Beside the Stream

We finished building our house a year and a half ago, and a big mirror for the front bathroom was low on the project list until recently.  It had to be nice, because I have an Chinese ancestor painting from the 1400s that Bob doesn’t like, so I put her in the bathroom and painted it red.   It took four coats.

With a grand dame in the bathroom (and that much red), you’d better have a pretty substantial mirror.  I had this fabric for under the sink (from Brunschwig through Ebay),

and thought a mosaic made from glass tiles would make an inexpensive mirror.   The ingredient list is ridiculously short.

You need Weldbond glue, an Ace hardware item that glues glass to wood.  You need glass tiles (through Ebay, for me, with the colors based on the skirt fabric) and a piece of plywood.  Once that stuff is collected, you’re good to go.  It took two sittings to glue these tiles onto the plywood. 

The blue and yellow tiles are different thicknessess and it’s not perfect by a long shot

but we screwed the plywood into the studs, glued the mirror right on top (held in place with three screws until the glue set) and grouted it. 

Grout makes each imperfection stand out, and the only reason this mosaic works is because every single piece is off, creating a cockeyed symmetry.  In any case, the result is so ancestor-worthy that I’m forced to finish up the skirt to complete the picture.

Ta da!  You can’t go far wrong with glass tile and glue on a plywood backing.  You can’t get a cheaper mirror.  And when Bob trims it out in dark wood, it’ll be fancy enough for my Chinese lady for certain.