DIY Oyster Mirror Tutorial - Five Simple Steps for Making Your Own!

Hello hello! Today I am sharing a DIY Oyster Mirror tutorial! We started school last week and dare I say we are starting to get back into a groove around here? And by groove, I mean I actually made dinner at home a couple nights and even made a weekly meal plan this week, so I’d say that’s a win. 🙂 Isn’t it fun to see everyone’s back to school pictures and I know it is such an emotional time for all the mamas. It truly is amazing to see your babies grow, but it can be such an emotional roller coaster.

Today I am back with another post about my parent’s beach house we refreshed this summer. In case you missed it, I shared how we transformed the dining room into a den, the new dining space and the refreshed living room area. Of course, we did it all on a major budget and with lots of little DIY projects. One of the DIY projects we tackled was a DIY Oyster Mirror, and I am excited to share the tutorial with you today. First, because it cost under $10 to make. Second, because I just love all things oyster. Third, because it was something I made with my mom and sister (and even Dad lent a helping hand) and that makes it even more special.

Oysters really are the most perfect coastal accessory. Can I get an amen?

OK, let’s get started. Here is how we made our DIY Oyster Mirror.

Supplies Needed: DIY Oyster Mirror Tutorial

Mirror (ours was thrifted)
Spray Paint (optional if mirror isn’t already white)
Oysters. Lots of them.
Liquid Nails (and Caulk Gun if needed)

STEP 1: DIY Oyster Mirror Tutorial

Find a mirror and paint it white or off-white.

First, we found this mirror at the thrift store for $5. It started as a brown wooden color and we spray painted it with off-white spray paint that my Dad had on hand in the garage. This makes a good backdrop for any areas we didn’t end up covering with oysters. Make sure you get the sides really well because the oyster shells will not cover that part of the mirror.

STEP 2: DIY Oyster Mirror Tutorial

Prep your oysters.

Grab your bucket of clean and dry oysters and lay them all out flat on the table. We collected these oyster shells, washed them, and then let them sit outside in the sun for a few days before we used them. Using lots of shapes and sizes, we found that it was important to have both small and larger shells.

STEP THREE: DIY Oyster Mirror Tutorial

Start Gluing The Oysters on Mirror.

Now is the fun part! Just start placing the oysters around the mirror. This part actually went really fast and it was fun to fill in the “puzzle” pieces to cover the mirror.

We actually found it was easiest to fill a section with Liquid Nails using the caulk gun and then go back and fill it in with the shells. We probably did about an 8-12″ area at a time. The glue doesn’t dry super fast, so this method worked great.

Just keep working your way around the entire length of the mirror until the mirror is covered. This is a fast process, especially with multiple people.

STEP FOUR: DIY Oyster Mirror Tutorial

Edit until “perfect”!

And by perfect, I mean not perfect at all! That is the beauty of this, there is no wrong way! Just go back through and fill in any gaps that you may have missed until it looks finished. For us, Mom searched for smaller shells in the middle of the mirror and I would grab one and just put a dollop of liquid nails on the back of that particular shell and then place it in the gap.

STEP FIVE: DIY Oyster Mirror Tutorial

Let it dry. Hang it up. Enjoy!

We let it dry the rest of the day and then overnight before hanging it, so probably around 24 hours. You can see here that there are still gaps and small areas that do not have shells, but with the mirror painted, it all blends together.