3.Original plastic frame
Plastic spoons are an unusual material for decoration.
Ordinary disposable plastic spoons become an excellent material for decorating a mirror with your own hands. To make the frame look even more impressive, we recommend covering them with acrylic paints.
Simple but effective DIY mirror decor.
To fix several mirrors, you can use a single base. For example, wooden. Simply glue the mirrors using silicone glue.
Decorating a mirror with wooden cuts.
To make such a wooden frame you will need a thick branch. It will need to be cut into thin sections, which are then used as decoration.
Mirror decor for sewing lovers.
Those who are interested in sewing or embroidery will definitely like a mirror decorated with spools of thread. Simply glue colorful spools around the perimeter of the mirror.
Materials used
Understanding the details of how to make a mirror yourself, you need to find out what materials will be needed to make it. These include:
- various metals;
- aluminum foil with a shiny reflective effect;
- cardboard for making a frame;
- plastics and glass.
It is enough to simply make a mirror from metal and glass. To do this you will need primitive equipment. To spray a silver layer on glass, chemical reagents are required.
In the modern version, plastics are widely used. To spray it, you will need equipment and strict adherence to the technological process.
Styles
The interior in a classic style with a predominance of natural shades will be decorated with a wooden frame. As a decoration, you can make a carved and veneered design. The color of the frame can vary from natural to classic white and black.
The baroque room will be decorated with a frame with plaster molding. An abundance of openwork details can be achieved with the help of wood carving, but this requires special skill. Frame color – gold, bronze or silver.
Romantic Provence or ethno style welcomes frames made of natural wood with crossed slats. A floral print around the perimeter of the product is an appropriate decoration. Choose the color of the craft from among the bed tones, and it is not recommended to use flashy or too dark colors. Also, these styles involve decorating frames with beads, embroidery, and herbarium.
Experts recommend using frames with mosaics or pieces of slabs in rooms with natural styles. Fusion and art deco trends suggest a more daring decor. You can decorate a mirror using old disks, clothespins, plastic spoons and even eggshells.
Decorate frames in Art Nouveau style with glass, rhinestones, coins or beads, and for country style, select burlap and food supplies (coffee, cinnamon, curly pasta, plant roots).
Have you chosen a retro style? Then we make an antique frame. There are many ways to do this. You can use special tools, paint the product with golden paints, or destroy the top layer of varnish. An aged wooden frame is also suitable for Provence style.
Spectacular mirror for the living room.
A mirror like this, reminiscent of stained glass techniques, is easy to make yourself. To apply dark lines on its surface, use special glass paint or black tape.
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An ordinary rope becomes a frame for a mirror.
A mirror frame made from thick rope will fit perfectly into a nautical-style interior. Additionally, it can be decorated with shells or pebbles.
Silvering
Silver film is very capricious. It will lie firmly and evenly on the glass only if its surface is impeccably polished and cleaned. Therefore, the glass is “refreshed”, washed in warm water, polished with crocus, washed with a weak alkali solution, and then with distilled water. There should be no small scratches, dullness, traces of grease or other contaminants on the surface of the glass.
Silvering of glass is a process that requires great purity and precision in the preparation of reagents. All substances and utensils used must be chemically clean.
There are many recipes for silver solutions. Here are the more common and simple ones. Prepare two solutions. First solution. 100 g of silver nitrate is dissolved in 18 liters of distilled water, add 200 cubic meters. cm of 25 percent ammonia and a pre-prepared solution of 100 g of caustic soda in 500 cubic meters. cm of water. Water is added to the mixture so that the total volume is 20 liters.
Second solution. A reducing solution is prepared separately. 100 grams of refined sugar are dissolved in one liter of water, add 10 cubic meters. cm of ten percent sulfuric or nitric acid and boil the mixture for 20 - 30 minutes. Sugar is broken down into fructose and glucose. Both solutions are filtered. Just before silvering, add 11 cubic meters to one liter of the first solution. cm of reducing agent solution, stirring the liquid well.
The temperature of the solution and the surrounding air should not exceed 25 degrees. It is necessary to prepare solutions while wearing safety glasses, as the formation of explosive silver compounds is possible.
Glass prepared for silvering is washed with a weak solution of tin chloride, then with water and wiped with a soft sponge. Wear clean rubber gloves and lay the glass strictly horizontally.
Then the newly prepared silver liquid is poured onto the glass. For the next 10 minutes, the silver solution “works”: glucose, interacting with the silver salt, releases particles of metallic silver from the solution, and they, deposited on the surface of the glass, form a thin film.
Then the liquid is removed and a fresh portion of the solution is poured onto the glass. Another 10 minutes and the process is complete. The mirror is thoroughly washed to remove any remaining silver liquid and dried in a room with good ventilation.
It remains to protect the silver film from air, moisture and mechanical damage. To do this, a special mirror enamel is applied to the film with a very soft (squirrel) brush, and then asphalt varnish. The substances included in the protective coating must, of course, be completely harmless to the silver film. After this, the mirror is cleaned of traces of paint, varnish and other contaminants and inserted into the appropriate frame.
