Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

In my day, never was longer.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

Usually wrong but never in doubt

If a good thing happens for a bad reason, it’s still a good thing.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

Hey Washington Post, “Democracy Dies in Darkness” was supposed to be a warning, not a mission statement.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Hi god, it’s us. Thanks a heap, you’re having a great week and it’s only Thursday!

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

This fight is for everything.

The snowflake in chief appeared visibly frustrated when questioned by a reporter about egg prices.

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

One way or another, he’s a liar.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

Humiliatingly small and eclipsed by the derision of millions.

Our messy unity will be our strength.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

You are here: Home / Politics / Domestic Politics / Cheap-O Design: Mirrored Door Conundrum

Cheap-O Design: Mirrored Door Conundrum

by | 94 Comments

This post is in: , ,

Y’all were so helpful last time I mentioned I was looking for budget design tips as I redecorate this ramshackle money pit. So, I thought I’d go to the well again, only this time for your advice on a specific design challenge.

Our master bedroom closet has these horrible mirrored sliding doors — two doors that are collectively 6 feet wide and 6 and 1/2 feet tall and trimmed in a hideous gold-like color. It’s not a particularly large room, and these awful mirrors dominate the space.

I can’t afford to replace the doors, but I’ve got to do something to cover the damned mirrors. I would have hated such a feature in the 80s, back when the doors were first installed by the previous occupants, because it’s fundamentally tacky, IMO. But 30-some years later, not only is it still tacky, such reflective capacity is positively bracing for the middle-aged. The mirrored doors must go!

And yet I can’t afford to replace them, so covering the mirrored surfaces is the only option. I’ve looked at opaque window film online, and there are patterns that mimic the look of glass tile and so forth. But since they’re made for windows, they’re designed to make the most of the light that will stream through. Barring a ceiling collapse, no light will be emanating from our closet.

Also, I’m not sure I want a patterned element to cover that much space in a small room. But a solid color seems a bit drab. I like the look of sliding screen doors, sorta like this:

That photo is from an HGTV episode about this very problem, but they have more of a budget to solve their design conundrums than I do. Honestly, I’m not sure I could pull off that look with, say, textured wall paper and fake wood strips. Thoughts, ideas or advice?

Otherwise, open thread!

Reader Interactions

94Comments

  2. 2.

    I'll be Frank

    All of those surfaces will accept paint. Faux painting can be fun if you have the right temperament.

  3. 3.

    Central Planning

    How about use your artistic abilities and paint something over the mirror(s)?

  5. 5.

    satby

    I would get a smaller mirror or piece of glass and see if you could imitate the look of the rice paper with chalk paint. But gluing a frame over the mirrors would have to be done first before you painted the squares I think, since the glue wouldn’t hold over the paint. Tedious work to mask and paint in the squares, but the result should last years.

  7. 7.

    glory b

    Why couldn’t you do the textured paper and wood strips? Maybe not wall paper but some kind of adhesive backed covering…

  8. 8.

    Tom Levenson

    No design chops at all here, but could you take the door down and hang a curtain in a pattern you actually like?

  12. 12.

    normal liberal

    Perhaps you could find an adhesive covering that’s a bit translucent to put on the mirrors, then build a really thin, lightweight wood frame with dividing slats that can be solidly glued to the gold-ish frames on the existing doors. (Obviously, the wood trim has to be thin enough so that the doors can slide past each other.)
    Instant Japanese inn look. Okay, not instant…

  13. 13.

    matryoshka

    You can buy adhesive rice paper to get the look of the doors in your photo. IKEA often sells sliding doors like this too, as do big-box home improvement stores.

  15. 15.

    Tom Levenson

    @Tom Levenson: my three-time set design-Emmy award winning spouse suggests stretching a piece of fabric over the mirrors as another alternative.

  17. 17.

    OzarkHillbilly

    And yet I can’t afford to replace them,

    Who says you have to? Rip them out and leave it at that. It’s only you and your husband who will be looking at it, and if that sight is just too much to bear put up some curtains. You can even have 12 different curtains, one for each month.

    eta: I see Tom L beat me to the curtains idea.

  21. 21.

    J R in WV

    @Tom Levenson:

    Yes, This!

