How to Make Mirror Home Decor for a Wall

Working on a mosaic mirror

To flesh out an ordinary mirror and make some mirror décor for your wall, give this project a shot. You'll end up with a beautiful mosaic mirror frame of your own design. Transforming plain pieces into works of art can be highly satisfying--and maybe get your creative juices flowing on all kinds of decorative pieces around the house.

Things You'll Need

• Framed mirror
• Appropriate cleaner for frame
• Razor knife
• Pencil
• Plates and ceramics
• Plastic bag
• Several sheets of butcher paper
• Hammer
• Large dish (like a disposable cooking pan)
• Tile cutters
• Tiles
• Small paint brush
• Tile adhesive
• Rubber gloves
• Sponge
• Tile grout
• Rubber spatula

Instructions

1. Thoroughly clean the mirror frame with a cleaner that is appropriate for the frame. A wood frame, for instance, requires a cleaner that works best on wood.

2. Score the frame of the mirror with a razor knife. This will help the mosaic tiles adhere to the mirror. The scoring marks should be about 1/8 to 1/2 inch apart. To score the mirror frame, drag the razor knife's tip across the mirror frame from the inside edge outward to avoid damaging the mirror.

3. Determine if you want your mosaic mirror frame to have a definite picture. If you do, draw the design on the mirror frame with a pencil. Consider simpler designs for mosaics because there is less manual cutting of the tile required if the design is simple. A drawn design is not necessary for this project.

4. Gather your plates and ceramic pieces and place them in a plastic bag. Wrap the bag with several sheets of butcher paper to keep the small shards of ceramics contained. Beat the packages of plates and ceramic pieces lightly with a hammer. Aim for relatively similar sizes for the pieces. Empty the ceramics into a large dish. Separate the usable pieces for the project and set the others to the side. Good mosaic tiles look fairly even in size and are usually about the size of a penny, give or take a little.

5. Place the tiles and ceramic pieces on the mirror frame. If you drew a design on the frame, fill it in with the appropriate tiles. If you didn't draw a design, place the tiles and ceramic pieces in a pleasing arrangement. Group the tile pieces together, mold them into swirls or create shapes with them. There are dozens of ways your particular tiles may be laid out, according to the colors and number of each tile.

6. Cut pieces of tile that do not match the edges of the mirror frame down to size using a pair of tile cutters. If you find that you need a very small piece to fill in a gap, look into your bin of discarded pieces of ceramics and you may find one there. If not, trim a piece down to size for your space. Work your way all around the mirror frame, covering it with your chosen design.

7. Next, you'll apply the tile and ceramic pieces to the mirror frame. Work in small areas at a time. You may want to wear rubber gloves to keep your hands clean. Use a small paint brush to spread a layer of tile adhesive across the back side of the tile or ceramic piece. Then spread a layer of tile adhesive in the area the where the tile will be placed. Gently press the tile down onto the frame. Leave a very small gap, about 1/8 of an inch, and place the next tile. In some areas, leave gaps of varying sizes to create interest. If a small amount of adhesive comes up in the gap between the tiles and ceramics, it will be okay. The grouting will take care of the adhesive problem. Continue working your way around the mirror frame until all of the tiles are placed in their proper position. Let the adhesive dry at least 24 hours.

8. Spread a small amount of tile grout on the mirror frame after the tile adhesive has dried. Use a rubber spatula to spread the grout, and make sure that you fill in all of the gaps between the tiles. If the frame is large, apply grout to a foot or a foot and a half at a time. The grout dries fairly quickly, and you don't want to cover more space than you can comfortably handle. Scrape extra grout off of the top of the tiles with the spatula to help make the cleaning process easier. Allow the section of grout to dry for 20 minutes.

9. Dampen a sponge and squeeze it out until it is barely wet. Gently wipe the sponge across the grouted tiles. Scrub excess grout off of the tiles but do not scrub down into the gaps between them. If some grout gets on the mirror surface, simply use the sponge to clean it away. Continue applying the grout and cleaning it off 20 minutes later, working your way around the entire mirror frame. Once it's all applied, wait for the grout to dry for 24 hours before hanging the mirror on the wall.

References

• Craft Stylish: How to Create a Mosaic Mirror