The mirror saga has come to a happy end. If you are just joining us, see how I built a nice chunky frame for a vintage mirror and then how that mirror broke after mounting it on the frame. We have paid our respects to my grandparent’s mirror and moved on to another option.
I looked at a few home centers for a large beveled mirror to replace the vintage mirror, but there was no comparison. They were so thin compared to the vintage one. They also seemed to require silver or plastic clips to hold the mirror in place (like a bathroom mirror…which is what they sell them for). Visible clips are not as cool as the face screwed vintage mirror with starburst medallions. Sigh. The mirrors weren’t all that expensive, but I just could not get past the idea of hanging a mirror in the stairwell that looked like it belonged in a bathroom over a vanity.
But to get the exact size I wanted to replace the vintage mirror, which was 36″ x 48″, I was going to have to be flexible. I did not want a pre-framed mirror, since I had built out a frame directly on the wall for the mirror to mount to. Then, we noticed the mirror tiles. At 12″ x 12″ square it would be easy to tile them to fill the 36″ x 48″ space. We grabbed two boxes of mirror tiles, totaling 12 tiles. We also had to purchase mirror mastic and mirror mounting squares to hold them in place while the mastic cured. The total cost was about $50…not too bad for a big impact. We also had to purchase a sheet of wood to mount the tiles too and some wood trim to disguise the edge. We used a 1/4″ thick piece of plywood that Lowe’s cut to size for us. For the trim piece, I kept it very simple to not distract from the simple chunky frame.
- I screwed the plywood directly to the chunky frame, which was already mounted on the wall from the first mirror project. I used the same frog tape guides that were still there from the original mirror installation. The other tape on the wall is my son’s artwork.
- I measured all my trim pieces and cut mitered corners
- I used a small nail gun to attach the bottom and right-side trim pieces. This would allow me to start tiling from the bottom right corner and have some support directly under the tiles.
- Then following the directions on the back of the tile boxes, I mounted the mirror tiles to the plywood. I put up the first six and then I got very discouraged. They didn’t seem to be sticking. The corners would pop up and be uneven. I did not have enough hands, even with my husbands help to hold them all down. We did our best for the first few minutes and then we turned to frog tape.
- We put frog tape all over the place to help hold the mirrors flush with one another as they cured. Still nervous, and not wanting another entire project redo, we decided to break for dinner and see how the first six tiles held up when we got back. Yay…they did not fall off the wall!
- I mounted the last six tiles and used the frog tape to secure them. My taping method got a lot more organized and less frazzled for the second set. I taped perpendicular across each mirror seam to the adjacent mirror.
- After the tiles cured, I removed the tape.
- I nailed up the last two trim pieces to completely coverup the plywood edge under the mirror tiles.
- I painted out the new trim pieces in Divine White to match the chunky frame, and the rest of the trim in our house.
I really like how this turned out. Sentimentally, it is not as great as the vintage mirror, but it still accomplishes what I wanted. It brings a lot light into the stairwell. The extra bevels add extra sparkle and interest.
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Wow! It is simply stunning. Came out really nice and I love where you chose to place it. Pretty paint color as well! Great job.
that looks amazing! i love the size!
Love your mirror and wall color!
Gorgeous! Your mirror turned out amazing!
It looks beautiful! I’m sorry the other mirror did not work out, but this is gorgeous and a great scale.
You are so awesome that I featured you this week at my Hookin Up with HoH party!
Feel free to stop by and grab a button if you’d like. :)
Allison @ House of Hepworths
I think this mirror came out fabulously. The scale and all the bevels make it a quite a showpiece. It looks perfect hanging on your wall, but would look just as good in any room – a classic piece.
I love it. I am going to link it to my DIY page on my blog.
My best- Diane
Thanks Diane. I am honored to be amongst all the great DIY projects you have spotted!
It is just beautiful Jackie. Can you tell us how much you spent or what you spent and where you purchased?
I want to do this on even a taller scale. I too want to replace a beautiful, too expensive mirror I broke for my tiny entry in my cottage house.
Diane sent me to your site…. by the way.
Sheryll,
Thanks for stopping by. We purchased the materials for the frame from Home Depot. We bought 8 foot pieces of *” wide clear pine. I think they were about $10 each for a total of $40 for all 4. The beveled mirror tiles were from Lowes. They come in a package of six for $19.99. We bought 2 for just under $40. The other mirror mastic and mounting squares were about another $10. The plywood was less than $10 cut to size at Lowe’s. In total this mirror cost less than $100!
Good luck with your project! I’d love to see it when you are done.
This is very funny- I though of making a similar mirror for my entry but then used an old mirror I had hidden away. I love the look of the multiple beveled edges. Looks Great!
Oh,so sorry your grandparents mirror broke.Things happen:-( It did look lovely though before the sad break.
But I also LOVE the look of the beveled mirror tiles in the frame. I’m going to have to see if I can put this idea into play in our new house. I’ve got a long hallway that desperately needs a mirror to reflect light.
Thanks for the great idea!
(I’m new to your blog.)
This just made my day!!! I have been trying to find a 37 x 37 9 panel beveled mirror. Every where is sold old and discontinued. I was begining to think I would not be able to have this mirror for my living room however I came across your site! I will not only have my mirror but I will save about 500 bucks (due to me needing 4 37 x 37 inch mirrors) Thanks so much for the info!
Loved the mirror, but where did you find the tiles? I have looked everywhere & can’t find any.
The beveled tiles are available at most Home Improvement Stores, like Lowes and Home Depot.