Friday, May 28, 2010

Finished For Friday: A Rustic Mirror


I am excited to have a Finished for Friday post this week and able to link to Lit and Laundry for this one. If you care to take a look at what projects bloggers have finished this week, stop by and check out the finished projects. Get inspired!!


A couple months ago, my dear sweet friend sent me a magazine clipping in the mail. She thought of me when she saw this mirror and felt sure I could make one. The amazing thing is that it takes ordinary items you can pick up at the local home improvement store to make this.

Here is the photo from the clipping she sent me.....loved it instantly. I'll explain the process.....if you have a rustic corner in your world, this is great and a fairly simple project. The level of skill involved according to the clipping was beginner.....hum....I sorta question that actually, because I am not a beginner and well.....it went off with a hitch here and there!

The wood for this mirror is none other than landscape cedar edging you find at your local home improvement store. My mirror base was 24X24 so I needed three of these landscape edging.

The directions did not call for any sanding, but I sanded the rough spots on the wood.

I used my palm sander to smooth the edges and sides. I liked the look, sorta like a freshly split log edging once sanded.

Next, take a flat head screwdriver and I used a pair of pliers and separate the edging cedar from the plastic backing. This was a little harder than I anticipated, it takes a little force. Be careful of the long brads that are in the edging...once this is removed from the planks, it is almost like a weapon....and I am not joking!

Here is the mirror backing and the cedar all sanded and ready to be put together.

I went to a local glass shop and had a plain mirror cut. My mirror was about 2 inches smaller than the plywood backing. If I was to make this again, I think leaving a 3 inch rim on the ply wood would work better. Lay out on a flat surface and using liquid nails, adhere to the wood.

One by one I used the liquid nails and attached the cedar planks.......only one small problem.....this is the part I questioned the beginner aspect of this task.......evidently, I did not really know how to use the liquid nails. I put it on the wood edging, put it in place and held it down...only problem was........

This is what I ended up with......what the heck was wrong with the liquid nails??? I thought that stuff was mega strong! I had to round up cans of food, anything heavy I could find to weight the edges down....they wanted to pop back up.......what the heck??? Well, my smart friend who does a lot of handy work explained I did not use the liquid nails correctly. Apparently, you have to do exactly what I had done but I missed a step. Once you adhere this to the plywood, you need to raise the edges back up and allow air to get between the plywood, cedar and goop....that activates the strong hold products in the liquid nails. That is why it took 3 days for mine to set up, when only a couple of hours should have done it....beginner project.....you tell me!

Once everything was set, I myself used a satin polyurethane sealer and put two coats on the wood. The directions did not call for that step, but I liked the finished look on the wood. Lastly, purchase a picture hanging kit at your local home improvement store for hanging. Let me say this, I really thought this finished mirror would weight a ton, but that is not the case. It is really light weight compared to what I thought it would be. I am looking forward to putting this at our cabin in the mountains....I'll show you once it is in its new home.

This really was a perfect project for me, and a learning experience too. I am so thankful and blessed to have friends who see something and think of me, take the time to send it to me, and know it is something I would love. True friendship is such a gift that should not be taken lightly. Thanks so much Sandra....I wish you were going with me to hang this in the cabin! There will never be a time I see this that I will not think of you and your gift of friendship. ~good stuff!

13 comments:

  1. Love your idea for the mirror! I'm trying to go a bit more rustic in my house since we live on a lake. Thanks for the great instructions.

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  2. Terrific mirror! I never even knew there was a product called liquid nails!

    At first glance I took your sander for an iron! :)

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  3. What an amazing idea. I would love to see where you hang it. Great job girl!

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  4. I absolutely love it!!!! awesome!

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  5. Love that mirror! Beautiful work!

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  6. Wow! You're my Home Improvement Hero today!!

    What a lovely job you did, and how I admire anyone with such skills and the patience to do the work.

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  7. Hi Suzanne,

    You did an awesome job, and like you, I probably would have added stain and sealer. I am only one small step ahead of you, though, I actually have used liquid nails for years for many different projects around the house. For many things it's invaluable.

    Hugs,
    Meri

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  8. Great job! I think it will look beautiful in your cabin. I would not have known the 'secret' to using liquid nails either. :-)

    Have a blessed weekend!
    Pat

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  9. Is there ANYTHING you can't just dive in and do well? Seriously. Anything?

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  10. You are sooo clever! I like it and would like it distressed in white in a bedroom.

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  11. That is awesome! Since it's not that heavy then it won't cost much to send one to me, right? heehee

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  12. Wow! You are so talented! I just started following your blog!! I wanted to stop by and thank you so much for commenting on www.BudgetBlonde.com. I'm new to the blogging world and I just appreciate it so much! Please check back - I'd love to hear from you again! :)

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  13. Wow! I love this. I would have sanded and stained it too. Hard to believe it's not heavy though, it really looks like it would be.

    What a great unique project. Thanks so much for linking up to Finished for Friday.

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Suzanne

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