How to Make a Mirrored Concrete Tray

DIY with Concrete… it’s my latest obsession.

I have been experimenting with it for a while and finally, I am ready to show you a simple project with it – how to make a DIY concrete tray.

Not just any simple tray… but a mirrored concrete tray….

A few months ago, I spent (a lot of) time cutting mirrors into rectangles… They had to be perfectly sized and (almost) identical. They ended up becoming the drawer faces on my mirrored console table. In the aftermath of that console, I was left with a whole bunch of rectangular mirrors that were off size.

When I saw extra mirrors sitting next to the concrete, it was a match made in heaven… It was an easy project with the hardest part being waiting for it to dry!

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Materials Needed for DIY Mirrored Concrete Tray

• Quickset concrete. I used Maker’s Mix but you could also use Quickrete
• HERE
• Mirror (any size you like).
• Cooking spray
• Shoebox lid or similar. Must fit the mirror and leave about half  to an inch of space around.
• Extra pieces of cardboard.
• Water
• Old bucket
• Paint stirrer
• Coarse sandpaper – 80 grit or lower
• Acrylic paint (optional)
• vinyl bumpers

How to Make the Mirrored Concrete Tray –

Step 1 – Cut the pieces of cardboard to about 1/4″ smaller than the mirror. 

Step 2 – Place mirror in the middle of the box lid and the cardboard pieces over it. Place some weight on them to keep them from moving. I used pieces of scrap wood. Step 3 – Mix concrete per directions in the bucket. For my mirrored concrete tray, I used 2 cups of concrete.

Step 4 – Slowly pour the concrete mix around the mirror/cardboard stack. Be careful not to move the mirror. The cardboard will keep the concrete from going over the mirror. The slightly exposed edge of the mirror (from the cardboard being smaller) embeds the mirror in the concrete.

Step 5– Let dry at least 24 hours and then slowly peel off the cardboard from the mirror. 

Step 6 – Remove the outside box as well. Be careful while doing this as the concrete may not have completely dried and can be brittle (ask me how I know). 

Step 7 – I would suggest giving it a full 2-3 days to dry up completely before handling it too much. It is a very hard and long wait but trust me, it is worth it.

Step 8 – Sand any rough edges with the coarse sandpaper. I mostly had to sand the top surface which had not been covered by the cardboard. Give the tray some color with paint if you like.

Step 9 – Add vinyl bumpers to the back.

That’s the pretty mirrored tray! Like I said… it was so easy… just the drying time was hard! 

You don’t have to use it just as a mirrored tray… it could also be used as a mirror with a concrete frame! Whatever works best for you!

I am enjoying it as a little jewelry tray 🙂

I had so much fun working with concrete, my head is swimming with ideas. I have at least two more awesome projects coming soon… make sure you sign up for my newsletter  or follow me on Facebook, Instagram or twitter so you don’t miss them!

Don’t you just love easy and fun crafts that create a pretty product at the end?

You might also like this  easy faux marble tray – 

Looking for more ideas on making concrete?

• 7 DIY Concrete Projects You Can Make With One $5 Bag Of Concrete Mix

• 34 Cool and Modern DIY Concrete Projects