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mirror, mirror, leaning on the wall – tutorial

UPDATED:

It has been a long time since I first made this mirror and I wanted to share some updated photos of where it has lived over the past few years!

Currently it is in our breakfast room off the kitchen in our new house.

And prior, it was in the hallway of our rental when we first moved to Texas.
For such a big mirror, it really can go almost anywhere!  Ok, onto the tutorial 🙂
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If you guys checked out my guest post over at All Things Bright and Beautiful you may have seen a little (ok, a BIG) something something leaning against the wall behind the couch.

Yep, I finally got around to making the mirror I mentioned here!

And, I did a tutorial ;D
What you’ll need:
  • mirror (I used an old builder’s grade vanity mirror – I recently saw some at my local ReStore for $10)
  • 3/4 inch thick plywood (you could even use an old door from the ReStore, which I wish I would have thought of before buying the plywood)
  • notched moulding to trim around the mirror
  • any trim of your choice for the top and bottom of mirror
  • Liquid Nails for Mirrors and caulking gun
  • brad nailer and brads (or finishing nails and hammer)
  • miter saw (or miter box and hand saw)
  • tape measure and pencil
  • wood filler
  • sand paper
  • paint and roller/brush
  • polyurethane (optional)
  • protective eye gear and gloves – not optional people 😀
STEP ONE:  Measure out and mark where you want the mirror to sit on the plywood.
STEP TWO:  Using caulk gun, squeeze Liquid Nails onto the plywood where the mirror will sit and put mirror into place.  You’ll want to wear gloves and get help when moving the mirror – those mirrors are really heavy and can easily break.

STEP THREE:  Miter cut the notched trim for edges of mirror.
STEP FOUR:  Paint the inside part of the the trim.  Once attached to the mirror the inside will be reflected, and you don’t want the raw wood color to show.

STEP FIVE:  Attach trim to edges of mirror using brad nailer or finishing nails.  You’ll want to keep in mind where the edge of the mirror is so that you don’t nail into the mirror and crack it.  Only nail the part of the trim that meets up with the plywood.  Use protective eye gear peps!
STEP SIX:  Cut and add trim to top and bottom of mirror using brad nailer or finishing nails.  I topped of my crown moulding with left over pieces of wood.  If you decide to use crown molding and are having issues getting the angles to cut correctly, Google tutorials for cutting crown molding.  There are tons of great tutorials out there on this, and they do a FAR better job explaining it than I can.
STEP SEVEN:  Fill any gaps and nail holes with wood filler and let dry completely before sanding.
STEP EIGHT:  Paint mirror desired color and let dry.  I did two coats.
STEP NINE:  Lightly sand any rough areas (or heavily sand edges for a distressed look), add a coat of poly (if desired) and let dry.
STEP TEN:  Wipe or scrape off any paint/poly that got onto the mirror.  You could tape it off before hand and avoid this 🙂
STEP ELEVEN:  If you have small children (or are just plain accident prone like myself) you will want to anchor the top of the mirror to the wall so that it can’t be pulled over.  I used a heavy duty hanging system from Lowes and made sure it went into studs.  That way it has the look of leaning against the wall, but can’t be pulled away from it.

DONE!!!
Now get someone to help move that beast into place and enjoy!

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On a side note – can I just say how hard it is to get a good picture of a mirror without seeing your reflection.  Sheesh!  Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered that much I had been cleaned up 😀

I’ll be linking up to these fab parties!

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Comments

  3. Jen-CraftOManiac says

    first of all- I ADORE YOUR DECORATING STYLE AND TASTE… SO ME! Second of all… come over and lets make me a leaning wall floor mirror. TOTALLY LOVE THE MIRROR AND YOUR SPACE. well done. Winks-jen

    sharing this on my COM-FB page.

  19. Lindsay says

    Oh my! You are crazy talented! I love that you MADE it yourself. Amazing, really! I would love to make one for my bedroom, I've always wanted a big mirror like that! Thanks for adding Show & Share to your link list! I appreciate it!

  20. Aubrey {All Things Bright and Beautiful} says

    Girl, is there anything you *can't* do??? Seriously, you would never have convinced me that you didn't buy that mirror that way without the tutorial pics…amazing! *insert whiny voice* I *want* one!!!

