Mirror With Easy DIY Leaded Glass Tape

3 Materials
$150
2 Days
Medium

In Part 3 of our series "How to Make a Sad Window Cheerful," we added a mirror to a shelf and used the same easy metal tape to match the window below. See the longer video on our YouTube Channel here. We love the window more than ever!

The longer video link is at the top of this post.


In September 2020 there is still time to win the metal tape on our YouTube Channel Giveaway. Go to Part One, Easy Leaded Glass with Metal Tape on our channel, subscribe and leave a comment. How to enter is in the description box of that video.

We planned for months to add a mirror to the top shelf of our porch window. We made the mirror and window match with paint and leaded glass effects with metal tape.

The vitrail tape is made by a company called Pebeo (Pay-Bay-O). Vitrail is French for stained glass. The company also makes a line of fine glass paint. We've put a link to the tape in the materials list.

The mirror made the stone building look less like a shed and more like a home by creating the effect of a much larger window.

It's hard to believe this window was an eyesore for so many years. Once we removed a crusty air conditioner, we built a new window pane for the bottom section.

After using the vitrail tape on the window we were sure that we could create the same realistic leaded glass effect on a mirror.

We didn't realize what a difference it would make to the overall look of the old porch.

The mirror came in two sections. The design is called Jolene. We chose Jolene because the width and low arch would work well with our small window. Finding Jolene in stock meant searching four different online outlets. We finally found Jolene in stock at Build.com for about $100.

The morning before we hung the mirrors over the window we'd stayed up until 3 a.m. finishing the taping. Luckily it's very easy to use.

We made our patterns with a drawing program on our computer, but you can also use good graph paper like the one in the materials section. We cut the patterns into puzzle pieces, taped them in place, then moved sections so that we could align the tape.

We cleaned the mirror with a soft paint brush and a dry cloth to make sure the tape would stick well. Since this mirror is an import, we don't want to use anything that may fog the mirror. We folded the pattern to reveal where to place tape lines.

The tape cuts easily with scissors. It curls like mad when cut. Straighten the tape on a flat surface before measuring pieces for your design. This is a photo of the backing paper. See how curly!

Burnish the tape to the mirror with the tool provided. You can reposition the tape, but it will leave very sticky residue which is hard to remove. It will come off with elbow grease. We often placed the smallest pieces by sticking them to the blade of a craft knife to help maneuver them into place.

Our design was so simple we could work without the pattern once the diamond was positioned. We think a simple design helps the metal tape look more like realistic leaded or stained glass.

We found a crack in the perfect spot above the window where we could cement an anchor and steel hook with QuikCrete Vinyl Patch. The patch wasn't pretty so we used chalk paint to make it match the stone. We hung the mirrors on the hook using a cotton rope. Usually wire is the better choice, but the rope allowed for a lot of adjustments on our uneven wall. We cut thin wood by hand to use at the base of the mirror to help hold it level against the wall. A second strip was glued to the front of the two mirrors to make it look like one large mirror.

Then it was time to decorate. Flowers may come and go, but the leaded glass effects will be there throughout the seasons reflecting the garden and the decorations.

Beautiful changes as the seasons march by.

We'll move on to the many other projects this old house needs and we hope you'll enjoy our progress as we tackle more creative ideas. Check out MORE photos of this project on our web post here.

Resources for this project:
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Stephie McCarthy
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  2 questions
  • Bry Bry on Sep 16, 2020

    There must be something you can do with all the curly backings, too. Have you thought of anything? Amazing transformation.

  • Merrymix Merrymix on Sep 17, 2020

    I think I have a perfect place for this -- two plain windows on the sides of an exterior door. But I don't understand how it would work if I use it on the inside instead of the outside due to weather? Can you help?

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  • Claudia Jarvis Claudia Jarvis on Sep 30, 2023

    BEAUTIFUL

  • Shelly Moore Shelly Moore on Oct 04, 2023

    Spectacular!!! I can't wait to make something like this!!! I have painted a few faux stained glass windows in a few places, it was paint, and lead looking stuff u squeezed out of a tube. Not That realistic.... These are lively!!!

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