DIY Rustic Mirror for $5

Happy Monday! We’re one week away from December… crazy right! I started my Christmas shopping this weekend (rather unsuccessfully) after attending our local Homes for the Holidays fundraiser… it always gets me in the spirit!

Today I’m not bringing the holiday spirit though… this rustic mirror would be great for any season in your home (but it would also make a wicked affordable gift!). It cost me less than five bucks to make this guy and I’m so happy with how it looks on my mantle! Shane said it was his favourite DIY that I’ve ever done- that’s a pretty good review :)

Alright, so ready to see how to make this rustic beauty? I’ve got the DIY video below courtesy of Shaw TV!

I know, this makes it look pretty easy, but I did have a mishap with the glue that was kindly edited out… but we’re friends so I can tell you all about it. My learning from this little mishap is to invest the $2 in the caps for silicone and PL tubes so you don’t get a massive chunk of glue at once. That’s why I chose to add the wood border on the inside- because of the excess of glue. Honestly though, I like it better with the border/inlay! So sometimes oopses turn into something really good, no sweat. Unless you’re in front of a camera with really hot lights. Then lot’s of sweat… hopefully you couldn’t tell ;)

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own:

• Pallet Wood
• Dollar Store Mirror (the kind you’d get for a wedding centerpiece)
• Miter Box & Saw
• Sandpaper (I used 80 Grit)
• Wood Stain (and rag/ gloves to apply)
• Construction Adhesive (I used PL) & Caulking Gun
• Decorative Hardware

If you haven’t taken a pallet apart before, you can check out my video DIY for that too, I show you how I disassemble a pallet without too much hassle! Once you have your pieces, you can get measuring. Mark about an inch inside the mirror on all your pieces. Then, get to cutting! Have you used a miter box before? I finally went and got myself one, I didn’t realize how affordable they are! They’re only $13 and come with a saw. If you have a hack saw or a high quality saw, I’d use that instead (and save yourself some sweat). Miter boxes (similar: Canada/ US) are great because it takes the math out of cutting an angle- you just have to put your saw into the slats and it gives you a perfect 45! You could cut the corners with any kind of saw (I’ve always used a circular saw) but with it being so cold outside, I opted for the miter so I could do it all indoors.

Once your pieces are all cut, you can give them a light sanding to get rid of the really rough spots- but not so much that you lose the rustic look of the pallet wood. Then you’re ready for stain if you choose. I chose a walnut stain- the same one I used for my Towel Rack because I love the colour it ended up with the pallet wood (It’s this one: Canada/ US). When they’re dry, you can start assembling your mirror!

I used construction PL to glue the pieces in place. This stuff is solid, so you don’t need to worry about it coming apart… BUT it takes a good long time to dry properly. Make sure you give it the time it needs or else you’ll have a big mess. Not that I know from experience or anything. If you’d like to secure your pieces a bit further, you could add corner brackets on the back of your mirror (these are only a few bucks).

So your mirror is made at this point… celebrate! Now you can do whatever the heck you want with it. I added a balsa wood trim on the inside (balsa wood can be cut with a craft knife and can be found at a craft store) and some black cut tacks on the corners. I know, I called them brads in the video… my bad, but I promise I have the name right now (they’re these ones). And I really think that these make the mirror- they rustic-it-up a bit and I love that.

That’s it! Then display it on your mantel or as part of a gallery wall. It’s so neutral it would look good with almost any style of decor. Which kind of makes it the perfect gift… or perfect for your own house. What do you guys think of this project? I’m always excited when I can use more pallet wood. There’s something about it being free that makes me giddy to incorporate it into my home decor. I feel like I’ve beat the system. But I’m weird like that. Have you tried using pallets for DIYs? Share the links below!

PS. Last week Hayley from Roots and Whim was kind enough to nominate me for a Liebster Award. I answered the questions she had for me in her post’s comments- one of which was a weird quirk I have and I said it was making faces ALL the time. Seriously, the outtakes from these photos are ridiculous. I thought I’d include one for you here to give you a chuckle. I have no clue what I was saying.