Mirrors framed to look like windowpanes can be used in any room with any dˇcor. A country style may use an antiqued arched windowpane mirror to make it feel rustic. A contemporary style can be achieved with a sleek lacquered square windowpane frame. Kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors can be made of windowpane mirrors to give these work areas a lighter, more spacious feel. You can also use windowpane mirrors in your flower garden.
If you would like to refurbish an old windowpane into a mirror, you can do it yourself by following these easy steps.
Step 1:
Find a suitable windowpane. You can look for these at building salvage stores, on e-bay, or from your own building or remodeling project.
Step 2:
Gather your work materials: mirror, class cutter, glazing points, gloves, safety goggles, putty knife, wire brush, fine-tip marker, ruler, and paint or stain if you will be refinishing the pane itself.
Step 3:
With the safety goggles and gloves on, you first have to scrape off all the old putty that holds in the glass and then carefully take the glass panes out.
Step 4:
Scrub the empty windowpane with a wire brush to remove any remaining debris from the surface.
Step 5:
If you want to paint or stain the wood, do that at this point. For a more rustic look, you can leave it with the distressed paint, scratched and all.
Step 6:
Measure the openings that held the glass and subtract 1/8 inch. Carefully use the glasscutter to cut the mirror to these sizes. You do this by marking the surface with a fine-tip marker and ruler. Hold the ruler along this line and score it with the glasscutter. Dipping the edge into household oil will help the cutter to score smoothly. The score works like a perforation; place the line on a table edge and snap off the excess.
Step 7:
Put the cut piece of mirror into the open space. Wedge it tightly into place with the glazing points by tapping them into place every four inches with the putty knife.
You are finished. Now, you have a beautiful windowpane mirror. This is a wonderful way to keep a bit of history in your home if you salvaged the windowpane from an old church or maybe the family home before it was demolished. It always feels nice to have decorative pieces in your home that you made yourself, so sit back and take pride in a job well done.