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Wood Shim Sunburst Mirror

Hayley from Grey House Harbor loves a good knockoff AND a pretty mirror. She says, “I adore the way they instantly lighten and brighten any space. Sunburst (or starburst) mirrors have been en vogue for a few years now and the trend isn’t fading. But they can cost some serious coin.”

Hayley knew this was one item she could save some money on by making herself, and did just that with wood shims and an inexpensive mirror from Hobby Lobby.

I’m really digging the combination of straight and angled cuts!

sunburst mirror tutorial

Hayley uses a pretty simple approach to replicating the sunburst mirror inspiration. Really, all you need are a collection of 15″ cedar shims and some strong adhesive to secure them all together.

You’ll need quite a few shims (40 to be exact) but it may be difficult to find mostly straight ones. The good news is you only need eight “nice” ones to use as your center pieces. The rest can be imperfect, and you’ll still end up with a nice looking result.

Raw shims for sunburst mirror

There’s some obvious cutting and a bit of sanding involved to get the cedar shims ready for this display. The gluing is a process, but a repetitive one, so you can knock that out pretty easily.

Hayley uses her mitre saw to get all the right angles. Even if you just have only a mitre-box, you can make all your necessary cuts.

Check discount stores or even thrift stores to find a small round mirror. You can’t go wrong with the style so long as the mirror isn’t too big.

When the glue is all dried, you’re ready to add some hangers and figure out where your awesome knock-off can hang.

Hayley was inspired by this rustic starburst mirror that is no longer available from Ballard Designs.

Hayley shares the complete tutorial with all the photos you’ll need over at Grey House Harbor.

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