Completed Pair of Mosaic Mirrors

 Do you remember that feeling when you see the final results of a project? It's especially important if you have been working on the project for a while. You didn't know what it would end up being. It's a feeling of accomplishment! Ahhhh... the sweet joy that comes from making!

This is how I felt when I finished my mosaic project! Two framed mosaic mirrors are now hanging in the master bathroom. They are here in all their glory. They turned out so well.

It was quite a task. The frameless Ikea mirror was the starting point. To make custom frames, I used 5mm plywood and wood molding. The mirrors are approximately 27" x 32", with a 2 1/2 inch border. To seal the backing, I applied several coats of primer. The mosaic fun started!

We had to have the Master Bathroom's shower rebuilt before we moved into our new house. A new tile was chosen, with an accent section of white and grey circular tiles. It can be seen in the mirror below.

I thought the circular shapes reminded me of bubbles, which would be appropriate for a bathroom. The circular pattern was incorporated into my mirror design. I wanted to use colorful bubbles as the focal point. A multi-layered design was something I had previously tried with great success. So, I decided to do it again. An extra piece of backing is used to layer the design and is glued onto the frame.

I had already created a full-length mosaic frame for my Master Bedroom and was very pleased with the result.

Here's a closer view of the mosaic border. It's made up of 3/4" glass tiles, 3/4" glass penny rounds, custom-cut stained, and clear glass.

All these ideas were combined into one design for the Master Bathroom Mirrors. The design needed to be mirrored, but not duplicated. Each mirror has a corner with "bubbles" at the bottom. One is on the left, the other on the right.

Let's now take a look at how to make these mosaic mirrors. Although I am not an expert in mosaics, I still learn and rely heavily upon the advice and expertise available online. To see how the different tesserae, which are the small pieces that go into mosaic work, looked after the bubble corner idea had gelled.

The composition of the border was also determined by some experimentation. Except for the mirror tiles, borders are 3/4" x 3/4" vitreous glass tiles (see More Info). The Kaleidoscope Colorgrove line includes four colors: Night, Smoke, Rochester, and Alpine Blue. These tiles are great because they have vibrant colors and are easy to cut.

Here is a closeup of the bottom of the tiles. They are cut using a pair of tile cutters and formed into nine quadrants to ensure good adhesion.

Mirror tiles are made from sheets of mirror glass. To cut a 3/4" strip of glass, I first measured and marked the lines. To score the line in the glass, I used a glass cutter.

Running pliers were used after scoring the glass to score the score and then separate the pieces. Running pliers feature a slightly curved jaw that ensures equal pressure on both sides of scorelines. It is important to align your pliers with the scoreline and then squeeze hard.

It is easy to turn the glass strip into tiles by scoring and breaking it into 3/4" squares, over and over.

It took a bit more effort to make the circles for the bubble corners. An Easy-Cut circle cutter was purchased by me (see more info below). This cutter is great. If you are thinking about buying one, don’t expect the circles will just fall off the cutter.

Although the cutter does an excellent job creating perfect circles, you will need to score all edges of the circle to break them out. You'll need an electric grinder (see More Info) to smoothen and finish the edges.

After the design was approved and the glass pieces had been cut, it was time for the assembly. Here is where I highly recommend QuikStik Mosaic mesh(TM), a self-adhesive fiberglass net. Although this is my first experience with this product, I promise I will never use it again for a project such as this. It cuts down on the time it takes to complete this step. Seriously! Without the mesh, I had no choice but to pick up each tessera individually and glue them onto the final piece. This meant that I had to synchronize two versions of my layout, one for planning and one for gluing. It was tedious to say the very least. QuikStik helped me cut the mesh to size and position my tesserae. After I was satisfied with the design, I could make adjustments and move on to the next stage. You don't need to create a second version or glue each tessera individually.

Once all the tesserae had been installed, I lifted the mesh from the frame and placed it on the side. To protect the mirrors, I taped their edges and covered them with paper. Next, I applied a thin layer of thin-set mortar along the border and bubble corner.

To permanently attach the tiles, I carefully removed the mesh from its place. Here are the tesserae, mesh, and thinset.

I was able to apply the grout after waiting for the thin-set time to sit for 24 hours. Here is my frame with black grout.

Then, I took out the excess grout and left it to sit for between 20-30 minutes. Finally, I removed any haziness. It finally looked like what I wanted.

Next, let the grout cure before sealing the piece with grout and tile sealer. This is a glimpse into how a mosaic mirror is made. I am already working on my next project, and I can't wait for the results.

Aug 21, 2019, Update: Please note that ordinary glass wall mirror stock can oxidize and turn black if it comes in contact with ordinary adhesives. I used special mirror adhesive for attaching the mirror to the frame to prevent this from happening. However, the mirror tiles that make up the decorative border were attached with thin-set adhesive so they might become blackened over time. You could also use pre-made mirror tiles with an epoxy coating to protect silver backing. This clarification was provided by Joe Moorman, Mosaic Art Supply.