    Get 2 pale off-white flat sheets and cover the doors with those. And sheets come with patterns or prints too, if you want. You could use real wood slats if you want, or just the cloth. Or just spray paint an off white onto the glass, it would be easy to scrape off with a razor blade scraper if you changed your mind.

  22. 22.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Duct Tape. The one size fits all solution for all problems. It even comes in different colors now.

  25. 25.

    rachel

    You could get some handmade paper (like Korean hanji) and glue it flat on the mirrors with a water-soluble glue so that you can remove it easily with water if you want to later. After that you could put a frame on over the paper if you want.

    Some kinds of hanji have autumn leaves or flowers embedded in with the mulberry fibers. That would look nice, I think.

  26. 26.

    Aurona

    I have opaque window coverings on my bedroom window. I got them at Home Depot about 10-15 years ago and the window cling aspect works still; everything still attached. It comes in a roll and just requires water and a credit card or straight edge to put on. The gold metal trim I think I would paint it with metal paint (also spray on). But the painting the box-like affect I’m not that good at, so others and your own expertise would be best. The opaque window coverings: eBay, Amazon, Home Depot, etc. Good luck!

  28. 28.

    p.a.

    Pieced-out panorama of your waterway photos on some sort of transferable film, if you can’t paint the scenes. Wonder what the print/product cost would be.

  30. 30.

    no comment

    Home Depot sells the translucent window coverings as well, in a variety of styles.

    You’d have to be careful with the placement of wood strips on the back mirror(s), or opening & closing the doors would damage your design. Other options for faking the wood strips:

    (1) Rustoleum spray paints come in a formula that can be used on many different types of materials (metal, plastic, etc.) You would place the window covering on the mirror first. Use painters tape & a thick layer of newspaper to cover parts of the translucent covering you don’t want to paint.

    (2) IIRC, Contact Paper used to come in a wood grain pattern. You might still be able to find it online. That would be thinner than wood strips.

  31. 31.

    JaneE

    If rice paper is too expensive, how about parchment paper? I am thinking of the giant rolls Costco sells. It is opaque, looks slightly textured, and you can use the rest of the roll for cooking. You might be able to find a press-apply veneer for the slats, or find some laths to paint.

  32. 32.

    no comment

    @Tom Levenson:

    I used this technique to decorate a kitchen in an apartment I was renting once. Got the idea from an HGTV show, but can’t remember the name of it. You use a combination of fabric starch and water to soak the fabric, then just smooth the fabric on the wall. (Would work for mirrors, too!) When you have to move, or get tired of the style, just wet the fabric a little to loosen it, then peel it right off!

  33. 33.

    cope

    A quick, easy (?), cheap simulation of wood strips or slats could probably be gotten with a roll of heat adhesive wood veneer. Cut to length and apply with a hot iron, voila! I have used it for repairs on wood but am not certain it would work on glass.

    As for demirroring the mirrors, several good ideas reside above.

    Let us know how it goes.

  34. 34.

    Betty Cracker

    Great ideas, everyone — thanks so much! We’d prefer to keep the doors rather than replacing them with a curtain to keep the dogs out (Badger is fond of wallowing in laundry baskets and parading around the house with bras and underwear when we have company, so…).

    I’m installing backsplash tile in the kitchen this weekend, so I’ll be at the home improvement store to pick up supplies and will look into options to carry out these ideas too. You’ve given me the confidence that maybe I can pull off the sliding screens look I want after all. We shall see!

  36. 36.

    Jager

    @no comment:

    Contact paper, a high school pal turned his shit box 51 Chevy into a “Woody” using a styling knotty pine design. Tough stuff survived sun, road salt, anything and everything.

  37. 37.

    guachi

    We had old, ugly bi-fold doors on a house we bought in 2008. I think the doors were 1967 originals. At least they lasted a long time. We took them down and replaced it with a curtain. A curtain is easy, light, doesn’t take up extra space when opened, and is flexible so it doesn’t matter if what’s behind it sticks out a bit.

  39. 39.

    White & Gold Purgatorian

    @TaMara (HFG):
    The frosted glass spray would be my pick as well to give the look of rice paper and generally cut down the glare. Doesn’t seem like the window film would hold up well if any critters (or human fingernails) might scratch on the doors. Unfortunately, the brass parts will need to be painted, but if you can clean and scuff it, paint should stick. If you have any primer left, use that before your chosen paint.

