I made and blogged about a DIY sunburst mirror when we lived in San Antonio (16 months ago). At that time, I still had not hung the mirror. Before I was able to hang it, we got the call to move again. During the move, a few of the wood shims came apart and it didn’t look as fresh as when I first made it. So, I decided to take it all apart and redo it a few weeks ago. Much like the first time around, construction of this mirror can be done during nap time. Here’s how to make a DIY sunburst mirror.
Because I was starting from scratch, I did a few things differently this time around. The biggest changes were staggering the shims more at the ends and adding a Danish Oil finish to the wood. I simply reused the same materials and had to purchase the Danish Oil (around $8 from Lowe’s).
Start by gluing the shims to the craft forms and to each other. You can see the in the photo that the ends are a little more staggered than the first time around. Once the shims were glued, I took it to the garage and applied three coats of Danish Oil using an old rag. I wanted to keep the natural look of the wood, but I wanted it to look a little more finished and saturated.
Once the shims dried, I brought it back inside (this thing is huge, so be careful in transport) to add a hanging mechanism. Steve drilled this into the larger of the two craft forms.
Once this was done, I just needed to reattach the mirror. I was able to remove the mirror from the last time I made one and rescue it. Use hot glue to attach the shims, but use wood glue to attach the mirror to the shims. Just eyeball the center, glue, and stick. You will want to put some heavy items on the mirror and let dry overnight.
I wanted to hang this on the first floor of our house because it is just so striking. It found a home right by a bank of windows.
I just love how bold and big it is, and love how it brings a large natural element to the space. We do not use the mirror to look at ourselves, it’s purely decorative!
Finally, after 16 months, we are finally enjoying the new DIY sunburst mirror! xo