Continuing with the decoration of my bedroom, this time I want to show you my latest mirror DIY that is none other than an Ikea hack from an Ikea Minde mirror.
A wall mirror originally turned into a floor mirror, leaning against the wall with a very simple but very special design as it goes completely to match my DIY headboard too.
Among the furniture we brought to Dublin from our apartment in Madrid was an Ikea floor mirror Knapper, which also allow clothes to be hung from behind.
The truth is that it is practical but did not fit into the new bedroom decoration I had thought (yes I know that you have not seen much but it is unfinished and I will teach you piece by piece because it is a 100% DIY bedroom). It took a lot of space in the new bedroom.
So I put the mirror on sale in DoneDeal (a website selling second hand stuff – like the Spanish Wallapop – but in Ireland) and I started looking for a full length mirror that did not take up too much space.
Browsing the internet I saw this idea that I loved. It’s a Ladder Mirror at Serena&Lily:
Photo: Serena&Lily website screenshot
But $ 448 was out of my budget!
So I said to myself: why not do it yourself?
Said and done.
It occurred to me to use the frame of a canvas that I had not used because the fabric was torn. It would be a good base for the mirror.
Photo © Home archiLAB
The canvas was 40×120 cm so I needed a mirror of these dimensions.
My first choice was to go to a glassware and ask for a price quote. It would cost me €50 to cut a mirror of these measurements (Dublin is sooo expensive, in Spain this would be something else!).
But to my surprise at Ikea there was a mirror of these dimensions without frame that is ready to hang on the wall for less than 9.99 €. How marvellous!
Photo: IKEA website screenshot
Ikea has always had the power to give me happy surprises. Never stop looking there when you are looking for something.
So to start off, I already had the base and the mirror.
Photo © Home archiLAB
The first part was to remove the torn fabric of the canvas by removing the staples with a screwdriver and a pair of pliers.
Photo © Home archiLAB
You can see here the frame of the canvas ready.
Photo © Home archiLAB
At first, I thought of the idea of making a mirror with legs. I had these two at home that I had once bought and in the end I hadn’t used.
Photo © Home archiLAB
I’m going to tell you the process step by step as I did it thinking that these would be the legs so you can see that the creative processes are not perfect nor do you get it right the first time or have it totally clear from the beginning.
Then I changed my mind and went back to Serena & Lily’s mirror.
As in principle I was only going to put a horizontal transom up and down I needed a wooden strip just like the one I used in my Upholstered Headboard DIY.
It is a strip of pine wood 46×46 cm and 1.8 m long.
I really did not have to buy it because I had leftovers from the headboard, but the price is € 6.89 at Woodie’s in Ireland.
I put the slat on the frame to mark the correct length I needed. 
Photo © Home archiLAB
And then I cut it.
I used an electric saw because for all the work I do it is very useful, but as I already told you in the headboard post, it is not necessary. It is a soft wood that you can cut with a regular saw.
Photo © Home archiLAB
Both crossbar were ready, with the appropriate lengths. One for the top and one for the bottom.
Photo © Home archiLAB
Then they had to be sanded.
Also in this case, I used an electric sander (which by the way cost me € 8.95 at Leroy Merlin in Spain) but you can sand it by hand with sandpaper.
Photo © Home archiLAB
It is time to join the crossbars with the frame.
Notice that seen from the edge, the crossbar was thicker and came out a little. This is an advantage since it is a mirror that would fill that hole and become aligned.
Photo © Home archiLAB
I joined them with a wooden lag that was long enough to pierce the strip and into the frame.
Photo © Home archiLAB
The next step was to paint with clear oak and varnish all those parts that were to be seen: the top and bottom crossbars and the sides of the frame.
Photo © Home archiLAB
Then I glued the mirror. For this I used SIKA special silicone for mirrors. I applied silicone strings all over the wooden frame and then I put the mirror on top and let it dry for 24 hours.
Actually this step should have been done at the end of everything when I had also joined the side strips of the mirror, but I did not do so because I decided to incorporate them later as I commented above.
If in your case you want to make the mirror the same as mine, skip the step of gluing the mirror with the silicone and later on I will indicate when you have to execute it.
