Overscale Hand-Antiqued Mirror

Guess. What. I am super excited about this project. Ok, here’s the story: I redid my bedroom last summer [another blog, another day… pins & needles until then] and I needed something to fill space on a big, blank wall. As I flipped through my magazines for inspiration I fell in love with these mirrors from the Oct. 2010 House Beautiful Magazine.

Ok, so anytime I fall in love with an item from House Beautiful [which is every time I read House Beautiful], I know that it will never be mine due to a severe lack of funds [those people are loaded and I am... well, not loaded]. However, once in a while I stumble onto pictures like these and know that if I roll up my sleeves, bust out my craft kit and get all Martha Stewart on it, then I might just be able to do it myself. When that happens, there’s no stopping me [unless the project fails and I end up putting it in a corner of my garage, pretending as if it never happened]. But that didn't happen this time, because here's what I created for my room.


These detail photos show the antiqued mirrors upclose- each mirror will be different.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure I will note that while this project was not difficult, I did have a couple of set-backs. Anyway, I had to change my “ingredients” and tweek this project a couple times. Nevertheless, I pressed on and now I am so pleased with the end product- an overscale 3’x 6’ mirror that cost about $70 to make [I know, not terribly cheap- but mirrors this size cost at least three times that]. Here’s how I did it:

What you’ll need:
3 boxes of plain edge 12”x12” mirrors
Paint stripper
Scraper
Chemical-grade gloves
Muriatic acid (in spray bottle)
Black spray paint (2 cans)
Glass Adhesive (& caulk gun)
4'x8' MDF board cut down to 36 ½“ x 72 ½” (most Hardware stores can do this for you)

Here’s what to do:
Place all mirrors (reflection side down) on a drop cloth out side (near a water hose).

Put on your gloves and spread paint stripper* all over the backs of the mirrors (just spread with your hand so you don’t have to mess with a paint brush).

Let it sit for about 10-15 minutes. Then, using the scraper, remove the paint from backs of the mirror [I’ve heard rumors that the paint can bubble up & simply be wiped away, but this NEVER happened for me. . . perhaps your luck will be better than mine].

Next, wash off your gloves w/ a hose [don’t take them off, though] and wash off the backs of your mirrors.

Spray the Muriatic Acid* [this stuff is serious, so be careful] onto the backs of the mirrors. You will see it working. Wash it off after 10-20 sec. and take a look at the reflective side of the mirror- if you want more texture then spray the back again and let sit for another 20- 60 seconds. Every mirror will be different- examine each one!

Wash all mirrors thoroughly and then dry them.

[Now go get a snack or something because you need a break!]

Lay mirrors out on a [dry] drop cloth face down again & paint the backs with black spray paint.

Sand the sides of your MDF** and spray paint them and the front black [I only painted about a 3" strip around the front edges of the MDF since the middle would be covered with mirrors].

Once all paint has dried, it’s time to apply the mirrors. You will have a ¼” boarder of black MDF around the entire piece, so center the first row of mirrors and apply them using the glass adhesive.* Repeat with all the other rows until completed [I placed all mirrors on the MDF without adhesive first to make sure the fit properly , then went back and glued them down.].

I have to mention this: I chose not to get those little thing-ies to place in the corners where each mirror meets another [I just thought they were decorative so I didn’t bother]. Then, when we moved the huge mirror I realized that those little thing-ies probably serve a purpose because I could hear the mirrors rubbing against one another [it wasn’t a great sound]. So, you may want to purchase those…
*Follow all directions and ESPECIALLY safety precautions on product label
**safety note** even though the mirror is intended to lean against a wall, you should still use a wall anchor system to ensure that it won’t fall (install it onto the back of the MDF before you glue on the mirrors).

Time to link-up!
http://makingtheworldcuter.blogspot.com/
http://superstinkyboys.blogspot.com/
http://sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com/
http://www.skiptomylou.org/
http://madincrafts.blogspot.com/
http://www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com/
http://becolorful.typepad.com/
http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/
http://tipjunkie.com/
http://todayscreativeblog.net/