Queston: I have an 11-by-12-foot bedroom in a rented apartment. One wall is all closets with sliding glass doors. The problem is that the doors are covered with mirrors. They help make the room lighter, but I find it distracting. I can't hang fabric as the tracks are close together. I thought of taping up beautiful rice paper, but wonder if there is a tape that won't leave a gooey mess when removed in a year or two.

Magen Solomon,
Oakland, CA

Answer: As a renter, you don't want to do anything that's permanent. Here are a few ideas for temporary solutions.

Whatever approach you take, you'll need some kind of adhesive to make it stick to the mirrored doors. Not to worry; many adhesive-removing products are readily available to clean up the doors later.

Fabric panels

You'll need fabric, scissors, an iron and ironing board, iron-on fabric adhesive tape (available in any fabric store) and strong, double-sided adhesive tape for the mirrored doors.

Fabric panels can be applied to the mirrors without any damage. Fabric is thin enough that each door can slide back and forth without any problem.

Select a fabric that complements the decor of the room at a width slightly wider than the doors. If you can't find a fabric that's wide enough, a flat king-size sheet should do nicely. Cut the panel 1 inch bigger than the door on each side and fold this extra inch back so you have a neat edge. Use the iron-on tape to bind it to itself.

For an accent, you can use decorative edging tape to create a simple contrasting border around the outside edge of each panel. Purchase enough decorative tape to go around each panel. This is another place where the iron-on adhesive tape comes in handy.

The design of this fabric panel is such that it can be applied to the mirror in a single flat piece. Apply the double-sided adhesive tape on the outside front edge of each mirror panel, then stretch the fabric over the panel and press it onto the tape for a secure hold.

Wallpaper panels

Tools for this approach include a pair of 1/4-inch-thick luan plywood panels cut to the size of each door panel (the lumberyard can do the cutting for you), wallpaper paste and brush, scissors and strong double-sided adhesive tape.

The luan panels will have the paper pasted onto them and be placed over the mirrors. Before you take this approach, make sure there will be enough space between each door panel with the luan panels applied onto the mirrors so the doors will slide back and forth without getting stuck.

Select a wallpaper that pleases you. You might choose one that looks like shelves of books to give the room a library feeling. Or you can have an image of the outdoors or an antique-style map of Paris, London or Rome (or the city of your choice) enlarged enough to fit the space and use it like wallpaper.

If you use wallpaper, it probably won't be as wide as the door panels, so you must order enough to cover the square footage of the doors, allowing sufficient excess for a good pattern match. Let the experts in the wallpaper store assist you in calculating exactly how many rolls to order.

Once the luan wood panels are in the room, use the wallpaper brush to apply paste to the back of the paper and glue the paper onto the luan panels, making sure it is straight and even. Then put the double-sided adhesive tape on the front outside edge of the doors and place the papered luan panels onto the doors. Press firmly and evenly to make sure they stick well all the way around.

Shoji screen panels

This Japanese-style screen is another beautiful alternative that will give you design direction for the style of the room. This approach requires removing the mirrored doors, but they can be stored and put back in place later.

Shoji screens can be made the same size as the mirrored doors and have the necessary hardware so they can slide on the existing door tracks.

These solutions give you three ways to solve your dilemma. Use them as a jumping-off point for your imagination, and have fun with this project. The results will be a good reflection of your own creativity.

 

 

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