March 3, 2015

DIY Pottery Barn Eagan Mirror


Happy Tuesday, everyone! Today I'm going to be showing you how I built our DIY Pottery Barn Multipanel Eagan mirror. You have probably seen this DIY build elsewhere, but I thought I would still share it anyways. I ran into a couple of problems as well, so I thought I would give tips that I wish I had when I started this build. 
I absolutely loved the Pottery Barn Eagan mirror the first time that I saw it, but I didn't love the $700 price tag that came with it. That said, I decided to build my own. The finished mirror ended up costing around $70 which is a much more affordable option! So without further adieu here are the steps in creating your own: 

The first thing you need to do is figure out approximately how large you want the mirror. In order to do this you would determine how many mirrors you want, for example I did 3 mirrors by 5 mirrors, but you could make it any size you want.  I used the 8" x 8" candle mirrors from Hobby Lobby and bought a total of 15 of them when they were 50% off.  The other thing to consider is the thickness of the trim when calculating the overall size. The trim I used was slightly curved on the top, but flat on the bottom and measured approximately 3/4". I bought mine at Lowes and bought five, 8' lengths of it. You could get away with just four, but we bought an additional just as a backup piece. 
In order to calculate the overall dimensions of the mirror, you would combine the width of the mirrors and trim as shown in the diagram below. 


Now to determine the height: 

Now I wish I could tell you that once you theoretically calculate this that all the dimensions will work out perfectly, but truthfully (and I learned this the hard way) it doesn't. Or at least it didn't for me. Reason being is that the mirrors I got from Hobby Lobby claim that they are 8" x 8" but in reality some of them were an 1/8" or  1/16" too short and some weren't even perfect squares. That said, this through off my measurements and my husband had to re cut the particle board as a result. That said, make sure you take in consideration the ACTUAL size of the mirror plates when you make the calculation for the overall mirror size. DO NOT just assume that an 8" x 8" mirror plate is actually 8" x 8". Based off of my original calculations my mirror was going to be 27" x 44.5" but it actually turned out to be 27" x 44-1/8".  Now that might not seem like a huge difference, but since the mirrors are supposed to sit flush to the trim pieces this difference causes there to be a noticeable gap at the bottom.

Note: You can use any beveled mirror tiles for this project so this might not be true for all 8" x 8" mirrors that you buy. I was just letting you know that this could be something you run into like I did myself.


After you have determined the size of the mirror you want, its time to create the backing of the mirror with wood. I chose particle board because it was the most affordable option and it also has no flexibility to it. I used 2' x 4' particle board sheets from Lowes and since the width was 27" I had to use a second piece of particle board to add an additional 3 inches to the width (I had the nice people at Lowes make these cuts for me). I attached this piece using brackets and wood glue as shown above.  I considered purchasing a huge slab of particle board and having the person at Lowes cut the right size rectangle so that I could bypass this step, but the large pieces of particle board are a lot thicker than these 2' x 4' pieces and since this mirror is already heavy enough I didn't want to add extra weight. 

Next, I added two 1" x 4"s on the back so that I would have a place to add a hanger. I added two so that I could have the option to hang it vertical or horizontal because I'm indecisive like that and am often moving things around in our house. We used 1-1/2" long wood screws to attach these. 


Next, I created the frame of the mirror using the trim. I used a miter box to make all the cuts for this project. A miter saw would work even better, but we don't own one and they are quite expensive so the $8.00 miter box that we picked up from Menards worked out perfectly. If you are unfamiliar with a miter box its a device for guiding a handsaw at the proper angle in making a miter joint in wood. Within the project, the only 45 degree angle cuts that need to be made are for the corners of the frame,and the rest of the cuts are straight. 

After I had made the cuts for the frame I secured it to the particle board with wood glue and once I had the corners aligned I put a weight on them and let it dry.  

Next I made the remaining cuts for the mirror. Since I was going to hang the mirror vertically, I made the two vertical pieces of trim the full length of the mirror.  I then made 8" cuts of trim for all of the remaining horizontal trim pieces. Before I glued the trim down, I laid everything out to make sure everything would fit properly. Once everything looked good, I kept everything in place including the mirrors and started gluing down the trim using wood glue one piece at a time. Keeping everything in place and using it as a guide when gluing down the pieces ensured that all of the mirrors would fit after the wood glue had dried. Since everything fit so snug, the two vertical pieces of trim kept wanting to pop up so I put a clamp on both sides to keep the trim in place while the glue dried.



After the trim had dried, I removed the mirrors. 



 Next, it was time to spray paint the frame. I used the RUST-OLEM Metallic spray paint in Oil Rubbed Bronze.  Since it's winter in MI spray painting outdoors or even in the garage was not an option. Therefore, I came up with a "genius" idea to spray paint it in the unfinished part of our basement. We sectioned off an area as you can see above, but that still didn't keep the paint particles from drifting in the air and getting a thin layer of paint on everything else in the room. That said, it's probably best to do this step outside even if that means waiting until it gets warmer out.

After I spray painted both sides of the mirror and let it dry, I then added the hangers onto the back of the 1"x 4". Once those were attached, I then went ahead and attached the mirrors using mirror glue. The Pottery Barn Eagan mirror has rosettes at each "cross-section" but I chose not to add these because I liked the look better without them. If you are interested in adding the rosettes these look very similar to the ones used in the Pottery Barn mirror.


Here is the finished mirror! What do you think? I haven't hung it yet because I'm kind of liking the look of it sitting on the console table for now . I also haven't decided on how I want to style this table, but I shopped my house to come up with this and I'm liking it for now. 






The mirror sits to the right of our window in our family room so with all of the natural light that bounces off of it during the day it kind of gives the illusion that it's a window itself.  I love this aspect of it because I love natural light in a room. The more the better in my opinion!


From the side you can see the particle board material and the 1" x 4" so I might add a frame around it down the road, but it sits directly next to our window with curtains so it's hard to see the side of the mirror where I currently have it. 


 If you would like to follow along and stay up to date on more of my home decor, DIY, lifestyle and other posts, I'd love to have you follow me along on any of the following: 

22 comments :

  1. Awesome job! I've wanted to make one for a while but don't know where I would put it.

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    1. Thank you! Finding a place to put something is always the hardest part! If you do decide to make it the good news is you can make it any size so it could fit in any area!

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  2. WOW! This is amazing! I remember that mirror from Pottery Barn. You did a great job and you also provided an amazing tutorial. I may have to copy this one, too! Also, I don't think the particle board is an issue, even if you can see it. It adds a rustic type of character on the back. I like it! Great job, girlfriend! :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Marie!! You're right, it does add character - thanks for the positivity girlfriend!:) Ps. can't wait to see your finished bathroom!

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  3. MEGAN - THIS IS FABULOUS!!! I've seen it in some of your pictures and have been patiently waiting for the blog post!! You did such an awesome job and I think it's in the perfect place and the table is styled perfectly!!

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  4. Hi Megan - This is lovely!! Great Job. Can I ask where you got the table and basket? The whole design is super cute and styled to perfection. Love it all!!!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Michelle!! I got the table from Marshall's on clearance, but I see them all the time at the store. I got the basket from target and it's still currently in stock online and in most stores. Here is the link to it: http://bit.ly/1Mcys56

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  5. Thank you, Megan. :o)

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  6. Hi Megan!
    I love this! It looks phenomenal. Is there anyway you can list out all the tools and items you used in a concise list? Thanks so much!

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  7. What colour is on the walls. Love it

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  8. Love this! Definitely trying this weekend. What color and brand is on your wall? Gorgeous.

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  9. Stunning job! That's one of my favorite mirrors. Well done!

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