Do-it-yourself mirror lighting in the bathroom. How to make a backlit mirror

It is impossible to do without a mirror in a modern apartment. You can find hundreds of models of this desired item in stores. There are even instances with different types of backlighting. The backlight itself is most often a purely decorative attribute, especially in the bathroom. But sometimes it also performs practical functions. Decorative lighting is built into the mirror. Functional - illuminates the person in front of him. Factory-made mirrors are quite expensive and do not always meet the aesthetic preferences of consumers. In this case, a backlit mirror can be made by hand.

Backlight Options

There are several lighting options:

1. Installation of outdoor spotlights. A spotlight is a spotlight that can be rotated from side to side on a specially designed bracket. It can be single adjustable lamps, light sconces of small size. They are able to illuminate the person at the mirror, some part of the bathroom.
2. A backlight that illuminates the person standing in front of him, his face. Here, modern LEDs often perform the function of lighting devices. Their light is softened by the frosted glass built into the mirror. Most often, such lighting is installed in mirrors, made in the form of a small cabinet.
3. Placement of illuminators behind the rear wall of the mirror. They perform a decorative function. LEDs illuminate the mirrored glass, giving it an unusual appearance. At the same time, illuminated mirrors of this type serve as decoration for the bathroom interior.

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DIY backlighting

Making a backlight for a finished mirror with your own hands is a fairly simple task. For work you will need:

• electric jigsaw;
• screwdriver;
• screws;
• ruler;
• screwdriver;
• metal corners;
• glue;
• electric wires;
• light bulbs;
• bulb holders;
• mirror glass;
• thick plywood or processed board.

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Work order:

1. By the size of the mirror, you need to assemble a frame from boards about 90 mm wide and 20-25 mm thick with glue and screws to accommodate all the details. The ends of the boards are cut with a miter box at an angle of 45 °. Connections are additionally reinforced with metal corners. The mirror should fit freely into the frame, leaving room for light bulbs along the edges.
2. Holes are drilled in the sides of the frame according to the size of the cartridges, which are glued with glue.
3. A frame is glued from thin rails according to the dimensions of the main frame. It should cover the wires on the front side of the product and fix the mirror glass in the main frame.
4. Furniture corners are attached to the main frame with small screws. A mirror will be placed on them.
5. All parts are assembled into a single design and painted in the desired color along with the cartridges. The mirror in the frame is additionally fixed with thin blocks.
6. The cartridges are connected to each other in a parallel circuit by electrical wires. The power cord is connected to the wires and brought out through a specially drilled hole.
7. It remains to screw the bulbs and check the operation of the product. At the back, the entire structure can be closed with a piece of plywood, which is fastened with small nails or screws. It turns out something like the one in image No. 3. The illuminated mirror is ready.

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Other backlighting methods

Image 3. Behind the mirror is closed with plywood, fastened with screws.

You can make an illuminated mirror in many other ways. Many homeowners simply mount several lamps on the wall, which can have a different shape and design. They are installed above the mirror, along its edges. LED strips are often used as lighting elements. It looks very impressive, brings novelty to the interior due to several color options.

Such illumination is performed simply. To do this, you need to purchase a special aluminum profile, insert an LED strip into it and put the profile with the tape on the mirror from the desired side. Further, the tape is connected to the electrical network through a special power supply. The mirror itself can be glued to the wall with liquid nails or other mirror adhesive.

To achieve a functional effect, you can purchase and install spots. With their help, directional lighting is achieved in the right places in the room.

In similar ways, you can decorate cosmetic mirrors on the dressing table. They are sure to please ladies who take care of themselves.

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Making mirror glass with your own hands

Mirror glass of any size and shape can be made by yourself. The process consists of the following steps:

1. You need to pick up a smooth glass and give it the necessary shape. Then wash it thoroughly and degrease it with a 15% solution of caustic potassium.
2. Lower the prepared glass into a container with warm distilled water.
3. Prepare a solution consisting of 30 g of distilled water and 1.6 g of nitrogen silver. A 25% ammonia solution is added dropwise to it. After the precipitate disappears, stop adding ammonia and add distilled water to the solution in an amount of 100 ml. Next, you need to take 5 ml of 40% formalin and mix it with the previous solution.
4. The glass is removed from distilled water and transferred to a clean cuvette, which is filled with the previously obtained chemical solution. A reaction will start and end in about 2 minutes. After its completion, the mirror is washed with clean distilled water. After washing, it is placed vertically and dried. The drying temperature is 100-150°C. Dried mirror glass is varnished. Now you can start making a homemade backlit mirror.

