Turn an old window frame from the junkyard into a decorative wall mirror. Beverly DeJulio, host of HGTV's Homewise With Beverly DeJulio, explains how. Materials:
Old window frame
Piece of wide molding to serve as a shelf
Screws
Heavy-duty work gloves
Safety glasses
Hammer
Old piece of fabric
Heat gun
5-in-1 scraper tool
Needle-nose pliers
Old toothbrush
Wire brush
Ruler
Fine-point permanent marker
Glass cutter and mineral spirits, or self-oiling glass cutter
Caulking gun and caulk
Two eye hooks
Picture wire
- Place the window frame face down on a worktable. Put on safety glasses, cover the glass with fabric, and tap the pane with a hammer to break the glass (figure A).
- Put on protective gloves, and remove the broken glass (figure B). Soften the hardened putty with a heat gun (figure C), and remove it with the scraper.
- Remove the glazing points as you come across them with needle-nose pliers (figure D), and continue using the heat gun and scraper to remove the rest of the putty. Use an old toothbrush and a wire brush to remove bits of putty from the cracks.
- Clean the rest of the frame in the same way.
- Measure the window openings precisely, then subtract 1/8" from each dimension. Measure and mark the dimensions on the mirror glass with a fine-point permanent marker.
- Score the glass along the marked lines with a glass cutter. If the glass cutter isn't the self-oiling type, dip the wheel in mineral spirits before beginning to keep the wheel rolling smoothly. Cut away from yourself along the marked line with even pressure, making sure to keep the cutting wheel perpendicular to the glass (figure E).
- Align the scored line with the edge of a table, and snap the glass apart along the scored line (figure F).
- When all four mirror panes are cut to size, insert them face down in the window frame (figure G), and use caulk to seal the edge where the window meets the frame (figure H).
- Attach the shelf to the bottom of the mirror with wood screws.
- Add a pair of eye hooks to either side of the back of the mirror, and run a length of picture-hanging wire between them.
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