Chunkified Mirror

Yay!!! One more post before the big day.

Are you wondering what {chunkified mirrors} have to do with Christmas. Well, the answer to that is nothing...except that I am in the process of making one for my sister...and it's Christmas.

It is my opinion that certain things are just better chunky-babies, salsa...and most definately mirrors. I love a thick, framed mirror. But the dang things do not come cheap. So, I have devised a way to achieve that {chunkalicious} look without the {ridiculicious} price.

To begin, you must have access to a scrawny framed mirror. If you don't own one, you can usually find them in plentitude at the thrift store. Make sure that it is indeed a wood frame. I'm not sure if this tutorial would work well with a metal framed mirror.
Aw, the poor {emaciated} dear. I found her at the thrift store for a mere $8.

You'll also need:

Molding/Baseboard (enough to go around the perimeter of the frame, plus a little extra to allow for the miter cuts).

braces (available at any local home improvement store for around 90 cents a piece. I used eight on my frame).
The one pictured is similar to the kind I used. You just want to make sure that they are flexible enough the you can flatten them out a bit. They come shaped like an "L" and you want them to be more like a slightly bent "I".
Access to a {miter saw }

Access to a {staple gun}
To begin, measure the lengths of each side of your frame.

Next, cut your molding down to the desired lengths. I have done this myself before, but you could also enlist the help of your resident {stud muffin}. Remember, mitered ends.


After you've made all of your cuts, dry fit the pieces around the frame and make sure they fit properly. You may need to make some minor adjustments so that the miters fit nicely. They don't need to be perfect. A little spackle will fix most problems.



You just dont want to leave any major gaps (nothing too much wider than the depth of a nickle).




After you've made all of your adjustments and the moldings all fit nicely you can start attaching the molding to the frame.
You'll need to flip the mirror over to do this. Attach the braces to the frame first. I placed them two or three inches away from either side of each mitered edge. Once they are screwed in place, you can attach the molding.



I added a few staples to the corners just to reinforce things. If you don't have access to a staple gun, you could use wood glue, but staples would be prefered.



Carefully turn the mirror back over.
Wipe off the frame and fill in all of the gaps...if need be.

Prime {I used Kilz spray primer.}


And then paint.

And Voila!!! An awesome, {chunk-a-licous} mirror that looks like a million bucks...but really only cost $35.

Remember the sad, {emaciated} thing before:


And now the totally {chunkalicous} version:



I added just a little bit of distressing. I sanded the frame and then went over the sanded areas with an ebony stain. You can still see the distressed area's, but they are a little more subtle.




Here's the breakdown: mirror-$8, molding-$20, braces-$7, primer-I already had, paint-I already had.

Well, whataya waiting for...go {chunkify} something.

Oh, and Merry Christmas too.

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