A mirror, even with a backlight, can visually make a room wider and taller, improve its overall lighting, and give it a completely new look. Such a mirror is appropriate in any room, but more often it is installed in the bathroom. This very important and necessary household item can be supplemented with shelves made of glass and other materials. The placement of various cosmetic products on them creates additional convenience for using these products.

Knowing the basic principles of manufacturing such structures, you can turn on your imagination and create completely unique items using modern lighting fixtures.

The size of a backlit mirror can vary from the most modest to occupying the entire wall. Sometimes they are even placed on the ceiling. Neon and LED lighting, unusual frames and other accessories can give an unusual look. LED strips of different colors are able to work for a long time and reliably with significant energy savings.

After the repair, the question arises of decorating the rooms. Properly selected decor will help in creating an individual image of your apartment. Futuristic illuminated mirrors are gaining great popularity, because this solution gives a special charm to the bathroom or dressing room. Mirrors are incredibly convenient to use for both men and women.

In furniture stores and mirror workshops there is a huge selection of such mirrors for every taste, but their prices are somewhat overpriced. To make such items yourself, you do not need any special knowledge or expensive materials and tools.

How to do?

Thanks to the variety of lighting equipment in stores, there are hundreds of ways to create such a mirror with your own hands without overpaying. Of course, you can make a special frame, drill holes for the plinths in it, buy wiring and light bulbs, and then conduct electricity, assemble the entire structure. This option is quite expensive, and a person may simply not have time to fuss with all these stages.

There is also an option to buy a ready-made decorative garland on batteries, carefully attach it around the perimeter of the mirror with a glue gun, and simply remove the excess length. But the switch in such garlands is not always convenient, and if you leave the structure burning all night, you will have to spend money on new batteries too often.

You should disassemble a practical way that not only saves money and time, looks stylish, but is also safe.

Instruments

For quick and high-quality work, you should acquire the following tools and devices in advance:

• screwdriver;
• screws;
• ruler;
• scissors;
• screwdriver;
• metal corners;
• glue, sealant or glue gun;
• electric wires;
• LED LED strip;
• connectors;
• power unit;
• mirror glass.

Choosing an LED Strip

First you need to purchase a special LED strip of the desired length in the store. So, you need to take a tape measure and measure the mirror around the perimeter, adding a small margin "for every fireman." You should also decide on the function of the mirror, because the choice of the color of the glow will directly depend on it. Blue lighting in the bathroom looks creative, but it will be quite problematic for a lady looking into such a mirror to apply makeup. In this case, it is better to take a color as close as possible to daylight. Your wife or daughter will appreciate such care.

If you are going to illuminate a rather large mirror, and the length of the tape turned out to be more than 5 meters, you need to purchase special connectors. Also, do not forget to buy a power supply, at least half as much power as the total tape. It is necessary to match the tape to the mounting surface by color. It is by the color of the tape, and not by the color of the glow. So, when the electricity is off, it will not be noticeable on the mirror.

Recently, LED strips with double-sided tape have appeared on sale to facilitate its fixation on the surface. So, if you overpay a little, then you will need much less glue to work.

If you want to get a bright hallway, then just wrap a diode tape around the mirror. This is for the lazy ones.

Mounting method

The easiest way is with a glue gun. The process is extremely simple: apply droplets of glue at a short distance, fasten the tape behind the mirror - you can on the back of the mirror itself, or you can directly to the wall. This option will covertly illuminate the contour of the mirror and bring novelty to the interior. If this method is too simple for you, then you can buy a special aluminum profile, thread a tape into it, attach it to the edge of the mirror with the right side. Do not skip the step with degreasing the surfaces to be glued - the reliability of fastening will increase significantly. No one wants to glue a falling off tape with enviable regularity, and a sagging tape will look very careless and cheap.

