How to Hide Your TV with a Two-Way Mirror

The concept of TV Mirror has rocked the market as it offers an awesome way of disguising TV sets as a typical mirror structured with a beautiful frame. To many, it has laid an efficient solution to beautify cramped living rooms. Others even install TV mirrors on their bathrooms and kitchens.

Apparently, there are also people who have seen Mirror TVs as a great solution to purposely hide their televisions. And in this case, they make use of two-way mirror which plays around the light intensity to make one side of the mirror appear like the normal glass while it continues to be visible from the other.

Going for a DIY approach in creating a Mirror TV may sound easy and tempting but it is actually pretty hard and complex to accomplish. It may appear like all you have to secure is a two-way mirror and attach it in front of your old TV to make a TV mirror but the truth is there are factors to consider. In choosing the mirror alone, one has to be picky so as to make sure the performance of the TV as well as its hue and overall display do not get compromised or affected.

Steps to Build Your Own TV Mirror the Less Complicate Way

After getting yourself the right two-way mirror with the exact transmission and reflection rate, here are the steps you should do to artistically hide your TV:

1. Note the measurement of your plasma or led TV using a tape measure. Make sure your two-way mirror is 2 inches taller and an inch wider than it.

2. Having considered the extra inch of width and the extra inches of height, draw a square on the wall using the updated measurement. Make sure the square is perfectly levelled and the square is drawn at a height ideal for both your watching and mirror experiences.

3. Locate the center of the square and with a screwdriver, drive a screw into the wall until it is about halfway dug.

4. Using a keyhole saw, cut along the outlined mark but exclude the studded area. Instead, simply adjust your cutting depth such that it gets through the drywall as necessary. After entirely cutting the square, remove the sawed piece by grabbing the previously dug screw towards your direction. Once you are done pulling it, make sure to clear the area from any debris and insulation.

5.  Build a box for your TV and make a frame for it using the adjusted measurements. The goal of this is to achieve a smarter look for your regular mirror, leaving your visitors in awe when they find out your mirror can get any more awesome.

6. Stain or paint your built frame according to your preference but make sure it does not contradict with the style and colours of your interiors.

7. Put your flat screen into the shelf you built and reattach its power cord. Use any piece of cloth to temporarily seal it to avoid any damage while the process is not done yet.

8. Attach the mirror glass to the box with the TV in it but make sure, at the same time that the box is clean as you do so. You would not want dust specks ruining the glass, right?

9. Plug the power cord of your TV into an outlet. Press the power button using the remote control and see how you have turned a mirror into a TV screen.

Choosing the Best TV for your Mirror TV Project

If your goal is to make a statement to leave your visitors in awe, then you have to be as picky and meticulous in choosing the best TV for your mirror TV project. As you pick your most preferred size, it is also important to look into their brightness and thickness.

Thickness. As much as possible, go for the thinner one. The thinner a TV is, the easier it is to fit in the frame. Thick TV sets are nonetheless okay to use. But more often than not, they require specially built frames which is consequently costlier.

Brightness. Another factor you should be mindful about is the TV’s brightness. Know how bright the TV of your choice can get as basically, it will be 30 to 50 per cent lessened when placed behind the mirror. As the TV’s original brightness can get compromised, it is safest to go for TV brands with excellent brightness to ensure the best quality of your mirror TV, e.g. Samsung TVs.

Choosing the Right Mirror

Choosing the best mirror for your TV mirror project is kind of complicated and crucial. It may seem like any kind of mirror is okay for a TV mirror project. The truth, however, is not all mirrors are appropriate for it. It actually requires a dielectric mirror which is made of materials that can be polarized if exposed in any electric field. Dielectric mirrors have an electrical insulator. This allows the mirror to have a disappearing effect when the TV is turned on. If, on the other hand, the TV is set off, the mirror projects a reflection and the see-through effect gets disabled. In other words, sans dielectric mirrors, your TV mirror DIY project may not produce an excellent result.

However, if you are on a tight budget, non-dielectric mirrors will still do but the transparency will be compromised. You may go for acrylic two way mirrors, glass smart mirrors, or glass two way mirrors; whichever you prefer but never opt for two-way mirror films as they are worst in terms of transparency and will make only your project a complete failure. Other cons of using two-way mirror films are below:

1. Two-way mirror films will dissolve and bulge through time, making your TV mirror a disaster aesthetically.
2. Two-way mirror films do not make waterproof TV mirrors, thus they can suck up moisture when installed in the kitchen or bathroom.
3. Two-way mirror films may be cheap but not all cheap options make economical decisions especially when the durability is hampered.

Rachael is a content writer at ResumeCats, who has written on a Ultimate Resume Guide, from colored diamonds to SEO software. In her spare time, she enjoys singing, sketching, cooking, and video games.