Charred Mirror

The entrance hall of my house has been looking a bit bare since I moved into my house two years ago. I guess it was just a place where I didn’t spend any time decorating. So now that I had some time it was time to do something about it! The area is not too big so a mirror is a great way to make a small area appear bigger.

I have done a few more projects for my hall way you can see them here:

Hall Table

-Steel tree- tea light stand

Metal Flowers - lily-

Copper daffodils

Have a look at the video above to see how I built this Charred Mirror or follow the instructions below.

Here is a list of the items needed for the build.

Materials need:

Wood:

2 Pieces approximately 517 mm x 132 mm x 32 mm

2 Pieces approximately 1032 mm x 132 mm x32 mm

Mirror

Wooden dowels

Varnish

Silicone to stick the mirror

Wire for hanging

Tools:

Saw

jig saw

Hammer

Measuring tape

Drill

Wood glue

Square

Marking gauge or dowel jig

Drill bit

Blow torch

Sander

Paint brush

Clamps

To begin I marked the top and bottom pieces along with the two sides onto the wood. I then used my chop saw to cut them but you could use a hand saw if you don’t have a chop saw. Just be sure to keep the cuts square and use a fine toothed saw for a cleaner cut.

After they were cut I laid them on a flat surface and placed them into position. Notice how they are positioned, they are staggered.

I then set about labeling each corner so it would be easy to place everything back together.

I decided to use dowels for the joint as they are pretty quick and easy to do while also giving a strong joint. I marked the position of the dowels on each of the intersections with a pencil.

Using a square I transferred all the lines to the side of the wood.

I set a marking gauge to half the thickness of the wood and marked the center of where all the dowels were to be drilled. I highlighted all the marks with a pencil.

I used some tape to mark half the depth of the wooden dowel on the drill bit and set about drilling all the holes for the dowels. You could use a doweling jig for this but I don’t have one.

When all the holes were drilled I put some wood glue into the holes and tapped in the dowels with a hammer. I then applied more glue to the rest of the joint and pushed all the joint s together.

I put clamps on to pull everything together while the glue cured. Using a measuring tape I measured the diagonals to make sure it was all square. Wipe off any excess glue.

To set out the curves I used an old flexible curtain rail. I clamped on scrap pieces of wood to hold the rail in place while I marked it. This took a bit of trial and error until I was happy with the shape. Only mark one side and either the top or bottom.

Check out my YouTube channel if you would like to see more projects from me: Eamon Walsh DIY

Before I started cutting out the shape of the mirror I turned the frame upside down to rebate the back to accept the mirror. It’s easier to do this now as you have the full width of the wood whereas if you did it after the router may rock on the narrow pieces.

After the rebate was done I flipped the frame back over and clamped it to the table and started cutting with my jig saw. I used the off cut to mark the curve on the opposite side. This saves having to set up marking the curve twice and also gives you a mirror image of the curve.

After all was cut I rounded over all the face edges with a router and round over bit and then gave everything a quick sanding.

Before starting to torch or char the wood I squared up the corners of the rebate where the router could not remove. I used a chisel to do this on the four corners.

I set the frame up on some scrap pieces of wood and torched, scorched and charred the wood. I did it to the way I like it but you can go either lighter or heaver with the torch depending on your taste.

I gave everything a light sanding and then rubbed the whole thing with a cloth and white spirits to remove the rest of the dust. I applied 3 coats of a varnish with a light sanding before the last coat.

To attach the mirror, which I got cut to size from my local glass supplier, I applied some clear silicone to the rebate and then carefully placed the mirror into place. I applied a little pressure to make sure it was bedded into the silicone and left it to cure.

To attach it to the wall I used some wire which I fitted to the back of the frame.

And there it is. I have placed it just inside my front door. It has really transformed my entrance hall which was a bit plain and bare looking before the mirror went in. It also gives you one last chance to hair and makeup before you leave the house!