Be careful, because when attaching any parts directly to the back wall of the mirror itself, there is a danger of damaging its amalgam

For such manipulations, it is better to use a neutral sealant produced specifically for glass surfaces.

Network connection

In order for the LED strip to glow, electricity must be supplied to it. It is not possible to immediately plug the plug into a 220V socket. Especially for this, a power supply was purchased. If the product is intended for the bathroom, carry out all installation work in compliance with safety regulations. Do not neglect your health, because high humidity and the close proximity of electrical wiring can be dangerous.

All electrical wires must be securely insulated. For example, you can use a regular sealant, and it is preferable to buy a tape with moisture protection. It is cut in certain places. They are usually labeled by the manufacturer. Failure to follow these labels may result in part of the product not working.. Next, the tape, connectors and power supply are assembled into one network. It is recommended to do this by conventional soldering. Considering that the tape itself is quite tiny and fragile, you need to be a real soldering master, have a lot of patience, otherwise there is a risk of taking quite a lot of time with work, or even completely abandoning it.

For such a case, connectors are needed. They will provide great assembly speed combined with its simplicity. The connector is a plastic "trap" into which the two ends of the LED strip segments are inserted, and then snapped into place. The contacts inside the connector are closed, and the tape can work as a whole. There are three types of connectors on the market:

• non-bending ones are used to connect two straight pieces of tape.
• Corner fasten the tape at a right angle.
• Conditionally bending can be replaced with both straight and angled connectors, depending on which one is needed in a given place.

During the connection procedure, it is important to observe the polarity, because sometimes the markings on products from different manufacturers may not match, so it will not be superfluous to check the direction of the current.

Fastening

After completion of all work, the mirror must be hung in its rightful place. To do this, you can use special glue for mirrors, simply gluing it to the wall. You can also hang the mirror on pre-attached wall mounts. So, drill holes of the appropriate size, insert dowels into them and screw in large screws in the form of hooks. Don't forget to level the location of the holes in the wall so that the mirror hangs evenly. This will definitely be more reliable, and if necessary, you can always remove and hang the mirror back in a matter of seconds.

Illumination as decor

Due to the variety and availability of various lighting fixtures, the choice of backlit decoration option depends only on your imagination. If you wish, you can create a multi-colored backlight, but you will also have to buy a special controller in the store, which will allow you to collect all this multi-colored beauty into one network. Also, the tape can be attached not just along the edge, but to create a specific pattern. The shape of the mirror can be chosen absolutely any. It all depends on your preferences.

If desired, you can purchase a special touch or infrared sensor. With it, you can adjust the strength of the glow, brightness, and also set up several glow modes. This option requires additional knowledge, so it is better to take the help of a specialist in this matter. It would be appropriate to supplement such a mirror with various shelves, choosing tempered glass as the material. On the shelves it will be possible to place various cosmetic accessories. It looks stylish, and this option is incredibly convenient to use.

Only the lazy did not make a mirror with light, and there are a huge number of types of them for sale and for any budget.

But the problem is that we bought the mirror a long time ago, and now my girlfriend began to demand that it light up! Well, OK:)
So, we have a wall mirror measuring 320x1320x30 in an MDF frame pasted over with a silvery film with a wood texture.

Requirements:
1. It should no longer be mounted on the wall, but should be relatively mobile within the apartment;
2. Light;
3. Convenient control of the same light;
4. The possibility of alteration / upgrade (minimum glue);
5. The most simple design (catastrophically no time).
For a long time I also wanted to replace the obsolete night light, and so that it could be controlled from the remote control (too lazy to get out from under the covers once again).
From here the idea came to make 2 contours of light. The first circuit on the front should illuminate the object in front of the mirror. The second circuit should serve as a decorative backlight.
As lighting elements (I immediately refused ordinary, socle lamps, due to personal dislike), I initially wanted to take a white LED strip on the front and an RGB strip for backlighting. But when I went to the store, I found out that there is already an RGBW tape (this is when, in addition to three colors, it has a separate white color). I chose it for two circuits, took a coil of 5 meters. The tape will be controlled through RGBW controllers, one for each circuit + a remote control with the ability to connect 4 controllers (I didn’t find less).
Controllers I also took 6 meters under the aluminum profile tape with white, matte plastic.
It would be possible to stop at this, take a roll of double-sided tape and glue a completely tolerable mirror in a couple of hours. But then there would be no post;)
Everything from purchases, then I used what was.
From the tree I picked up several suitable, crooked pieces of alder. Power supply for 5A. Mains cable, already with a switch. As a mounting wire, I planned to rip it apart, the usual 2x0.5 Well, every little thing: screws, screws, plywood and plexiglass trimmings, wire crimps, etc.