  40. 40.

    WaterGirl

    @Betty Cracker: They have beautiful rolls of paper at the local art store that would make a lovely covering for the mirrors. Betty, let me know if you want me to grab some photos of some of the papers – many of them are subtle but gorgeous.

    I would love to find a way to use the papers in decorating, but I took out my hideous metal bi-fold closet doors about a decade ago and replaced them with lovely curtains.

  41. 41.

    MazeDancer

    Can you hang the doors “inside out”? They can’t be mirrored on both sides. Take them apart and put them back inside out somehow.

    Also, there is likely a Habitat for Humanity store, or a second hand cast-off emporium, with really cheap doors. And everything else.

  43. 43.

    randy khan

    Every idea I had somebody already has posted. Which proves that I’m either brilliant or entirely unoriginal. (Almost certainly the latter.)

    Anyway, personally I like the rice paper style solutions, with some kind of paint on the gold trim to make it look less gaudy.

  44. 44.

    Another Scott

    Maybe a JR face print cut up to fit the grid? Or the really great King Crimson album cover?

    >:-)

    Seriously, you’ve got lots of good options. I like the fabric one – maybe an interesting colorful print (like a persian carpet or something).

    Good luck!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  46. 46.

    J R in WV

    Years ago a co-worker pal and I went to an Oracle DBA class in Tyson-Crossing outside DC. The second day we walked into the office building where the company offices were I noticed the lobby floor.

    It was stone tile, a natural stone — but it was also the ocean floor, fossilized into a translucent glow of fans, coral, swimming creatures, all frozen into place, sliced and polished by Italian craftsmen. I fell to my knees to look more closely at the wonderful floor, and have wondered ever since where one could order such a wonderful museum-quality artifact for a floor.

    Google has not rewarded my searching with any true facts about that stone tile. Sad.

    If anyone ever sees a source for sea-bed fossil stone tile, please let me know!

  50. 50.

    lurker dean

    i’ve had really good luck with today’s window films, they are really easy to apply (just water) and come in many different patterns. we had to put some in a new bathroom window, and it was so easy that i ended up installing it on a bunch of other windows (we live in the city with many windows looking into ours).

    you’re right that they’re made to transmit light so some of their pop comes from that. but there are some pretty bold patterns that would stand out on their own. also, since there would be mirror behind the film, the mirror would reflect the light from the bedroom lights back through the film i think. that said, i haven’t installed any film on something as large as doors, so i’m not sure how that would look.

  51. 51.

    Ohio Mom

    Buy a cheap mirror at a yard sale, or do they still sell mirror tiles, and experiment with a couple of these different ideas to see which one fits your skill level and still looks decent enough.

    Also, which technique you can dust or clean without destroying it. Something that will hold dust, like glued fabric (an idea I like though yards of fabric can add up) will eventually have to be cleaned. My
    sister once lived in a house where the previous owner had wallpapered the den with some sort of flannel-like dark brown fabric. It looked cool until my sister tried vacuuming it with the attachment, which left an tire tread-like texture.

    If there is a locally-owned art supply store anywhere within driving distance, I might bounce some ideas off of them — I find their salespeople more knowledgeable than those of big box stores.

    Please post pictures when you are done!

  52. 52.

    chopper

    @BretH:

    i second the plastic film. you can get decent sized pieces of the stuff for ‘frosting’ bathroom or other windows. just make sure the seams line up with where you want to put the wood strips on. and just glue the wood on.

  53. 53.

    WaterGirl

    This has been a fun thread, Betty. I hope you keep asking for ideas as you make your way through the house.

  54. 54.

    xjmuellerlurks

    Cheap bedsheet cut to size held on by a spray adhesive found at any craft shop. I also think Lurker Dean and Chopper have good advice about window film. Cheap and easy to install.

  55. 55.

    Ken

    Whatever you do, Betty, try it out in a sample way first. Mirrors make a room seem larger and are sort of like a window also. I just put up mirrored doors to replace hideous bi-fold louvers and it is a huge improvement in my small, old house. Just saying don’t do something that you then can’t un-do if you don’t like the end result…. Good luck! Go Gators!

  56. 56.

