Modern Mirror DIY

Hi, guys! Mandi here. I love browsing my Pinterest boards and discovering trends in my decorating tastes. Lately, I've noticed that I'm really drawn to bold, modern-art styles of wall art, such as simple geometric pieces (like here and here) and basic round mirrors. It only took a moment before a light bulb turned on—Why not combine these two loves by making a bold, geometric mirror? Form meets function. It seemed like an easy enough idea, and it was!

Check out my instructions below to learn how you can make your own modern mirror for only 28 dollars!

Supplies:
-1 2' x 2' piece of plywood (mine is yellow birch and cost about $5. I found a large enough piece in the scrap bin at the lumber yard that they cut down, so I didn't have to buy a larger sheet)
-spray paint & primer (you can buy an all-in-one paint/primer for about $7.50)
-16" mirror (I found my low-quality mirror for about $8 in the floral supplies area of a craft store)
-picture-hanging hardware (I buy mine in packs of multiples, but one will cost you around $1.50)
-heavy duty construction adhesive (you only need a small tube, which will cost about $4)
-180 grit sandpaper (a pack of four costs $4, but you will probably only need two sheets.)

Total cost of supplies: $28*
*Cost is portioned out according to amount of materials used.

Tools:
-jigsaw
-powerdrill (not shown)
-large compass, traceable round object that is about 18" in diameter, or makeshift compass as shown below
-adhesive gun (only necessary if you buy a large tube of adhesive)

Step One: Find the center of your square piece of wood and use a compass to draw a 14-inch circle in the center of the square. You may prefer to trace a round object from your home, but make sure it is at least two inches smaller than the size of your mirror. I made a makeshift compass by pinning a 7-inch length of string attached to a marker in the center of the square, but found that I had trouble getting an even circle, so I ended up tracing a 14-inch pizza stone from my kitchen!

Step Two: Use a jigsaw to cut out the circle. You will need to drill a hole the size of the jigsaw blade into the inside of the circle before you can insert the jigsaw blade and begin cutting. Cut slowly and accurately to get a nice circle.

Step Three: Sand down all of the edges of the cut wood, wipe off the dust, and spray with a thick coat of primer. If you don't want the unevenness of the woodgrain to show in the final finish of the wood (as you can see on my finished mirror), then you sand down the surface of the wood in-between a few coats of primer to get a nice, smooth finish. Then spray with a couple of coats of black paint.

Step Four: When the paint has dried, apply a somewhat thin line of adhesive about a half inch from the opening of the circle. Use your finger to spread it out a bit. Then lightly press the mirror onto the adhesive, trying to keep it evenly spaced around the opening. If you use too much adhesive, it will seep into the front of the mirror, so make sure the adhesive has been applied on the lighter side, and don't press too hard. If you can find a strong, clear adhesive, it would be best so that if a little seeps through, it won't be too noticeable.

Step Five: Once the adhesive has dried completely, mount picture-hanging hardware to the center of the top. I used a saw tooth hanger, but you can use a heavier-duty style, such as two triangle strap hangers with a wire stretched between them.

Yellow pine is pretty lightweight, as is the craft mirror I used, so all I needed to hang my mirror was a nail hammered into a stud.  To be on the safe side, if you are hammering into drywall without a stud behind it, you may want to use two nails on either side of the mirror (which will require two picture-hangers), or use a drywall fastener (a.k.a. molly bolt) to prevent the wall from cracking. If you want to learn more about using drywall fasteners, check out my post about bathroom storage right here!

The mirror adds a bold accent to this bright space in my brother's home office, and it hangs near his back door, in case any primping is in order before he rushes off to a client meeting. This modern mirror makes primping about as cool as it can get, eh?

–Mandi

Credits // Author and Photography: Mandi Johnson, Photos edited with Spring and Valentine of the Signature Collection.