DIY “Driftwood” Mirror From Upcycled Blind Slats
Every time I leave the beach, I always want to take a little piece of it with me. I end up carrying home jars of sand, broken seashells and beached sand dollars in my pockets. I guess you could say I'm a little obsessed with the fresh salty sea air and the sound of waves crashing to the shore. In an attempt to bring a bit of the coastal atmosphere to my home décor, this week's upcycled DIY project is a large Driftwood Mirror created with sample wood blind slats. You could also just use an old wood blind – just disassemble the slats from the rest of the blind, cut to size and make any adjustments as needed.
You will need:
- Mirror with Frame (any size)
- Sample Wood Blind Slats (about 12 in. long wood pieces)
- Small Paint Brushes
- Chalk Paint (we used Waverly Paint in Mineral)
- Wood Glue
- Antiquing Wax
- Hot Glue Gun
- Extra Glue Sticks
- Rustic Rope
- Small Weights (or possibly a clamp)
We had a lot of sample slats lying around the office but I went with the real wood because of their lovely texture and chalk paint goes onto wood so smoothly. I began with wiping down all the slats to remove any dust or dirt before painting. After measuring the mirror, I estimated I would need about 40 slat pieces to create my border. I painted one side of each slat (no one will see the back, save your paint and time).
One you have all of your slats painted, let them fully dry before moving on to the next step.
The next day I created an antique, rustic look on each slat by brushing them with dark antiquing wax. I poured a small amount of wax onto a paper plate and used a cheese cloth to apply the wax, dabbing any excess on the plate before touching the wood. You can apply as much wax as you want, I took a sort of haphazard, minimalist approach for mine. After I finished antiquing all of my slats, I let the wax dry for a full day before working with them again.
On the third day, it's gluing time! My mirror's frame had an uneven surface, so once I applied glue to the back of the slat and placed it on the frame, I used a weighted object to press them together. I just grabbed things out of the pantry (cans, jars of Nutella, you name it…) that would work. I went around the mirror, arranging the slats in a way I liked and letting the glue dry before removing the “weights.”
Once the glue was dry and I could look at my handiwork, I realized it needed a finishing touch. I had some rope left over from another project, so I decided to use it to make a little border around the mirror.
With just a hot glue gun and a little dexterity I created a simple accent with the rope that tied (pun intended) the whole thing together.
I hung my mirror near the only window in my bedroom to help reflect light into the room. I love how it turned out and the whole thing only cost $30 to make!
Gook luck with your DIY mirror! Need an excuse to make this project? Replace your old wood blinds with new window treatments from Blindster.com!