    Miss Bianca

    I had mirrored tile with hideous gold swirls outside the bathroom of the house I used to own. I always fantasized about getting my sister the muralist to paint little critters and vines going thru’ the gold swirl. I never got around to it, but Betty the artist might be able to do something creative along those lines!

  57. 57.

    zhena gogolia

    I just watched Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, so ending a dinner party with Badger parading around in lingerie sounds like a cool, consciousness-raising activity for the haute bourgeoisie.

  59. 59.

    Sonora

    Ha! You’re describing the mirrored closet doors I had installed in my first small abode, (c. 1983) opposite a giant mirror over the double vanity. Liked my reflection at 25, would be horrified at the endless repetition now. Good luck and please post your final selection for jackel appreciation.

  60. 60.

    gene108

    You could go with the 20-something bachelor look: Take the doors down and tape some bed sheets to cover the opening.

  61. 61.

    cope

    Just to ‘mirror’ others above, whatever you do to or replace the mirrors with, just be sure it is easily cleanable.

  63. 63.

    gvg

    I know you moved to the country somehere but I don’t know which Craigslist is closest to your area. I checked the Tampa one, and I think you could get some plain white for around $50 which might be cheaper than trying to make something. It also looks like people SELL their mirrored closet doors for around $20 on up to 50, which is something to help out too.
    I am always checking my craigslist for bargains. People list antiques they are tired of. There should be some sort of building supply reuser store somewhere near you.

  65. 65.

    gvg

    I am personally fond of these panel track door blinds. I think they will work better on my patio doors than the old vertical blinds the house came with. They look sort of like Betty’s rice panels. Cost $82. To keep the dogs out, I think you would leave the mirrors and just hang these in front.

  69. 69.

    central texas

    You can buy shogi paper by the roll. It comes in plain and watermarked versions, the watermarked ones being subtle Japanese patterns of pine branches, plum blossoms and the like. It would not be too difficult to create a lattice that would go over the shogi paper resulting in something very like the picture you posted. I’m not sure what you are starting with, so I don’t know what else you would want to disguise or hide.

  70. 70.

    gvg

    and it appears someone did exactly what you want.
    they used a heat transfer veneer they could iron on. rice paper was applied with a spatula.

  73. 73.

    gvg

    this link of instructions seems to be using the same picture you posted as what you wanted.

    I think that means lots of people like this look right now.
    I would suggest Lee Valley on line for wood veneer. there is probably a woodworker.com franchise near you though they tend to cost more. Also Rockler.com is reputable. Tampa used to have a woodworker show in March that I drove over to a few years and picked up some nice cherry veneer. Home Depot will have plain oak tape rolls somewhere near the plywood. No idea if it will be preglued.
    Have fun. I love this kind of thing, hence the multiple posts.

  74. 74.

    L

    It’s so funny you ask, I recently faced the exact same design dilemma in my house.

    I know you said you cannot afford to replace them, so for anyone else who might be interested, I will note my solution was to buy flat-panel wood bifold doors from a local salvage shop for $5 each, add trim molding to the doors, and paint them the same color as my walls (I had leftover paint), which did wind up being cheaper than buying new bifold doors, though significantly more work.

    Other options: use rub and buff to change the color of the gold-ish trim to something closer to your style, add frosted panels and trim to the mirrors (though be careful with gluing things to mirrors as you may get weird reflections from the edges). You can also find overlays specifically made for this purpose but that can also get expensive. If you’re going to add things to the mirrors, be sure they are thin enough so doors will still have clearance to slide past each other–you can find lattice strips at Home Depot and such that should work. Good luck!

  75. 75.

    muddy

    @lurker dean: The elephant one is amazing, thank you for finding it! They have some that are meant to be put on the risers of stairs too. I love this product, it comes in so many varieties. I’ve also had luck with window vinyl that just stays on by static and you can take it on and off. I got one that looked like stained glass for my front door and people assume it’s real until I tell them.

  76. 76.

    brantl

    Rent a small sandblaster, find a stencil pattern you like, and sandblast the mirrors. Way cool appearance.

  79. 79.

    chris

    Haven’t read all the comments but do not forget the utility of double-sided tape. Holds tight and can be removed with a heat gun and scraper.

  80. 80.

