House Archives | Page 18 of 19

How to Cut a Bathroom Mirror in Half

In this home DIY tutorial we will show a simple way to cut a bathroom mirror in half. If you are trying to save money, you can cut an existing large unframed bathroom mirror to the size you need.

Do you have a large unframed mirror in your bathroom that you find is an eyesore?

We did. We had one in each bathroom.

Our solution was to take our large unframed mirror that spanned the whole vanity and recycle it by cutting it in half to create two separate more narrow mirrors that we framed and hung over each sink.

We took down the large mirror and initially went on the hunt for two tall and narrow mirrors that we could hang over each sink.

After lots of window shopping we kept coming up short on finding affordable, tall and thin mirrors that would be the exact dimensions we desired.

We decided we would cut our existing bathroom mirror down to the two identical sizes we wanted. This was a great solution for us because it was already the height we needed and of course it saved us money because we are using what we already had.

If you think this approach might be a solution for you and your bathroom mirror dilemma, follow along and watch the video below as we show you how we cut a bathroom mirror down to the size or sizes needed.

*** Thanks so much for supporting our small shop – Moon Rock Prints – this holiday season! ***

How to Cut a Bathroom Mirror

SUPPLIES

Shop the products we used for this project in one place.

Sharpie
Yard Stick
C-Clamp
Straight Edge (we used a board)
Glass Cutting Oil
Glass Cutter
Heavy Object to hold straight edge down (we used a paint can)

FYI: This post contains a few affiliate links to products we used to make this project. Gray House Studio does receive commissions for sales from these links but at no extra cost to you. We appreciate you supporting this site. Read our privacy and disclosure policy. You can also easily shop our recommended products here.

TUTORIAL VIDEO

STEPS

1. To begin we set the mirror on a large flat surface. We took a yard stick and marked with a Sharpie the measurements of the new mirror where we would need to make our cut.

2. Then we took a board which acts a straight edge for scoring the mirror and lined it up with the marks we made with the Sharpie.

Next we used a c-clamp to hold the board and the mirror to the table to make sure that it didn’t move once we started to make our cut.

On the side of the board that could not be clamped, we used a paint can as a weight to hold the board down.

3. Once everything was in place we squirted a few drops of glass cutting oil on the mirror where the cut would begin.

4. We grabbed the glass cutter and prepared to make our cut.

When starting the cut it is important to apply a good amount of pressure to force the blade down to score the glass.

Once you begin scoring, continue all the way across the mirror with out stopping. It is imperative to make one continuous score.

Any overlap in scores will result in an uneven cut.

5. After we made our cut, we lifted the mirror up slightly and then took the other side of the glass cutter (the end with the heavy metal ball) and tapped directly under the beginning of the score.

Once you start a crack the weight of the mirror will force the crack to run the entire length of the score. The result is the mirror breaks in two pieces.

After the mirror is cut, be careful handling the side that was scored. It will be sharp. We used fine grit sandpaper to smooth the edge making it safer to handle when we started framing it.

6. Once we cut the mirror into two pieces, the sizes we needed, we framed them, stained the frames and hung them back up in our bathroom.

Voila! Our one large mirror is now like two brand new mirrors! And that is how we cut a bathroom mirror.

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Choosing Gray Paint Colors

House, Painting Courtney & Brent

Choosing gray paint colors can be a tricky task. He is how we went about picking a neutral gray.

Today we just finished painting the sixth room in our home gray. As I was up on the ladder practically doing a back bend to paint the top of the arches in what will soon be our library, I couldn’t help but think how pleased I am with our gray paint colors that we have chosen so far for our house.

No longer are gray walls viewed as drab, dull and dreary but now in my opinion a stylish neutral that is cozy and modern.

My love for gray walls began several years ago. I was in college and out window-shopping in an upscale shopping mall that included stores with merchandise that was infinitely out of my price range then (and now). I walked into one store that was designed to have the look of walking into an expensive home. It had dark wood floors, white trim and gorgeous gray walls. I was mesmerized by how cozy it felt.

I never thought about gray walls in a home before. I was a green walls type of girl. But I just couldn’t get over how inviting that combination felt. I don’t remember anything they actually sold there; I just adored the interior design of the store. I do remember I had to eventually be shook from fantasizing, dragged out of the store and reminded I did not actually live there.

From that moment I wanted my own gray house, on a much smaller scale of course. Hey, I may have dreams but I am a realist too.

When the time to came to actually pick gray paint colors for our home I realized that gray paint is not just gray paint there are so many brands, shades and variations out there.

Choosing gray paint colors became a tricky and overwhelming task. How do you go about selecting the right gray color for your wall? While there is no magical color that works for everyone’s home, here is what we learned about choosing the right gray paint colors for our walls.

