Revamped Bathroom: Project #2 - DIY Thrift Store Wall Art

Ok, so on with the next project from my previous post, "Will you spruce up my bathroom Mom?" If you will recall, I did a mini makeover of my son's bathroom in his rental apartment. His requests were; 1). make it more masculine, 2). use black, 3). make no structural modifications, and 4). work within a shoestring budget. 

In yesterday's post I showed you how I revamped his builder-grade mirror by adding a frame that could be easily removed. In this post I am going to share how I made wall art out of thrift store finds all for the grand total of $27 (+tax).

The finished product:

First, I have to confess that the frames where recycled. They were hung on the wall with photographs in the "before" bathroom:

Cute, but definitely not masculine. I decided to repurpose them and removed the glass, mats, and photographs, pulled out the hardware on the back and inside and spray painted them with Rust-Oleum spray paint in Satin/Claret Wine.

 

 

I found these black shiny mats at the thrift store ($5 each) and decided to glue the painted frames to them with epoxy ($5).

After doing this I felt like there should be something 3-dimensional in the middle and went back to the thrift store in search of the perfect item. I found these steak plates for $3 each;

Being made of metal but a bit scuffed up I wanted to polish up the silver. First I painted them both with Zinsser Cover Stain Primer.

 

And then painted them both with Martha Stewart Metallic Craft Paint in Titanium ($2).

 The next step was to glue them down in the center of the frame. Again, I used epoxy.

 To give even more of an interested I hung them positioned in different directions. I used heavy duty, double sided foam tape. 

 Black Mats = $5 each x 2 = $10

Frames = no charge (repurposed)

Spray paint  = $4

Primer = no charge (on hand)

Craft Paint = $2 

Metal Steak Plates = $3 each x 2 = $6

Epoxy = $5   

Foam Tape = no charge (on hand from Bedroom Redo Project)

Total cost of this project (give or take) =  $27 + tax

Thanks for visiting,

  

Revamped Bathroom: Project #1 - Mirror Makeover

In my last post "Will you spruce up my bathroom Mom?" I did a mini makeover of my son's bathroom in his rental apartment. The guidelines I needed to follow were to 1). make it more masculine, 2). use black, 3). make no structural modifications, and 4). work within a shoestring budget.

Here is the before/after:

The first project I tackled was the mirror. As in most rental apartment bathrooms there is a builder-grade mirror glued to the wall. My plan was to frame it but I had to figure out a way to do this so that it would be easily removed when my son moves. I also had that pesky budget restraint. 

I found these wood strips at Michael's. 

I painted the front, sides, and back of each one with Valspar, Satin Black, Latex Enamel*, (on hand from the bedroom makeover project).  Remember, I am away from home and in a 20-something apartment, hence the "latex" choice. I am more a fan of oil based black paint but for this project soap & water washable paint was necessary.

 *When painting wood to be adhered to a mirror, always paint the back so that when it is attached the reflection of the back of the wood matches the front and will blend.

Here is a photo of the wood drying.

Again, because I had limited work space, I started by painting most of each piece. The tops in this picture are unpainted so I could lean them against the concrete wall safely. After they dried I turned them around and painted the rest. I finished with a coat of Valspar Clear Sealer in Satin (also at no cost since I used this for the bedroom makeover project  and sorry, no pic). 

Now...how the heck to attach the wood to the mirror so that they can be easily removed when it's time to move?

I found "Glue Dots" at Michael's ($4.50)...let's see if this works? For more information on this item click HERE.

I followed the instructions. They go on really easy.

The first piece after installation.

Luckily 3 of the wood pieces fit perfectly and I only had to cut one piece (the bottom). I used a small wood cutting saw.*

And here is the finished product. The Glue Dots worked great. I did put on a lot of them just in case. Will have to wait to see if they pass the test of time (and humidity of a bathroom). Cross your fingers.

The total for this project was: 

• Wood = $3.50 ea x 4 = $14
• Glue Dots = $4.50
• Paint & Sealer = no charge (on hand) 

Drum roll please.......$18.50 + tax

 

*I purchased the small cutting saw while visiting with the intent of adding it to my tool collection at back home. I did not factor the one time price of this tool into the total cost.

Thanks for visiting,