How to Create Etched Mirrors

A great craft and decorative idea is to etch letters or designs onto a mirror and it really is not that difficult to do. The outcome is a look that is unique to your style and helps to complement the overall decorating scheme of a room. Or you can use this great craft idea to create a special gift.

First you need to gather your supplies. You need the following:

Mirror

Water in a container

Paper

Pencil

Tape Measure

Scissors

Clear Tape

Contact Paper

Rubber Gloves

Etching Cream for Mirrors

Wedge foam brush (such as for applying paint)

Stencils of letters, pictures or designs (you can make them freehand if you choose)

Craft Knife

Sponge

Create your design by using your stencils or doing so freehand. Make sure you are creating them to the size you want them to be on the mirror. Cut around each design or letter carefully, being sure to leave a border around them so you can tape them together in the next step.

Use your clear tape to tape your design or letters together with the spacing you want them to have on the finished product. Flip the entire taped project over and use your pencil to completely cover the back of each letter or design. You only want to cover the design itself, so do not use the pencil to just shade the back entirely. You need to be intricate here, shading only the parts of the letter that are drawn. For example you do not want to use the pencil to shade over the inside hole of the letter 'p.' Instead, you want to shade carefully around that hole so that your pencil markings show the exact shapes of your letters or designs.

Use your tape measure to cut a piece of contact paper that will cover the size of your mirror. Cut it out and press the contact paper to the entire mirror. Make sure you smooth away any wrinkles as you go.

Place your letters or designs on the contact paper where you want them to be when the craft is complete. Carefully trace around them with your pencil and use your craft knife to cut them out. This is the most challenging part of the craft because you do not want to make any cuts in the contact paper other than to extract the lettering or design.

Remove the letters or design that you have cut around, being careful not to rip the remaining contact paper.

Put on your gloves to protect your hands and use your wedge foam brush to apply the etching cream to the openings left on the mirror after you have removed the contact paper. Be sure to read the instructions on the cream prior to proceeding.

Wipe and rinse the mirror, rinsing the sponge in between wipes and dabs using the clear water in a container until all signs of etching cream have been removed.

Remove the contact paper from the mirror and wipe it with a clean, slightly damp sponge.

You have now created an etched mirror to your own liking and specification.