Round Mirror with Glass Mosaic Tile Frame #2

Sold at a neighborhood art show. Dimensions: Frame diameter 23.5 inches, Mirror diameter 17.75 inches; Thickness 3/4 inch, Weight 11 pounds. The five aqua/teal/blue colors, evocative of water, may make this piece ideal for a bathroom or powder room. But it could also fit well in an entryway, living room, den, or bedroom. It has two D-rings mounted on the back, so all you need to hang it up is a hammer, a couple of nails, and a wall. $175.

The Story

I found an Ikea mirror, in a yellow metal frame, sitting upside down on the ivy in someone’s front yard just up the street from my house in the Glover Park neighborhood of D.C. After extracting the mirror, I cut out a bigger circular base from half-inch-thick medium density fiberboard, to which I applied a coat of primer. I used a proper adhesive to affix the mirror to the backing. I bought the tile for this project from my favorite supply store, Maryland Mosaics. I started by applying the tile around the outside edge, then put the large tiles on the perimeter of the front. This ensures that the border tiles hang over the outside edge by just the right margin and that a large majority of each tile is well-adhered to the front face. Each of the interior five rows has a specific repeating pattern but collectively they produce a random look overall, with the intensity transitioning from darker to lighter from the inside to the outside. Finally, I waterproofed the Snow White sanded grout and applied a coat of semi-gloss white paint to the back of the piece, both so a humid environment won’t degrade it. If this mirror were in your home, I bet it’d reflect a lot of smiling faces.

Related Items: Round Mirror with Glass Mosaic Tile Frame; Mirror, Shelf and Hooks on Reclaimed Shutters; Antique Mirror in Restored Frame; Framed Topical Fish Mosaic; Rectangular Mirror with Glass Mosaic Tile Frame.