Photo © Home archiLAB
At this point what I had was something like this:
Photo © Home archiLAB
I wasn’t completely satisfied, because since the mirror was leaning on the wall, my legs were too short and to see myself completely I had to go very far back.
It could have been hung on the wall, with no legs, but I’m trying to avoid making more holes in the apartment since it’s for rent and the day we leave it’s going to look like a sieve full of holes.
It was here when I decided to place two vertical slats on each side that acted as legs and support on the wall and that would allow me to have the mirror in a higher position.
I bought two more slats of 46x46x1800 mm that I sanded and varnished.
Photo © Home archiLAB
To attach them to the frame, I first made several holes in this one that would cross it from side to side, since it would screw from inside so that the screws were not seen.
Photo © Home archiLAB
It is important to mark well the height at which you want the mirror to remain, centered on the length of the side slats.
Photo © Home archiLAB
Once this was done I glued the side rail to the frame in the correct position and let it dry with the weight of the mirror on top.
Photo © Home archiLAB
After a few minutes, I bolted from the inside of the frame through the holes I had previously made.
I put about three screws on each side.
It is important that this union be strong, which is why I used both silicone and screws, since it really is the union that will support the weight of the whole mirror and believe me that it weighs a lot.
Photo © Home archiLAB
The final step is to place the other lateral in the same way, always taking into account and being precise with the distance, to ensure that they are at the same level on both sides. That’s why I put it on top of it, and I marked the position.
Photo © Home archiLAB
After all this, I allowed the mirror to dry out 24 h so that the silicone got enough strength before putting it on its feet.
This would be the time to silently glue the mirror to the frame having done the process correctly. If it is your case, first let dry one day the uprights and the next day paste the mirror and let dry another 24 hours.
And this is the mirror finally finished and in place.
Photo © Home archiLAB
I am very happy with the result because it is a very special mirror that I have done for very little money.
Do you want to know how much I spent exactly?
Photo © Home archiLAB
Let’s analyze the price of what it cost me to make the mirror:
- Broken canvas: € 30 (I really had this already and I was going to throw it away, I did not buy it for this but to be rigorous I will include what I paid for it. You can find it cheaper in low-cost stores because what matters Is the wood and not the fabric, which is what made it more expensive in my case). Even online you can buy only the rack.
- 3 slats of 46x46x1800 mm (€ 6.89 / pc): € 20.67
- Minde mirror at Ikea: € 9.99
- Silicone Sikaflex EBT White Multi Use Sealant Filler Adhesive: 6,73 £ bought on Amazon.co.uk
- Clear oak varnish 250 ml: € 10.99
- Sand and screws: I really don´t buy these individually but I buy several sandpapers in a pack (likewise with the screws) but I will comfortably estimate about 10 € in case you need something more like a brush.
TOTAL: € 89.26
In front of the $ 448 worth of what I saw and that is about € 397, it really is not bad at all !! I saved € 307.
Photo © Home archiLAB
Now I can see myself at a normal distance without getting my head cut from the frame.
Photo © Home archiLAB
And really the mirror takes up very little space in the bedroom because it is leaning against the wall and slightly separated from below.
Photo © Home archiLAB
As the mirror weighs quite a lot, it should not be moved from its position. If it were lighter it could slip easily, but the mirror itself weighs about 5 kg and the slats another 5kg.
Photo © Home archiLAB
It also matches in style my Upholstered Headboard DIY.
You can already see a small preview of how the bedroom is with the headboard, the mirror and of course the hanging lamps I brought from my honeymoon in Burma and you can see how I put them together here: DIY Hanging lamps.
Photo © Home archiLAB
Did you like the mirror?
I have to confess that it is my favorite DIY so far. It makes my day brighter every time I see it!
But of course, by removing the Ikea Knapper mirror on which you could hang clothes behind, Charli is a little unhappy because I have usurped this functionality. So I’m designing a companion for the mirror that fulfills this functionality. Stay tuned to the blog and if you do not want to miss it leave me your email here and I will notify you: Suscribe.
See you soon.
