DIY Driftwood Mirror

Yes that’s me in my sweats – how do you take a picture of a mirror without actually showing up in the mirror?!

This is a mirror I made a few months ago for my bathroom after I saw it in my Domino Book of Decorating (find it here http://www.amazon.com/Domino-Decorating-Room-Room-Creating/dp/1416575464/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1272049267&sr=1-1)

It was pretty easy, but I did discover some things along the way. Here is a how-to guide with tips:

1. Buy cheap round mirror ( I got mine from Ikea for only 20 bucks). Cut a piece of plywood about 3 inches wider than the mirror, and glue the mirror to the plywood using liquid nails or something like that. The plywood can’t be too thin because it has to hold the mirror and the driftwood, but not so thick and heavy that it makes the mirror impossibly heavy

2. Collect driftwood.

Now a couple thoughts on this – It dawned on me not everyone lives near the beach and might have to buy driftwood (!!!). One of the many perks of living by the ocean is free driftwood. I looked for pieces in various size and shape because you need odd ones and stubby ones and long ones to fill the nooks and crannies, but I looked for ones that were not deteriorating, were somewhat smooth, and kind of grey in color. I had to go back three times cause I either needed more or a certain size and shape.

3) Next scrub the driftwood with soap and water and let it sit in the sun for a few days to dry out. I also sprayed it with bleach water during those days to lighten it up and grey it up a bit.

4) The next part is kind of like a puzzle….I laid it out sections at a time before I started gluing. I used wood glue for the bigger base pieces that had a good size area to be glued, and hot glue for the pieces that were barely touching each other. That is the tricky part – some pieces barely connect because of their shape and so it is not very sturdy at all in the beginning

5) Once I did all that and it was dry, then I went around and secured all the pieces that I could with screws. This part was a must because it would have immediately fallen apart when I tried to lift it up if i didn’t do this.

You can see in the close up that you do see the screws, which I don’t mind because I feel like it goes with the rustic look. But be mindful when choosing your screws that you will see them, so black or gold might not be the best. But there you have it…..and all for just about $30!