And then everything is simple: I calibrated and cut the rails for the main frame, made samples in them for the profile and cut them at 45 degrees.
I cut the rails for the rear frame, made recesses for the profile, first on a circular, then with a milling cutter and also cut at 45 degrees.

When all the wooden elements were ready, I roughly sanded them and glued them together.
On the rear frame I made a compartment for electronics with a wall of 3 mm plywood.

The next day, the glue is completely dry. I dismantled everything again, polished it for finishing and prepared it for coating with soil. The primer is transparent, acrylic. Needed in order to close and protect the surface, raise the pile (which is then easily sanded and will no longer interfere) and reduce paint consumption.

While the soil was drying, I adjusted the profiles for the tapes. They are perfectly cut with a miter saw at 45 degrees along with plastic, an ordinary wood disc.

“According to the plan,” I just wanted to glue the back structure to the MDF. But then he went nuts and decided to get confused with removable fasteners.

Next up is paint work.
The paint used is artistic, acrylic. I mixed graphite with silver, by eye I achieved such a shade as on the original.

Covered with an airbrush with the widest nozzle that I had (0.8 mm like). It turned out somewhere 4 thin layers of paint. Evenly, without streaks and sagging. The process took about 4 hours, but the result is very pleased.
The paint dried almost instantly, so on the same evening I covered it with 2 layers of semi-matt, acrylic varnish. Applying a semi-matt varnish on a shiny silver paint is a kicker, because. where the varnish ends and the paint begins is not visible even under directional bright lamps :)
With the help of some mother there, I still varnished it and left it to dry for a couple of days.
The paint and varnish were completely dry, the most long-awaited stage was ahead of me: assembly!
I screwed the profile into place, began to measure and cut the tape ... and then Hoba! The first surprise, there was not enough meter of tape, I had to go buy more.

Ok, I bought the tape in addition, cut it into pieces and now you can solder it. But Hoba is here! Second surprise :)
A wire with a cross section of 0.5 squares for installation did not fit due to too thick insulation, a "tire" of 5 wires, corny, did not fit into the profile. I had to donate wire from the old stocks of MGTF.
And the long process of soldering began. Which was accompanied by constant checks, both for short circuit and for the operation of the tape itself.

All segments of the tapes are soldered, the wires are stretched, everything is connected in a heap and .... Hoba! Who would have thought, the third surprise)
Since another 1.5 meters of tape was added, the PSU did not pull ....
It was useful to read the characteristics: 1 m of tape - 1.2A and 14.4W. I have about 6 meters = 7.2A and 86.4W. FAK!
I had to go buy a power supply for 8.5A and 100 watts. (you can see it in the photo)
After all this, I pasted the tape and screwed everything into place. Everything is lit and the pre-final check passed. Now finally assembled and snapped the plastic.

both! Now play a little and you can take home.