    Haroldo

    For the Florida Man Meth Lab look, I’d duct tape black plastic trash bags over the mirrors.

    Tray Cheek.

  83. 83.

    Aleta

    Have an artist paint large beautiful clouds on the glass. Or else paint real life cloud layers or atmospheric layers from a photo projected onto it?

    Or paint the glass to work as a projection screen and set up an ongoing projection on each door, of your years of nature photos ? A way to see them again outside of the computer screen.

  84. 84.

    Martin

    Betty, my vote would be on the shoji paper. In fact, if you have any woodworking skills, building a frame for it and reusing the mirrored door hardware probably wouldn’t be that hard.

    The problem with using a spray or a flexible covering like a vinyl adhesive is that it’s REALLY difficult to apply it cleanly to such a large surface. I would aim either for something that has a pattern in it to draw the eye from any imperfections or a rigid laminate. I covered my son’s with a rigid whiteboard laminate, but that’s probably not the kind of functional surface you want in your bedroom. You can get the laminate in nicer finishes, but it’ll be around ~$150 to cover, which is getting close to the cost of replacement doors: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Wilsonart-4-ft-x-8-ft-Laminate-Sheet-in-Manitoba-Maple-with-Standard-Matte-Finish-7911603504896/202791790.

    The shoji paper should have enough variation to it that applying it directly to the mirror or in it’s own frame should work pretty well.

  85. 85.

    gvg

    and none of my links showed up. I will try oldfashioned cut n paste.
    https://www.hgtv.com/design/make-and-celebrate/handmade/update-old-closet-doors-to-look-like-shoji-screens (somebody made your picture)
    https://www.instructables.com/id/Shoji-Screen-Closet-Doors/ (instructions)
    https://www.homedepot.com/p/Chicology-Panel-Track-Blinds-Provence-Maple-Polyester-Cordless-Vertical-Blinds-80-in-W-x-96-in-L-DRSPPM1/207183881?MERCH=REC-_-rv_nav_plp_rr-_-206179327;205849839;206140513;204342783;303586085;300636876;303587306;206131273;206326231;303580492;300665021;-_-207183881-_-N (blinds from home depot)

  86. 86.

    CapnMubbers

    I had those very same closet doors for 31 years, never did get around to covering them (that house needed a LOT of work). House burned down with the rest of Paradise, problem solved. Also leaky roof, misaligned sliding glass patio doors due to settling, harvest gold and avocado green carpeting…still, drastic solution, IMO.

  87. 87.

    Starfish

    I have bought window film from these people in Florida a couple of times, and I have not been disappointed.

    One time was to reduce the light coming into an odd thin rectangle in the bedroom. Another time was to create privacy so people would not look into the large window in the back door. Their pieces are not quite as wide as you need them, and I am not sure if they can match them up so one aligns with the next so more research would be needed.

  88. 88.

    BQuimby

    I used RICE PAPER — there are very plain sheets, patterns, even colors. Spray on the mirrors with photo adhesive. You can make a grid … paint the gold/brass black

  89. 89.

    Shari

    Is it possible to turn the doors around so that the mirrors face the interior of the closet?

  91. 91.

    J R in WV

    @Miss Bianca:

    Thanks so much for the information. Next time we’re in Hotlanta I’ll check it out.

    Our bedroom fireplace is surrounded with Green River Formation limestone from Wyoming, which has several 12×12″ and 12×24″ tiles with fossil fish in them. When collectors find rarer species like bats or turtles or birds, the Feds take them for science, but plain old fish are so common collectors and commercial entities get to keep them.

  92. 92.

    DanF

    If you have a rip saw and access to a bamboo stand I’d be tempted to rip bamboo in half and build a “fence” onto the morrors that goes up maybe 5.5 feet. The bits of mirror that peek through the slats would look like stuff on the other side of the fence, and the opening at the top would function as sky. Just a thought. :-)

  93. 93.

    J R in WV

    Others provided more links to fossil sea beds, thanks all !! These are all great! The stone floor I saw all those years ago was nearly transparent – it was like walking on clear solidified ocean mist, with solid opaque sea bed creatures inside the mist.

    We also visited the Vietnam Memorial that wintery week after class in snowy darkness, so it was a pretty busy experience. Also learned about Oracle DB, also too!!!

Comments are closed.