Sunburst Mirror (with Wood Shims) – DIY

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Yet another version of Sunburst Mirror you’d think. Well, that is true. Here is my take at the Sunburst Mirror using wood shims.

This is my first DIY craft post on my blog. I am always amazed when I come across any beautiful, interesting and budget-friendly DIY crafts for home decor. I have previously made few canvas paintings as wall art for my home. But, this is my first try at a craft of this scale. It is a heart warming feeling when we make things hand-made and home-made – I’m sure most of you agree on this.

I have been fascinated with Sunburst mirrors like forever and then I came across a wonderful Sunburst diy on this blog – KSarahDesigns. Kristen’s version of the sunburst mirror struck my eyes and I loved it so much that I instantly decided to make one on my own.  I’ll write the procedure here, but you can check out her blog as well for a very well-described step-by-step process.

Things you’ll need:

– Wood Shims: (from Lowe’s)

     – 12″ long – 4 packs with 42/pack

     – 8″ long – 8 packs with 14/pack

– Mirror – 10″ diameter (from Michaels)

– Floral ring – 12″ diameter (from Michaels)

– Rectangular blocks – 1 or 2 inches in length – 7 packs with 4/pack (from Michaels)

– Elmer’s wood glue – I ended up using 3 bottles by the end of the project (Lowe’s/Michaels)

– Gorilla glue – 1 for the mirror (Lowe’s)

– Wood primer – 1 – any brand should be good (Michaels)

– Gold metallic paint (I used Modern options – Sophisticated finishes) –  1, 4-oz bottle – any other brand should also be good i guess (Michaels)

– Paint brushes (Michaels)

– Plywood – 12″ * 12″ – 3/4th inch width (Michaels)

– Picture wire hanging kit – 1 – (Lowe’s/Michaels)

Directions: 

1. For the longer 12″ shims, bundle about 9 shims in a step fashion (or however you would want to arrange). Apply glue on both the sides as required and glue them together. Make few bundles and keep them aside. Be sure to place heavy weight on them so they are strongly bonded.

2. For the shorter 8″ shims, bundle about 7 shims in a similar way. Make a few bundles and set aside.

3. Arrange the bundled shims and estimate how many more you will need. I had to make about 15 bundles of each size.

4. Take the plywood and using its center, start arranging the bundles as a Sunburst. See if you need a few extra shims to insert into gaps here and there. I used about 5 to 6 extra 8″ shims. If you are happy with the arrangement, start gluing the bundles to the plywood and to the adjacent bundle with long and short shims alternately.

5. When done, place heavy weight on the sunburst and leave it over-night.

6. It’s time to apply primer now. This is to make sure that the finishing color is not absorbed by the wood and eventually give a dull look. Apply one or two coats of the primer as required. Let it dry for at-least 2 hours.

7. When the primer has dried, paint the color of you choice. I wanted a metallic finish so used a golden metallic paint. You can also opt for Spray paint which is quicker. But, I felt spray paint would give a lighter pale finish. Hence, chose the brush paint. Apply 2 coats if necessary for an even look. Let it dry for a couple of hours.

8. Now, take the frame-less mirror. Apply the gorilla glue on the gluing surface. Make sure you do not apply large amounts of glue on the ends as this glue has a tendency to seep out and gives a hard time to remove the extra glue after it has hardened. Stick the mirror on the center of the sunburst. Place heavy weight and leave it to dry over-night.

9. After the mirror is steady, I wanted to give the mirror a nice border design. So, used a floral ring. Glue the floral ring on the mirror. Let it stick well to the mirror. Go ahead – primer and paint the floral ring now.

10. Paint the rectangular blocks too. Let them dry and then glue them to the floral ring in any design you want.

11. Use the picture wire hanging kit and hang it to adorn any wall of your home.

And here it is……my beloved project finally completed.

It is definitely a time-consuming process but the end result will surely please your eyes. (It took me about a week spending a few hours everyday along with some back-aches and stiff-necks 🙂 to complete the project).  To talk about the budget, I think it costed me about $60 to $65. I already had the primer, picture wire hanging kit and paint brushes. I thought the costs would not to go beyond $50 but I still wouldn’t complain as I’m quite happy with the outcome.

So, go ahead and make one on your own.

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Category : DIY Crafts
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