Do-it-yourself DIY mirror workshop

Mirror - a must-have item in any home that finds use in the bathroom, bedroom, hallway. Manufacturers offer many options for every taste. But you can get a unique design element by assembling a do-it-yourself mirror with a finished or individual drawing. This requires skills with tools, time and some materials.

Materials and Tools

Making a pendant or floor mirror yourself has some advantages. Firstly, the master can create a model that fits perfectly into the interior. Secondly, you need to spend only on materials, which significantly saves the budget.

To make any model of mirror you will need the following tools:

• screwdriver;
• electric jigsaw for woodwork;
• ruler;
• roulette;
• straight and Phillips screwdrivers;
• level for marking;
• hacksaw;
• pencil;
• scissors.

Options, depending on the option chosen, may vary. The basic set of materials is as follows:

• a suitable size mirror;
• material for the frame (may be metal, plastic or wood)
• glue;
• self-tapping screws;
• metal corners, if the frame is wooden.

How to do it yourself

When choosing a model, you should be guided by the purpose, as well as considerations of what kind of backlight for the mirror I would like to get. By the type of lighting can be distinguished:

• makeup mirror (dressing room) with LED strip;
• wall mounted;
• outdoor;
• tabletop;
• for the bathroom.

It is best to take master classes on the manufacture of these models, they will reduce time and avoid the most common mistakes.

Wall

For the manufacture of a wall mirror with illumination around the perimeter you will need:

• mirror 114 x 76 cm;
• 4 fluorescent lamps (two of 30 W, length - 910 mm, 2 of 18 W, length - 605 mm);
• chokes, starters, cartridges, clips for fixing lamps;
• board for the frame;
• baguette;
• plywood sheet 10 mm thick;
• liquid Nails;
• self-tapping screws.

The build process consists of the following:

1. Saw the board into 910 and 610 mm lengths. Using a screwdriver and self-tapping screws, assemble the frame.
2. Install fluorescent lamps around the perimeter of the backlit mirror with your own hands. Connect them together in series and bring the wire to the switch.
3. Cut the base from the plywood sheet, adding 65 mm to each side of the frame. Attach the frame to the base using self-tapping screws.
4. Use liquid nails to glue the glass and base of the frame.
5. Cut the ends of the baguette at an angle of 45 degrees. Attach them to the frame using self-tapping screws.Spin on the back of the structure.

It remains to choose a place to install. Such a luminous mirror, made independently, can be used in the hallway, bedroom, nursery, living room. The backlight for the mirror will create the effect of soaring in the air.

Dressing room with LED strip

Do-it-yourself cosmetic mirror can be made by a similar principle. It is designed to create additional lighting when applying makeup. To make a mirror with LED backlight, you need to prepare:

• a mirror cloth measuring 650 x 650 mm;
• 2 mirror strips 40 x 650 mm in size;
• adhesive sealant Titanium Power Flex;
• 2 pieces of LED strip with connectors 560 mm long with a power of 9.6 W, which will create a luminous halo around the mirror;
• 1 power supply for LED strip (input voltage 100–240 V, output 12 V, power 5 A);
• push button switch;
• double-sided tape for attaching the tape;
• 4 pieces of 560 mm each from a U-shaped aluminum profile 20 x 20 mm;
• 2 pieces of 650 mm each from an aluminum corner 40 x 40 mm, in the center of one of them you need to drill a hole for a push-button switch;
• 2 pieces of 560 mm each from an aluminum corner 25 x 25 mm;
• 2 plastic panels of 650 mm each.

The power supply must provide a thirty percent power reserve, but not exceed 50% of the power of the LEDs. To calculate, you need to multiply the power of the LED strip by its length and add the necessary reserve.

When ordering a workpiece in a workshop, you should ask to remove the amalgam around the perimeter so that a 20 mm wide frame is obtained. Specialists of any company will offer possible options for decoration and design.

In the process, a soft cloth is placed on the working surface of the table. It will protect the glass from possible scratches.

Having prepared all the components, you can start assembling. The following is a step-by-step instruction for manufacturing a mirror with LED strip:

1. Using a pencil and a ruler, transfer the dimensions of the frame to the back of the glass. It is necessary to use a degreaser to prepare the surfaces for gluing.
2. Place the plates on the vertical sides of the mirror. Use glue to connect aluminum rails from a corner of 25 x 25 with a mirror and mirror stripes.
3. Carefully lay the guides from the profile with the central shelves to each other and securely fix until the glue completely dries.
4. Glue aluminum corners from profile 40 x 40 to the upper and lower sides of the mirror.
5. Install the power supply inside the frame.
6. LED strip is glued only on the vertical walls of the inner rails on the outside of the shelf. Use connectors to assemble the tape into an electrical circuit. Solder the wires, observing the polarity. Install the power button in the slot on the bottom element of the frame, connect it to the LED strip and connect to the power supply.
7. Close the top side rails of the frame with plastic panels, which will also act as a reflector when illuminating the mirror with an LED strip.
8. Connect the structure to the network and check the operation of the LED strip.

When choosing an LED strip, you must be guided by its characteristics: power, the number of LEDs per meter, the presence or absence of a moisture-proof coating, the characteristics of the emitted light - warm or cold gamma. In the bathroom, you can make a mirror with backlight by choosing an LED strip with moisture protection.

You can cut the LED strip only according to the markings affixed by the manufacturer.

Floor with lamps around the perimeter of the frame

This workshop will be useful for those who want to know how to make a full-height illuminated mirror with their own hands. As materials for this option, you need:

• a suitable size mirror;
• plywood sheet 10 mm thick;
• decorative overlays from laminated particleboard or MDF;
• light bulbs, cartridges, wire segments 15 cm long.

The sequence of work is as follows:

1. According to the size of the mirror, it is necessary to assemble a frame, which will serve as the basis for the installation of all parts. Its internal size should be slightly larger than the glass. The optimal width of the frame is 60 mm, this is enough to install cartridges.
2. Cut the end parts of the frame elements at an angle of 45 degrees. To connect them together, use metal corners, glue and screws.
3. Place decorative pads on the frame and drill holes for wiring.
4. Pull the ends of the cable into the holes for connecting the cartridges.
5. Attach them to the frame with a screwdriver and screw.
6. Connect the wires in series, bring them to the switch connected to the plug.
7. Install light bulbs, check the performance of the structure.

If the lighting works, install the glass inside the frame and fix it. This floor mirror fits perfectly into the interior of the living room, dressing room, hallway.

Wall Mounting Methods

Backlit models where wood or metal are used to make the frame have significant weight. Traditional methods such as the use of special holders, mounting on mounting tape or liquid nails in this case are inefficient and dangerous.

To fix the frame, it is better to use the proven method: fix the dowel-nails in the wall and install special loops on the frame, which will be used for suspension. For massive specimens, it is better to use special plates that have several holes for self-tapping screws.

Make-up mirror owners prefer to leave mobile. Most often it is installed on the dressing table. If rearrangement is necessary, the absence of fasteners simplifies its movement with all contents to a new place.

To add stability to the floor mirror, an additional bracket will help, which is attached to the upper part of the frame on the back side and is used as a spacer. If the family has children or pets, it is better to use wall mounts. In this case, the mirror is mounted with a slight slope: the upper part of the frame rests on the wall, and the fasteners are screwed at a height of 10–20 cm and are fixed in concrete using dowels and nails.

Video