tape was wider than I need, so I used my utility knife to cut the strips in half. (see photo above) Then all I did was set the edge of the mirror down on the manufactured edge, rapped the remaining tape to the back, and trimmed the sides of the tape. Repeat on all four sides.
See how I cut the edges instead of folding over?
Press the edges really good. I even applied heat from a heat gun over the taped edges.
My theory….. the heat would melt the glue, getting it to adhere to the edge better, and the heat slightly shrank the tape to make a really tight fit around the mirror.
Remove the paper backing of the sticky foam tape and place the mirrors on the board pressing down well to stick to the double sided tape. Leave the frame flat for 24 hours.
Warning UPDATE: While the mirror was leaning against the wall, waiting to be hung up, about 3 mirrors in one corner came loose. I’m not sure if I didn’t press them down well enough or what??? They didn’t break thank goodness. I did a quick fix with E6000 glue and I haven’t had any problems since! If I had to do it again, I would have used the E6000 glue along with the sticky foam. Better safe than sorry.
I know this isn’t your typical mirror that most would put in their homes. unless modern is your style, but I thought it was a pretty cool project for my son’s bedroom. HEY…. and it was free! Gotta love that!!
Maybe this will inspire you the next time you have a piece of broken mirror???
Oh my goodness, so last night while writing this post, really I’m on the last sentence, and I’m hopping around the internet looking for some shades (really cool project coming ahead) when I see this over at Lamps Plus
for $217.91!!!! Seriously???
With some square mirror tiles, you could recreate this for a faction of the cost!!
