One Day at a Time: DIY

Happy Thanksgiving!

So, with the extra time off I had enough time to complete the DIY Mirror project I have been wanting to do for a while now. I have to give credit to The Lettered Cottage where I first found their tutorial. I never could find the small beveled mirrors so I bought them from Ikea and modified what I learned from their blog to make it fit our home.

Here is the finished product...

Supplies...

Particle board (cut to fit based on the size of the mirror tiles)

Trim (based on the size of the final project and mirror tiles)

Wood Glue

Nails (Wire Brads - 5/8")

Miter Box & Saw

Sanding block & paper

Spray Paint (I used black)

Mirror Star Rosettes

Hammer

Clamp

Of course I first went to the local hardware store and purchased the wood and other supplies I did not have on hand. The very nice man at the hardware store cut the plywood to size for me. He was a great help.

Once I got home I laid out the plywood, trim and mirrors and started measuring and marking. I am not going to list out all the details as The Lettered Cottage does a great job and there is no reason to recreate the wheel. Plus, as I said before, I used different mirrors so my sizes where different. I also chose different trim wood.

I must mention that I did work from the top left corner down and then over fitting all the pieces together, mitering as I went along. I made sure everything fit and was tight before permanently adhering anything.

Sand down after mitering but not too much, don't want to round it out.

Here you can see the Wire Brad (wood glue under)

FYI - A Brad head nail is a specific kind of nail used in construction for interior finish work. Brad head nails have a cupped head that penetrates below the surface of the wood, leaving a smaller hole to fill. This gives a smoother finished appearance.

This is a specific kind of nail used in construction for interior finish work. Brad head nails have a cupped head that penetrates below the surface of the wood, leaving a smaller hole to fill. This gives a smoother finished appearance.

Read more: What Is the Difference Between Brads & Nails? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/about_6594730_difference-between-brads-nails_.html#ixzz2DHuT5M4y

I cut the inside pieces and sanded them so that the edge would have a softer, rounder look.

I used a second type of trim to cover the edges of the plywood so that the finished product would have a smoother look. The photograph is a little blurry but I think you can see what I mean.

I used wood glue and wire brads to attach...

All set for painting. Note...the inside trim pieces are not glued in yet. I also marked all the mirror squares so I would remember exactly which one went where. Yes...they were all very slightly different. I also numbered the inside trim pieces.

Next I spray painted everything with several coats of black semi-gloss. If I made this again, I would have primed all of the wood to use less black. (Live and Learn).