DIY Live Edge Mirror
Between working on the store and working… well, at work… I haven’t been able to juggle many home projects. But, there is one project I have been wanting to do that I was able to find a few days to swing, and I am so stoked about it! I have been wanting to transform a floor mirror I purchased at Target a few years ago into a live edge mirror using a cut off piece of lumber from the fireplace mantle I made a few months ago. So, I recycled the glass and made a DIY live edge mirror!
How To Make A Live Edge Mirror
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Just a quick pre-cap (is that word?). Here is what the mirror looked like before…
…and here it is after the transformation!
If you’ve been hanging around the DIY Huntress block for a while, you will know how much I love working with live edge lumber. So, when I ended up having a cut off from the fireplace mantle ready to go, I knew I wanted to make a live edge mirror with it soo badly!
Not going to lie, this was a bit tricky because I did have to re-saw the piece of walnut I had (and guess who doesn’t have a bandsaw… this girl). So, I had to get a bit creative. This project would be made a lot easier with two pre-cut slabs, or a slab with live edges that can be ripped down the middle with a circular saw. But, I’m all about using what I already have on hand… and, that’s what I did! Here’s how!
What I Used:
Tools
Track Saw/Circular Saw
Band Saw (Preferred, But Not Necessary)*
Table Saw*
Planer*
Sander
Router & Rabbet Bit
Drill/Driver & Bit
Materials
Live Edge Slab
Mirror
Walrus Oil Furniture Butter
Construction Adhesive
Silicone
* For details on each of these tools/materials, please check out each step individually or watch my YouTube video! Some of these tools listed may not be needed depending on the slabs you choose for your project.
The Steps:
1. First step was to prep my live edge slab. Because my slab was a cutoff from my live edge mantle project and had only one live edge, I had to re-saw it. This is easily done with a bandsaw (which, of course I don’t have), but I used my reciprocating saw and a planer to cut and clean my edges. If you have a slab with two live edges, this process is made a lot easier by cutting the slab down the middle (here’s a good example of how to do that).
2. Once the two halves of the slabs were prepped, I used my router to create grooves along the backside for the mirror to sit in later.
3. Next, I finished sanded my slabs to 400 grit.
4. I then carefully removed the original mirror from it’s frame to reuse in the new mirror.
4. Next, I attached the mirror to the live edge slabs by attaching it to the grooves with construction adhesive. I then used heavy objects to weigh everything down while it cured.
5. Last step in the actual build was to add supports to the back of the mirror once it was cured. I did this using scrap wood and went a bit overboard by cutting rabbited grooves on the sides before attaching (you can see this in my YouTube video). But, you could simply just attach these boards using wood screws and silicone.
6. Once everything was cured, I finished the slabs with my favoriteeee wood finish of all time, Walrus Oil Furniture Butter. Not only is it ridiculously easy to use, but it smells so delicious. I applied a small amount of finish using a brush, allowed it to sit overnight, and then wiped away any of the access the next day.
I love this finish so much. It’s not only durable, but it’s 100% plant based which means its safe to use on virtually anything (they even have a skin care line and I’m addicted to their lip balm).
… and, that’s it! In just a few days I was able to take a standard floor mirror from boring to pretty dang cool!
I am soooo excited about how this project turned out and I cannot wait to put it on display in our new house!
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2 COMMENTS
Megan
2 years agoI am trying to replicate this project with an old mirror in my home! Will a 1 inch this board be thick enough? What are the dimensions of your project?
Camille
2 years agoWow! That looks amazing, it looks so fancy and expensive! Nobody would think it was a $20 mirror.
Thanks for sharing!