Take me to the Steps

m44_InfinityMirror_Hero-1

I was inspired to build this project after visiting a museum in Scotland that had a room full of infinity mirrors that made it look like you were floating in space surrounded by stars. I thought it was the coolest thing ever!

My infinity mirror design is definitely a DIY project. Everything you need is easily obtainable at the hardware store and plastics store. The trick is making your own big one-way mirror out of acrylic sheet and privacy window film.

This project is easy to build — no expertise in electronics is needed. You’ll use inexpensive electronically controlled Christmas lights, which are available year-round on sites like Amazon. Customize your mirror by choosing lights in your favorite colors or ones that blink or change hues.

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Project Steps

Cut boards

Cut the 1×4 boards into two 24″ lengths and two 72″ lengths.

Build the frame

Screw the 4 boards together to make a rectangular frame 72″×25-1/2″, using two 1-1/2″ flat-head screws in each corner.

Make sure to screw the 24″ boards inside the 72″ boards.

Paint the frame

Spray-paint the frame matte black.

Use a round file to cut a groove about 1″ from the end of one 24″ board to accommodate the cord from the LED lights.

Staple the LED lights inside

Locate the end of the LED wire that does not have the electrical plug, and use the staple gun to staple it inside the frame at the corner where the filed board is. Now staple the LED lights around the inside of the frame along the midpoint of the 1×4s, with bulbs facing the center of the frame. Staple all the way around the frame.

Partly unscrew the corner with the filed hole and thread the electrical plug through to the outside of the frame. Then rescrew the corner.

Drill the acrylic sheet

Drill 12 evenly spaced holes through the clear acrylic sheet, aligned with your frame.

Then countersink them.

Apply one-way mirror film

Apply the mirror window film very carefully to the countersunk side of the clear acrylic, following the manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure there are no air bubbles. You’ve just made a very large one-way mirror.

Use the hobby knife to cut out the window film overlapping the countersunk holes.

Mount the normal mirror

Drill 12 evenly spaced holes through the ordinary acrylic mirror, and countersink these on the backing side (not the mirror side).

Attach this mirror to the frame using 12 screws, with the mirrored surface facing inside.

Mount your one-way mirror

Attach your one-way mirror to the opposite side of frame, with the window film facing inside.

Tidy up

Wrap any extra LEDs on the outside of the frame in black tape, or buy a black project box and fold the extra lights into it to hide them.

Plug in and enjoy!

Hang your mega infinity mirror on the wall as a full-length mirror or on a door to create a life-size portal to another dimension.

Or use it as a tabletop — for a cool coffee table, or a not-at-all distracting beer-pong table! Make sure to use 6 legs and attach them with 2 standard brackets on each leg. Use brackets at least 8″ long or else the table will be a little wobbly.

For a beer-pong table, use legs 23-1/2″ long, as regulation table height is 27-1/2″. (Note that regulation tabletops typically measure 8’×2′, where ours is about 6’×2′.) That’s a “make”!