For the majority of our home we ended up choosing Mindful Gray from Sherwin-Williams. After comparing all of our gray paint options we found that this shade was the most neutral gray which is what we wanted.

Since we knew we wanted the most neutral gray color as possible, the challenge was that we did not end up selecting a color that made the room look even a little purple, blue or green. When we looked at each swatch individually, it appeared the color was neutral but the key we found was to compare numerous gray swatches to each other in the room we would be painting under the exact lighting.

By doing this we were able to see the spectrum of grays available and pick the one that was most neutral in relation to all of the other grays. The gray shades can appear very close so we looked at the darkest and lightest shades on the swatch to see a more dramatic difference.

The gray colors we chose are below. We selected colors for the rooms that were on the same swatch or one swatch over to keep a cohesive and neutral look throughout the house.

Wooden Light Fixture Over Bathroom Mirrors

House, Lighting Courtney & Brent

We faced a big hurdle when we tried to upgrade the standard silver bathroom light fixture in our master bathroom. We made a wooden light fixture with Edison bulbs as a solution to stay within the limits of our wiring situation but still bring personality to the space.

Remodeling or replacing bathroom light fixtures can be tricky when a builder installs and wires one up specifically for the light fixture they installed.

We learned this the hard way when we recently attempted to remodel the light fixture in our master bathroom. We wanted to get rid of the small silver light fixture over our mirrors and replace it with two separate light fixtures, one over each mirror but we ran into a few set backs that eventually led us to creating one large wood light fixture.

Today we are sharing our process on how we created a custom wood light fixture for our master bathroom.

BEFORE – The above photo shows what the light fixture looked like when we moved in. Before we split the mirrors, we had one large mirror and the light fixture was centered above it. Since we cut the mirrors, the small light fixture looked a little weird above them. Plus, we have slowly been trying to de-silver our bathroom so the silver light fixture was the next thing to go. Instead we opted to go with a wooden light fixture in our master bathroom to match the mirrors.

How We Made Our Wooden Light Fixture for Our Master Bathroom

SUPPLIES

FYI: This post contains affiliate links to the supplies and tools we used to make our wooden light fixture. As an Amazon Associate Gray House Studio earns from qualifying purchases. This is at no extra cost to you. We appreciate you supporting this site. Read our privacy and disclosure policy.

STEPS

1. The first thing we did was to remove the old bulbs and to use a screwdriver to take off the front piece of the light fixture to expose how this thing was wired up and put together.

Unfortunately, after we took everything off the wall we found that the electrical box was between the two mirrors and off centered so there was no easy way to hang two light fixtures (one above each mirror).

Another problem we ran into was that the wall behind the light fixture was not textured and therefore did not match the rest of the walls in the bathroom.

It’s like the builder wasn’t even trying to care when they installed these lights. So we decided to make our own wooden light fixture front to span across the entire length of the two mirrors and fit in the space better.

2. Using a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade, Brent cut the back of the silver light fixture into two pieces.

3. Next, Brent cut the piece of wood board to the appropriate length using his new miter saw. Even though he only needed to make one cut on this project, he was pretty excited to use his Christmas present.

4. Brent measured and laid out where the holes would need to be drilled into the piece of wood so the light bulbs would fit into the new wood light fixture.

5. Brent used a mallet and a punch to create a small hole in the surface of the wood that would guide the drill bit.

6. He attached the board to our table using a clamp to keep it from moving. Then, Brent used a hole saw attached to a drill to cut out the eight holes where the light bulbs would go.

7. Using a table saw, Brent cut the board to the appropriate width so that the holes were centered on the board.

8. Then he lowered the blade and made multiple passes right next to each other to remove the wood to create an inset on the back of the new wooden light fixture so it would fit over the back half of the old fixture. He used a chisel to remove the excess wood.

9. Once all the excess wood was removed from the back, it looked like the above.

10. Finally, we stained the wood using the same ebony wood stain as the frames of the mirrors so everything would match.

11. We replaced the old large round light bulbs with Edison light bulbs to give it a unique look.

While we are happy with the results of how the wooden light fixture turned out and how it looks in this space more than the original silver light fixture, we have decided to revisit this project in the future to find a solution that better suits this wall as a whole and take advantage of the height in our bathroom.

Now that we know the obstacles we faced while attempting to remodel this light fixture, we are going to try something new in our guest bathroom. We have a few ideas on how we can improve on this project and if all goes well with our second attempt in the guest bathroom, we will try it again here in the master bathroom. Stay tuned.

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Create Weathered Wood Video

House, Tips + Tricks Courtney & Brent

A video tutorial to create weathered wood from brand new wood.