    P.S. I was *dying* over your comments about your story and your husband…they are so cute when they think we aren't going to post stuff about them, aren't they? (c:

  22. Becca says

    That is one FABULOUS mirror! Wow, I'm amazed! You guys make it look so easy; however, you lost me at the word miter saw. LOL. This is the perfect addition to your space … still loving your gallery walls, too! And, thanks again for your sweet note about my Fall sitting room! xoxo

  28. Judy says

    That looks amazing. I have an old builder's vanity mirror in the closet. Maybe I can convince the hubs to help me with this one. Thanks for sharing at my Sizzle into Summer party.

  31. Shiloh says

    I love it! I especially like the tips on where and exactly what to get. It turned out SOO nicely.:) I'm a new follower from Trophy Wife linky.:)

  37. Decor & Harmony @ 4290 says

    Wow! I want one, I love the little birds on top too. Thanks for sharing it was very generous of you to share your time this way, tutorials take a lot of time to do, I'm sure your readers appreciate it I DO!!

  42. Megan says

    I stumbled upon you at Remodelaholic and I just love what you've got going on here. Your blog design/layout is gorgeous. I love the mirror! Everything looks fantastic.

  44. Patricia Torres says

    *shocked*… You made that!! wow!! really!! *Still amazed*… That is absolutely gorgeous.. stunning!! You've done a beyond awesome job.. and I cant image putting something like that together.. 🙂 Thank you for linking in to Colours Dekor.. Im following you now.. Totally love your blog. and am hoping to see you at mine again.. 🙂

  49. Marilyn says

    WOW – so creative and beautiful.. Love it..Hi there, I found ya via blog hop and had to stop in and say hello, LOVE all your creativity and space here.. Excited to get to share in more blog fun reads and inspiration from ya.. I'm officially following ya with smiles…. Hope you can swing in and say hello sometime :)) I'm Marilyn via http://theartsygirlconnection.blogspot.com

  53. Marie says

    This is beautiful! Great tutorial…I've been wanting a floor mirror in my master bedroom. Thanks for the inspiration! I'm featuring you on my blog. Come grab a button!

    Marie
    mylilpinkpocket.blogspot.com

  55. Katie says

    I absolutely ADORE this mirror, and your decorating taste is impecable! Wish I had an eye for design like you do! All my stuff is so matchy-matchy!

    I wanted to let you know that I featured this project today on Sew Woodsy! Come on over and grab a sparkling new featured button!

  56. Judy says

    So great. I will be featuring it tonight at my Fall into Fall party (formerly Sizzle into Summer) that opens at 8pm EST. Please stop by and pick up an I've Been Featured button. Thanks so much.

  62. [email protected] says

    WOW! That looks fantastic! I never would have guess that was a diy- and you make it look so easy! I just came across this on Apartment Therapy and I would love to link to your tutorial if you didn’t mind.

  63. brad nailer says

    It’s in point of fact a nice and useful piece of information. I’m happy that you simply shared this helpful information with us. Please keep us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.

  64. Janice says

    Love it!! But, really love your curtains! Can you tell me where you got them? I have been looking for modern black and white ones.

  65. campclem.com says

    Gah! This is what I've wanted to do for YEARS with the builder-grade mirror in our master bath: rip that thing right off the wall and turn it on its end (trimmed out like you've done) to put in our dining room. But I'm afraid there might be all kinds of industrial adhesive keeping it in place and it will shatter if I remove it… This might be just the push I need to GO FOR IT! Thanks!

  69. Richard M. Diaz says

    Wow job Shelley!!! Actually it’s really hard job to make the diy with the mirror but I have seen your tutorial & ideas that’s really great. I am looking for discount coupons for the Christmas to my best framing mirrors for my house. I just get a coupon up to 50% discount on selling mirrors. Thanks for the best tutorial.

  70. Tristan Towns says

    This is a really good read for me, Must admit that you are one of the best bloggers I ever saw.Thanks for posting this informative article. I really like the fresh perceptive you did on the issue. I will be back soon to check up on new posts! Thank you!
    Wandspiegel

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