Summarize.
Time spent: 4 full days
Budget:
- LED strip: 156х6=936 UAH
- controllers: 419х2=838 UAH
- remote control: 367 UAH
- profile with diffuser: 50x6=300 UAH
- power supply: 310 UAH
- the mirror itself: 360 UAH
- paint: 2x65=130 UAH
Total: 3241 UAH (115$)
I didn’t want to wait for the controllers, the remote control and the tape and bought it locally, if ordered from China, it would have been 1.5 times cheaper.
From a piece of acrylic plastic, I cut out the back cover for the electronics compartment, but I haven’t screwed it on yet, I want to drive it a little. It is also necessary to make "legs" for greater stability, if placed on the narrow side.
Got what I wanted. The mirror can be placed anywhere, highlighting any wall or plane, quite interesting solutions are obtained. Smoothly adjustable color and brightness from almost 0% to 100%. The night light can be turned on/off without getting out from under the covers.
Of the shortcomings:
1. The profile, or rather the scattering plastic, weakly scatters. Spotlights from each LED are visible. Didn't want it to be like that.
2. The SMD 5050 tape turned out to be not of the highest quality (I didn’t find another one in our city) several LEDs don’t match the color, it’s not critical, but it’s annoying. (4 pieces on the front side and 3 on the back).
3. Although the girl is happy, it seems to me that 540 lm / meter is rather weak for the main light, and the tape does not illuminate enough.
4. The remote control is constantly lost :) you will need to look for controllers with WiFi and redo the controls. What would be controlled by the remote control from a smartphone.

Hello, dear forum users!

I congratulate everyone on the holiday season and propose to have fun with my bath-bath epic. Nowadays unrealistic comfort dependence and unhealthy virtuality it’s so difficult instead of “let’s call and order” to say “I’ll do it on the weekend” ... And I said. And did… ultra-budget illuminated bathroom mirror . Now, I ask you, dear guests, to take off your shoes and go to my bathroom ...

History of Purchase History)))

For more than a year, repairs have been quietly smoldering in my home. Exactly "smoldering", because there is no strength to throw wads of money into this fire. But the question of buying a bathroom mirror was a long time and very acute: the snot of the supply wire spoiled the whole appearance of the room. Having studied the prices in the stores of the capital, I realized that I would look into such mirrors exclusively with fierce hatred. The price of the finished product fluctuated within. After reviewing dozens of options, I summed it up: it will be possible to make a coveted mirror on my own ten times cheaper .
Having collected the necessary invoice, we slobber a pencil and knock out an estimate:
1. Mirror 1000x700 mm under the order - $24
2. Ali led strip - $2.99/5m, need 3m= $2
3. Power supply with Ali = $6
4. Heat sink in the form of aluminum corners (found in the garage) = $0
___________
Total: $32

Ola-la, 10 (!) Times cheaper than stock. We spit on the palms and proceed to the implementation of the project "Light my Mirror, tell..."

Purchase of components

Tape I bought for $ 2.99 in conditions of its complete uselessness, but the attractiveness of the price.
Specification
LED Strip Light
Manufacturer: Home Center Average
Service time: 100,000 hours (hohoh)
Diode type: SMD3014
Number of diodes: 60/m
Power: 60 watts (hohohohoho)
Power: 12 Volts
Glow color: cool white
Certificate: CCC, CE, RoHS
The tape came on a plastic reel. The quality is very mediocre: thin base, low-quality adhesive tape (although 3M claims). The type of diodes used is 3014. For those who are not in the know, this is the size. Such bugs look rather sparse on the tape, compared to, say, 5050 or 3528. There are three diodes on each module.

When the power supply is connected, we see a moderate glow.
Such a conclusion forces us to connect this product to a miracle machine for testing. The claimed tape power of 60 watts by the Chinese, of course, was greatly overestimated.

Moreover, upon careful study of the product page, it turned out that the Chinese were completely confused in the calculations.
But in the repair fever, I safely overslept the terms of the announcement of the dispute. The punishment did not take place and now only the Buddha is the judge of the Chinese. As a result, with similar characteristics, this light source is suitable only for decoration. Among other things, the length of the tape turned out to be less than declared by 20cm. Of course I cannot recommend buying from this seller. If only you will be seduced by the price, which is somewhat lower than the average for the hospital.

Power Supply I had in stock and bought almost a year ago in the amount of 4 pieces. The first one has been working for about a year and does not cause any complaints.

Specification:
Input voltage: 100-240 Volts, 50-60Hz
Outgoing voltage: 12 Volts, 5A
Connector size: 2.7mm x 5.5mm
Cable length: 2.6m
Purpose: for LED strip 5m
Certificates: CE Approved, RoHS Compliant, FCC Compliant, WEEE Approved
There is nothing to add here: pro and I will not sing another one. Taking into account the real power consumption of the tape, the potential of the block is enough "for the eyes".