Hey guys! Today we are going to show you how to create weathered wood using new wood that can be used in a wood wall liked we made for the back of our reading nook.

MATERIALS

Spruce-Pine-Fir Furring Strips (various widths)
Rust-Oleum Wood Stain, Kona

TOOLS

Hammer
Nails
Clamps
Drill
Wire Brush Drill Attachment
Table Saw

*This post contains an affiliate link. You can read our disclosure policy here.

How to Create Weathered Wood Video

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When we started making our wood wall we tried to use old weathered wood from left over pallets but we quickly learned that wood pulled off pallets tended to be gross and broke apart really easy. So instead we bought new Spruce-Pine-Fir Furring Strip in various widths and decided to create the weathered look ourselves so that we could control the color and appearance of each board so that when we put the wood on the wall we could create a pattern that appears random yet balanced. That makes sense, right?

First we hammered two nails into the ends of the boards and then pulled the nails back out to give the appearance that the board had been ripped off of a pallet. After that we use a metal brush attached to a drill to remove the soft wood from in between the grain lines. This is the approach that we found give the most significant and realistic weathered appearance. This also evenly roughs up the surface so the stain soaks in more easily creating a darker more even finish.

The last thing we did was run the surface of the board along the edge of the table saw blade to give it the circular blade marks. When cheaper wood is milled, the surface is not finished smooth. The new wood we used was smooth so we needed to add these marks back on to give it an authentic appearance.

The final step is to stain the boards. We used an oil based stain. Even though it is messier than water based stain we have had better luck achieving a darker finish with the oil based stain. The boards that haven’t been roughed up will be lighter and the ones with the marks will be darker.

Once the stain is dry to the touch, you can start putting it up on the wall! Have any questions? Let us know in the comments below.

Check out how to install weathered wood boards on a wall like we did in our reading nook.

Simple Christmas Decorations

House, Seasonal Courtney & Brent

This weekend we finally broke out the Christmas decorations and decorated our home for Christmas! When it comes to decorating for Christmas we tend to keep it pretty simple around here. The less you put up, the less you have to take down come January, right? Also, this is the first Christmas we have really decorated our home and what decorations filled up an apartment don’t quite fill up a house but we are okay with that. We plan on adding one or two new pieces that we really like each year.

Last year we put up the Christmas tree in our living room where our nook is now so we decided to move it to our front room that currently has nothing in it. This location is nice because we can open up the windows and it can bee seen from outside. Bonus… we don’t have to worry about the cat knocking off the ornaments and them breaking on the tile.

*** Thanks so much for supporting our small shop – Moon Rock Prints – this holiday season! ***

There is something I love about a monochromatic tree. We opt for white lights, white and silver ornaments and a white tree skirt. It just feels so simple, cozy and warm. In the past I became quickly frustrated when I couldn’t get the lights exactly right, the ornaments perfectly spaced or the tree fluffed so there were no empty spaces but over the years I have relaxed and don’t worry so much about perfection but just enjoy the process of decorating the tree.

^ My favorite ornament.

^ I (Courtney) found our tree topper about four years ago. I love how it has a more natural look integrating the branches and berries. It ties perfectly into our rustic/winter decorating theme we have going.

But I have to admit that tree topper is a beast to try and get on up there. I am so glad Brent now handles the struggle that is putting the topper on the tree. I may or may not have fallen into the tree in past years trying to get that thing wrapped around the top branches.

I love incorporating pieces that have special meaning into our decor like this Nativity Scene that was given to my parents as a gift the first Christmas after they were married. It has sentimental value and fits perfectly with our style.

For our mantle this year, we kept a lot of our every day pieces and mixed in some rustic winter decor such as evergreen garland, small led string lights, a burlap runner, mason jars with fresh evergreen, berries and baby’s breath and of course pinecones!

Our DIY Christmas project this year were these Christmas vases made from recycled wine bottles.

^ First, we painted three wine bottles white.

^ My brother has a vinyl cutter plotter so I asked him to cut me the letters j,o,y and snowflakes stickers at the appropriate size. I have seen where you can paint the letters on but I don’t have a steady hand when it comes to painting and stickers were so much easier. I like the look of silver letters because they are subtle and match our tree.

^ Next, I just stuck the letters on the bottles. That part was super easy!

^ The final step was to add the evergreen, berries and baby’s breath.

^ The decorating festivities would not be complete without hot chocolate!

We would love to hear how you decorate your home for Christmas and the holidays. Do you have a specific theme or color scheme when it comes to Christmas decorations? Do you have pieces that have sentimental value that you put up every year? Share with us in the comments.

Reading Nook

House, Room Design Courtney & Brent

We made over an empty nook in our living room into a reading nook with a wood plank wall.

Continue Reading “Reading Nook”