I’m shook over how easy this sunburst mirror was to make.
Sunburst mirrors have been a home decor staple for a couple of years. Now, we are seeing them move away from metallics and towards wood. I’ve seen some beautifully intricate bamboo mirrors but they all cost a pretty penny. I wanted to try and take a stab at creating my own sunburst mirror for a lot less.
Things You’ll Need:
Step One:
This is the most important step! You need to make sure each piece of wood soaks and absorbs water so it can bend (to your will – JK JK). I let mine soak for about 8 hours before I started the project. You can let it soak for longer if you want to increase your chances of flexibility.
Step Two:
Once the wood is properly soaked and is flexible, have your mirror handy! You’ll have to move fast once the wood comes out of the water. If the water evaporates from the wood before you can bend the sticks, you will likely see breakage. I would suggest leaving the other bamboo sticks in the water while working with just one at a time.
Step Three:
Keep moving quickly once your wood is out of water! Gently bend the stick so that both ends are touching. *Move on to Step 4*
Pro Tip: I learned that it’s easier to work with the sticks if you start bending them about 4 hours into the soak. You might break a few sticks, but a lot of sticks will hold a curve, even if it’s done a little at a time. I pulled the ends towards each other and used a rubber band to hold it in place. The ends don’t even need to touch! The wood will soak up more water as it’s held in this position so when it dries, it won’t be prone to breakage.
Step Four:
Once the ends of your stick come together, take the raffia ribbon and glue one end of the ribbon to the end of the stick. From there, wrap the raffia ribbon around two or three times and then cut it from the spool. Glue the other end in place. Repeat this process for each of your sticks – I made 8 total for mine.
Step Five:
Now you can glue your curved pieces of wood to the back of your mirror. I tried to make sure they were all evenly spaced apart, but I eyeballed it. Hence why it looks a little wonky, haha! Feel free to use a lot of hot glue here. You want it to be secure.
Step Six:
Take your E6000 glue and put a dab of glue on one side of the wooden bead, keeping the holes on the sides. Repeat this step until all your beads are in place and glued. E6000 takes a while to dry, so you will have some time to move the beads around if you need to.
Step Seven:
Once you’re done, flip the mirror upside down so the beads are on the bottom. Place some books or magazines on top to keep the pressure on the beads and mirror while the glue dries. You will need to be super careful during this step. I found it easiest to place an old book/magazine on top of the beads to evenly distribute pressure so the beads don’t move when it’s flipped upside down.
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I’m really happy with the end result! What do you think? This project has me wanting to test my abilities and try creating more intricate designs.
Are you going to DIY this Sunburst Mirror?
This post was originally published on April 11th, 2021 and updated on March 16th, 2022.
