Sunburst Mirror
Intro: Sunburst Mirror
Sunburst mirrors are a great focal point in any room! This particular mirror is great because the materials are fairly low cost & easy to attain.
This mirror is time-consuming, but only because of the drying time involved.
STEP 1: Gathering Supplies
You will need:
LOTS of paint stirrers from Home Depot, Lowes, etc. (Make sure they are all from the same place & made of the same material or they will not look the same in the end.)
Spray Primer & Spray Paint (White primer, whatever color paint you want your suburst to be, I've even made chalkboard ones before)
Round mirror (I got mine at Hobby Lobby in the candle mirror section. The size of the mirror is entirely up to you, but the bigger the mirror, the more paint stirrers you will need)
Mirror Mastic & caulk gun (You can get this on the mirror aisle of the hardware store. It is what you use to hang mirrors on the wall.)
Hot glue & a hot glue gun
Heavy object
Shoe box or other cardboard
Thumbtacks
Wire (I used the kind you hang pictures with that you can get in the hardware aisle at Wal-Mart for a couple of dollars, but any kind that can support a decent weight should do.)
LOTS of paint stirrers from Home Depot, Lowes, etc. (Make sure they are all from the same place & made of the same material or they will not look the same in the end.)
Spray Primer & Spray Paint (White primer, whatever color paint you want your suburst to be, I've even made chalkboard ones before)
Round mirror (I got mine at Hobby Lobby in the candle mirror section. The size of the mirror is entirely up to you, but the bigger the mirror, the more paint stirrers you will need)
Mirror Mastic & caulk gun (You can get this on the mirror aisle of the hardware store. It is what you use to hang mirrors on the wall.)
Hot glue & a hot glue gun
Heavy object
Shoe box or other cardboard
Thumbtacks
Wire (I used the kind you hang pictures with that you can get in the hardware aisle at Wal-Mart for a couple of dollars, but any kind that can support a decent weight should do.)
STEP 2: Painting the Stirrers
Lay all of your paint stirrers out on a large piece of cardboard or plastic outside. It helped me to lay them all out in a grid, but that is all up to you.
Shake up the primer, and spray the side of your stirrers that does not have the logo for the store where you bought them. Make sure to get all of the edges.
Once the primer dries completely, spray your first paint layer on, again making sure to get all of the edges.
Depending on your paint & how well it covers, you may need a second, or even third, coat. I usually do two coats as a general rule.
*I really wish I had taken a picture of this step. Sorry!
Shake up the primer, and spray the side of your stirrers that does not have the logo for the store where you bought them. Make sure to get all of the edges.
Once the primer dries completely, spray your first paint layer on, again making sure to get all of the edges.
Depending on your paint & how well it covers, you may need a second, or even third, coat. I usually do two coats as a general rule.
*I really wish I had taken a picture of this step. Sorry!
STEP 3: Organizing the Stirrers in a Circle
How much you want the stirrers to stick out behind the mirror is entirely personal choice. I wanted to hide as much of the handles as possible.
Do not glue anything together at this point.
Take your mirror, and form the first layer of stirrers according to how far out you want them to reach. Make sure that the stirrers are paint-side down.
Then place the second layer slightly further from the center. I chose to make the second circle hit right where the handles for the first layer were, just to detract any attention.
Then take the second layer off, just leaving the original circle.
Do not glue anything together at this point.
Take your mirror, and form the first layer of stirrers according to how far out you want them to reach. Make sure that the stirrers are paint-side down.
Then place the second layer slightly further from the center. I chose to make the second circle hit right where the handles for the first layer were, just to detract any attention.
Then take the second layer off, just leaving the original circle.
STEP 4: Gluing the Stirrers Together
Carefully glue the edges of the first circle together using your hot glue. Make sure not to use too much, as you don't want them to stick to the surface underneath (in my case the painter's tarp).
After you have the first circle glued, put your second circle back on top of them and glue those also. With these, be careful not to use any glue that may be visible on the other side.
After you have the first circle glued, put your second circle back on top of them and glue those also. With these, be careful not to use any glue that may be visible on the other side.
STEP 5: Gluing the Mirror
Now that you have the stirrer circles constructed, flip your sunburst over. As you can see in the picture, some of my hot glue is visible. That's okay because it's going to be covered by my mirror.
Use your caulk gun to put mirror mastic on the stirrers where the mirror will sit. and gently put the mirror into place.
Once you have it in the perfect position, place a heavy object on top of the mirror to make sure that it creates a good bond. I used my old art history textbook.
You're going to leave it just like this for 24 hours. Any less, and the mirror mastic may not cure correctly.
Use your caulk gun to put mirror mastic on the stirrers where the mirror will sit. and gently put the mirror into place.
Once you have it in the perfect position, place a heavy object on top of the mirror to make sure that it creates a good bond. I used my old art history textbook.
You're going to leave it just like this for 24 hours. Any less, and the mirror mastic may not cure correctly.
STEP 6: Attaching the Hanging Hardware
Cut your piece of cardboard down to a size slightly smaller than your mirror, but where it still touches all of the paint stirrers. Then hot glue this cardboard circle to your paint stirrers using as much hot glue as you see fit. I used a LOT just to be safe.
This cardboard is going to help with the weight distribution so that more than just two stirrers are holding your sunburst onto the wall.
Cut your wire slightly longer than the diameter of the mirror. Then use the thumbtacks to attach each end of the wire to opposing stirrers. I made small knots at the ends of the wire and put the thumbtacks through those knots just to be safe that it didn't detach.
You may need to hammer them in carefully depending on your thumb strength.
Once the thumbtacks are in, hold your mirror a few inches from the floor by the wire for a few minutes to make sure that it stays secured.
This cardboard is going to help with the weight distribution so that more than just two stirrers are holding your sunburst onto the wall.
Cut your wire slightly longer than the diameter of the mirror. Then use the thumbtacks to attach each end of the wire to opposing stirrers. I made small knots at the ends of the wire and put the thumbtacks through those knots just to be safe that it didn't detach.
You may need to hammer them in carefully depending on your thumb strength.
Once the thumbtacks are in, hold your mirror a few inches from the floor by the wire for a few minutes to make sure that it stays secured.
STEP 7: Hanging It Up
Now that your mirror is complete, all there is left to do is hang it up!
I have my white sunburst against my white wall because I love how the shapes stand out even though they are the same color as the wall.
I have my white sunburst against my white wall because I love how the shapes stand out even though they are the same color as the wall.
3 Comments
AntonyM17 7 years ago
Very nice, but I prefer golden mirrors or eventually black. For example http://www.sunburstmirrors.org/
Picturerazzi 10 years ago
jessicahenderson88 10 years ago
You can order them in bulk online also, but I've never actually done that.