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!