Mirror I ordered in Minsk according to my project.

The dimensions are: W1000 x H700, along the perimeter I made a matte frame-window 20 mm wide. Such dimensions are not accidental: the larger the mirror, the visually freer the small room looks. Production takes an average of 2 days. The cost was about $24-25. There are similar productions in any more or less large city, it will not be difficult to find them.

From improvised materials an aluminum corner 10 mm wide and metallized tape were used for mounting ventilation ducts (corrugations). The first one was left from the country greenhouse and was found in the garage - I used it as a base / heat sink for the tape. I decided to use metallized adhesive tape to reflect the light flux at the right angle.
With everything at hand, we proceed to the installation.

Mirror installation

In accordance with the project, I brought the backlight control to the regular switch in the bathroom.
All wiring and wiring was laid at the stage of repair and hidden under the tiles. The power supply unit is installed under a stretch ceiling (unfortunately, the photo could not be taken ...). The power cable was brought out in the mirror installation area and was waiting in the wings.

1. First of all, we turn the mirror from dull-ordinary to light-magic. To do this, you need to cut an aluminum corner of the desired size.

We glue the corner with hellish glue to the back of the mirror and wait until it “grabs”.


It will serve as the basis and heat sink for the LED strip. The direction of the glow in my case will be from the center to the edges. Such a glow angle will give a large mirror canvas lightness and create the illusion of “hovering” above the surface of the tile.

2. We glue the LED strip to the aluminum base and bring out the contacts for connecting to the power source. To avoid power loss along the length, I connected 2 equal pieces of diode tape. This connection will also ensure the uniformity of the glow.


After gluing, do not forget to check the surface of the mirror for heating. Taking into account the real power of the tape, the heating turned out to be expectedly weak.

3. We “shoot” the approximate installation location of the canvas and mark the contours of the location of the “window” of the backlight. According to the contours, we glue the metallized tape.

This is not necessary at all, but in my opinion it will increase the frontal reflection coefficient.

4. According to the level, we drill a hole for fastening the mirror and hammer in the dowel-nails.

5. Connect the mirror to a power source. We hide the wiring and wrap decorative trims.

6. We turn on ...

Shine Christmas tree!!!

In the near future, I plan to bring the color temperature in the room to a “common denominator” and make it completely cold, like in a mirror.

Fantasies about...

The idea of ​​an illuminated mirror is not new and I do not pretend to be original. The variations on this theme are endless. If you do not like the idea of ​​decorative lighting, but need more light, you can install more powerful diodes and place them frontally. The window in the mirror may not be trite rectangular, but with a pattern. Or engraving your portrait))) True connoisseurs of their time can install in a mirror

It is not at all difficult to make the backlight of the mirror in the bathroom yourself. To date, there are many ideas for creating a bright, safe and at the same time decorative lighting of a mirror surface. We will not consider time-consuming options in which you first need to create a frame, then cut out seats for lamp holders in it, and then only conduct electricity to the finished structure. Everything is much simpler - just take the LED strip and fasten it around the perimeter of the mirror from the inside. A simple instruction for making your own LED backlight is provided below!

Material fastening features

So, to make diode lighting of the mirror in the bathroom, you must perform the following steps:

After connecting the LED backlight of the mirror, you can turn on the finished lighting and check the correctness of all the work done. As you can see, there is nothing complicated and anyone can make decorative lighting on their own. However, there are a few important things to keep in mind:

The video below clearly shows how to make a mirror illuminated with an LED strip:

Installing the LED strip from the back

Alternative lighting options

If it is not fundamentally important for you to make the built-in lighting of the mirror in the bathroom around the perimeter of the object, you can organize another, no less comfortable lighting option. Spots will do this task well - spotlights on brackets that can be manually directed in any direction. A very good idea that allows you to change the lighting area depending on what you are doing - shaving near the mirror (or applying makeup) or taking a bath.

Another highlight idea is the use of special ones. There is a wide range of lamps that can be attached to a mirror surface or tile on suction cups and clothespins. In addition, there are lamps that can be easily installed in a horizontal position above the mirror or in a vertical position on both sides, which allows you to make high-quality lighting of the entire area nearby.