We all know how awesome live edge furniture looks, sadly everything comes at a cost, and since I make a lot of stuff I need to watch my budget. Though this may not be a true live edge, with a little creativity you can create an awesome faux live edge piece. Even if you don’t need a mirror this faux live edge concept can be applied to almost any project you would like to make. If you follow me you know I have a thing for LEDs, so if it’s not your thing you can look past that.
I used pine lumber and shaped it to have a natural look, and then, added an inexpensive mirror and added LEDs to give it a nice glow. This could be a floor standing or wall mounted mirror. Lastly, I used a plug in smart outlet that can be controlled via WIFI.
Want to make your own?
- (1) 8’ 1×12 White Wood Common Board
- (1) 4’ 1×16 Laminated Spruce Panel Board
- (1) 6’ 1×2 Select Pine
- (1) 4’x1’ Door Mirror
- (8) Pocket Hole Screws
- Mastic
- Wood Glue https://amzn.to/2rNQ tkc
LED and Accessories
- LED Light Strips https://amzn.to/2vVwcez
- LED Channels https://amzn.to/2vTeV66
- Smart Plug https://amzn.to/2PlAqnS
- Power supply https://amzn.to/2OOrE0N
- Miter Saw https://amzn.to/2L7C6 zB
- Pocket hole jig https://amz n.to/2rSv9KL
- Drill and Driver https://amzn.to/2IqS Y2a
- Jawhorse https://amzn.to/2Im5 iot
- Orbital sander https://a mzn.to/2IsiVi2
- Nail Gun
- Router https://amzn.to/2MzAHVZ
- Bar clamp https://amzn.to/2GtdsW A
DIFFICULTY
Intermediate
PROJECT COST
$37 – $75
ESTIMATED TIME
2 days
See the Video
STEP 1
Get a Mirror
I was able to repurpose a mirror from a prior project. You can use this process for practically any mirror. I am using an inexpensive mirror that you can pick up at a local store for just around $5.
To begin I removed the frame from around the mirror.
For the live edge frame, all you need is one 8ft 1×12 lumber piece. This can be cut in half and used for both the front and back.
STEP 2
Create the Live Edge Profile
The design was freehanded onto a piece of cardboard first. After sketching up the desired design, I transferred it the lumber and cut it out with a jigsaw. If you’d like, you can do some research to find a reference for your live edge template. Just keep in mind that this is yours and you can personalize it as much as you’d like.
STEP 3
Routing for the Mirror
Now it was time to decide how much of the mirror we wanted to expose. We spaced the outer edge of the frame 16 inches apart, this distance was close enough for the mirror to touch both frame pieces. Next, place the mirror down onto the two pieces of lumber, double check the distance again then trace a reference line. As I mentioned in the video you can use a piece of wood the same thickness as the mirror, instead of routing into the frame pieces. Keep in mind that this will add thickness to the frame but will eliminate the need for routing.
Routing
Route out the section for the mirror. The best fit is if the mirror is flush with the surface of the lumber.
STEP 4
Sand and Apply Finish
Shaping the Edge
When looking at the frame up against the mirror it appeared to be too thick for my liking. To make this area thinner we used a chamber bit on the router to taper the edge. That looked pretty good, but still not quite where I wanted it. We went back over the live edge with the sander and gave it a slight round over.
This is a good time to sand down the remaining parts.
The finish I used may not work for everyone, so explore and make sample pieces with different finishes. We applied wood conditioner prior to adding a dark Danish oil finish.
STEP 5
Attaching the Mirror
Adhere the mirror to the faux edge using mastic or Liquid Nails. Be sure to keep some distance from the faux edge to prevent the mastic from squeezing through. Place weight on the mirror and frame (be careful not to crack or damage the mirror) and allow time for the adhesive to dry.
STEP 6
Adding the Spacer
You can attach the spacers to the back of the mirror using wood glue, a nail gun or screws. Make sure the nails or screws clear the mirror, for obvious reasons. After attaching the spacers, secure the support pieces using pocket hole screws.
Since the LED’s were going to be placed on the sides, I drilled a hole near the bottom of each spacer piece. The LED strips need to pass through these so keep that in mind.
STEP 7
Adding the LED Track
You can attach the spacers to the back of the mirror using wood glue, a nail gun or screws. Make sure the nails or screws clear the mirror, for obvious reasons. After attaching the spacers, secure the support pieces using pocket hole screws.
Since the LEDs are on both sides, I drilled a hole near the bottom of each spacer. The LED strips need to be able to pass through the hole, so keep that in mind.
You can attach the LED track to the spacers using double sided tape or by screwing it into place.
STEP 8
Adding the LED
I pulled out enough of the LED strip for the length of the mirror and a little extra to make a small loop, pass through the hole and into the opening in the middle. I peeled off the backing of the LED strip and adhered it to in the LED channel. Then, I installed the cover.
(If you’re experienced with making a splice, skip the next section.)
How to splice the LEDs:
- Cut the DC power cable and expose the conductors (wires)
- Strip off the jacket from each conductor – you should have two strips of LED’s one with the power jack and one with the cut end. These LED’s come with an extra end connector that you can snap right onto the strip which makes contact with the exposed copper
- Slip some shrinking tube over the conductor
- Twist all of the red wires together and all the black wires together
- Solder the exposed wires together
- Slide shrinking tube over soldered wires and use heat to shrink them into place
- Secure the DC jack in order to prevent strain on the cord
- Test the lights, if they work it’s time to attach the back panels
STEP 9
Attaching the Back Panels
I used wood glue and a nail gun to attach the back panels, making sure that they were even with the panels in the front.
STEP 10
Covering the End Grain
The exposed end grain was not pleasing to look at, so I decided to cut a piece of iron-on veneer to cover the multiple layers. In most cases, this is not needed if you are mounting it on the wall. It’s more practical if you were to use this as a floor mirror.
Add a small piece of wood to close off the ends before applying the veneer. Iron the veneer into place. To blend the veneer to the live edge, sand the edges of the veneer and add a slight round over, then apply stain to match the wood.
Securing the wire harness
Next, I installed a tie base to hold onto the wire harness to avoid strain on the LED’s.
Layer of protection
Finally, I applied two coats of satin wipe on poly.
STEP 11
Finishing Touches
This mirror can be used as a floor mirror or wall mounted. You will need heavy duty hangers in order to mount the mirror to a wall. It’s best if you put this in studs but you can also use heavy duty anchors to support it.
I drilled a hole in the wall behind the mirror and next to the power outlet, then fished the power cord up the wall.
Smart Control:
I used a smart outlet to control the mirror. This is pretty cool because you can control the outlet over WiFi. There is a button on the outlet but the smart device is more convenient.
STEP 12
Glamour Shots
Thanks for checking out this project here are a couple shots of the finished product.
You did a wonderful job, it looks great and whipped thru the use of a LOT of tools. I was pretty excited about the use of the led strips and did a little research after seeing this project, but am a little confused. I know the led strips are very low voltage and cannot plug into a 110/120 outlet without some kind of a transformer. How do you know what size transformer? After you figure out the size of the transformer, you have to consider the type of “ends” the light wire has and the connection on the transformer. I looked online and they are little itty bitty connections. I also know there a a lot of different connections on a lot of different led lights and it is hard to match stuff up! Is there some kind of tutorial I can go look at?
Also, I have used a router enough to know that I have a lot of respect for them, I have to be very careful with them and you make it look SO easy. I am going to look when I post this to see if you have little “tutorials” on using some of your tools and also I need a refresher on soldering. Thanks so much for your project.