Sunday, September 26, 2010

salvaging a mirror





We did a bathroom renovation in our last house, and removing this sheet mirror was a task. It got all chipped and broken in the corners, but was in good shape everywhere else. Because of it's size I really wanted to see if I could salvage it. And it kind of made me sick to think of tossing it into a landfill.

So I found some chunky MDF molding that I really love and gave it a try.



My hubby cut a piece of plywood that was just smaller than the mirror and we used epoxy to stick them together (for the purpose of having a good stable surface for mounting it to the wall). We then made measured and made miter cuts to frame the mirror with the trims. Once they were all matching up just right, we used gorilla glue to stick them to the mirror. I used heavy cans of tomatoes and other home canned veggies to hold it all in place on our picnic table while it dried overnight.

The next day I masked it off and spray painted it a nice soft white.


The last step was hanging it. We used D rings and hooks rated at 40 pounds each, just to be on the safe side.


I'm happy to say it actually worked, and the total cost to us was about $15! I don't know if I could have found a deal like that anyway, but it makes me happy that we gave something broken a new life.

7 comments:

Between Blue and Yellow said...

Great job! I've been wanting to do that with our bathroom mirror.
Looks so cute with the white frame.

Kelli said...

That looks very nice. I love a framed mirror. So glad you didn't have to toss it...now you can enjoy it for a long time!

Lindy said...

Shut up!! That looks amazing!! You're right that you probably couldn't have found another one for as little as 15 bucks- but even if you could, it wouldn't compare to being able to make it yourself!! I love that feeling!!
Also, thanks for all your comments on my blog posts! Something is jacked with my settings-again, so my comments haven't been getting forwarded to my email. I just happened upon them yesterday. I felt bad that I never responded to them but thank you for the support! And yes, Maine and Utah are completely different!! I love them both though for different reasons and now after living here for the past 12 years Utah feels as much like home as Maine.
So, I love the dollar store wreath but I also came across another fabulous autumn wreath made from Burlap that I'm working on now for my front door. Thought that if you're wanting to make one you might want to see this one too. Go check it out!
http://jonesdesigncompany.com/decorate/ruffle-wreath-a-tutorial/

Elisabeth said...

What a great project. We just redid a bathroom and have the old mirror that we don't know what to do with. It's kind of a wider rectangle that could be a full length mirror if hung up and down. After seeing this, I think maybe we will try what you did and use it as a full lenth mirror in our bedroom. Your way is so much prettier than the cheap ones you can buy. Thanks for the idea!

Kelly said...

that looks great!!! can't believe it's the same mirror...

Autum said...

Love it! I have two huge mirrors from from our bathroom remodel. They are HEAVY though. I thought of doing this but figured adding the weight of the plywood would just be too much. I may have to try this anyway, just get some super strong hangers. Thanks for sharing.

Rose :: FineCraftGuild.com said...

This is very good. I love your new mirror!

So, let me ask you to join in:
Come link up your tutorial article on our website so our readers can find you also: http://www.finecraftguild.com/diy-tutorial-linky-party-16/

We'd love to show your work,
Rose

ps when you 'follow the rules' and create a link back from your website/article, you can easily find us again and come back week after week with new craft DIY tutorials.