Second way. When silvering, you need to use distilled water. Several solutions are prepared: a) 1 part of silver nitrate and 10 parts of water; b) 1 teaspoon of caustic potassium and 10 teaspoons of water; c) '/2 tsp glucose and 10 tsp water. Add ammonia to solution “a” to remove turbidity. When the turbidity disappears, add solution “b” and clarify again with ammonia. Then add the solution “c” and cover the clean surface of the glass with the mixture.
Video bonuses
Video tutorials will be a great addition to the above ideas, thanks to which you can gain inspiration to create something new and original.
DIY mirror decor. 6 DIY mirror decor ideas. Mirror decor in the shape of the sun. Decorating a mirror is easy and simple.
Continuing the creative activities, here are some ideas on how and what to make a lampshade from, as well as tips on how to revive old things using decoupage.
DIY porcelain
To be absolutely budget-friendly, make the modeling mixture yourself. This modification is suitable for beginners and children. If you don’t want to make the modeling mass yourself, you can replace it with polymer clay or ready-made cold porcelain.
An interesting solution is to mold parts from airy plasticine. The kids will definitely love it.
IMPORTANT! Use glue with a plasticizer. It is indicated on the packaging or in the composition. Without a plasticizer, the mass will not work.
To prepare the mass:
- Mix cornstarch and PVA glue in a 2:1 ratio. When you cook, wet your hands with vegetable oil or Vaseline. Knead until smooth and elastic.
- Store the mixture in a bag so it doesn't start to dry out. Before sculpting, add the desired paint to the porcelain. You can use acrylic, gouache or food coloring.
IMPORTANT! If you plan to make white flowers, add white paint to the mixture. If you skip this step, the dry product will turn out to be an off-white color with a translucent texture.
15. Bright frame from old magazines
Available paper frame.
Reading magazines can be useful when decorating a mirror. Cut the page into two or three parts, roll each of them into a tube. All that remains is to glue the paper tubes to the mirror or frame.
Old knitwear can also be useful.
Cut a knitted T-shirt into several fairly wide strips and braid them. Then glue it around the perimeter of the mirror, leaving the edges free, and hang it on the wall.
Mirrors for the most sporty.
Old rackets can also act as a frame for a mirror. Finding a ready-made suitable mirror can be problematic. But you can cut the appropriate size and shape in a workshop that specializes in working with glass.
How safe mirrors are created
Safety mirrors are made from different materials. There are surfaces made of acrylic, special unbreakable glass, in addition, there are mirror plates based on plastic made of several layers.
Safety mirrors on an acrylic basis are used for home use, in kindergartens, entertainment centers and playrooms. Such accessories are made to order. They do not break, weigh little, do not contain harmful substances and clearly convey the image. Such products can be produced in any form. Mirror acrylic lends itself well to processing. It is not afraid of moisture, so it can be used in bathrooms and swimming pools. This is one of the best and safest options for children to use.
For a child's room, you need to choose mirrors that do not have sharp edges. The surface must be securely fixed. It is better if the mirror sheet is made of plastic. If you couldn’t find one, you can use a special interior film that covers the mirror surface, and if it is damaged, it will hold the fragments, preventing them from falling apart.
Fir cones
The frame decorated with spruce or pine cones looks unusual. It is perfect for a country house or cottage. The cones are glued to the frame in several rows around the perimeter. They can be arranged in a straight line or in a free order.
Artificial branches, berries or acorns are used along with cones to create a winter composition. Finally, the frame should be painted with gold or silver paint.
3D printed parts of the project
I mostly designed the parts of the project that needed to be 3D printed myself. Below is a list of links to the relevant files. You can use them freely.
- Speaker grille.
- Housing for motion sensor HC-SR501.
- Housing for CanaKit 2.5A Raspberry Pi Micro USB power supply.
- Customizable display mount.
- LED mount.
- Control panel for TV.
- Mount for Raspberry Pi, designed for VESA Mount.
Flowers
A floral design always looks beautiful in a woman's room. Such a mirror would be appropriate in a bedroom or dressing room, where a woman puts on makeup, tries on outfits and puts herself in order.
Some people apply floral designs using decoupage. Metal, artificial or even paper flowers will also work. But you need to take into account that the latter are not very strong and durable.
Unusual tuning of car side mirrors
We offer step-by-step instructions for decorating car mirrors with your own hands. In this case, the constriction method is used.
To cover the mirrors, you need to prepare the following:
- covering material, for example, leatherette. In this case, the colors used are black and blue. But, everything is up to your taste and preferences. — Scotch tape, paper. — A regular pen, for writing. - Scissors. — A needle and thread or use a sewing machine. — Dark colored zipper. - Glue. — Actually the mirrors themselves.
Cover technology:
— create a template for the covering material. To do this, you need to take paper tape and trace the contours of the mirror with a pen.
— Place the template on the back surface of the leatherette, trace and cut out.
In this way, you need to get 2 leather blanks. — Connect both pieces together with a zipper.
You can go the other way and come up with your own design. Therefore, the parts can be sewn together. — Now all that remains is to decorate the case and make decorative accents.
In this case, letters were cut out to form the name of the car. In general, use your imagination.
The finished case is put on the mirror and fastened. Easy, simple, original.
Author; Denis Igoshev, Gadzhievo, Murmansk region
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