Making Your Own Display Shelf

When I first decided to do this, the first thing I did was price the mirror 2 pieces 48" x 50" was well over $100!! So what I did was use the mirrors that you find at a department store (The ones' that are 12 inches wide and 4 foot tall that sell for about $5). I was able to get the mirror for around $45. If you look real closely, you can see lines where the mirrors are stacked together. Once the shelves are in, you cant tell those lines. I used regular silicone to glue the mirror in place.

Next, I found the glass shelves from a store that was closing. The local glass shop was able to cut the larger ones down to size.

The lights were purchased from Lowes for about $80.

After all of that was in place, I noticed that the 4 foot wide shelves bowed considerably in the center. I put a level across the shelves a measured at the center the difference between each shelf. I made Plexi-Glass spacers for each.

The top and bottom wood shelves were secured with screws to make them non removable. I caulked all of the seams inside with tan colored silicone.

Due to the fact that my case was against the wall, I couldn't use a hinged door. I decided to use 3/8" Plexi-Glass for the doors.

I made a rest for the heavy doors using "L" steel from a local hardware store.

Door and Window weather-stripping was placed around the edge of the cabinet where the door would meet, creating a completely dust free case.

My doors rest on the "L" on the bottom and is held by a hasp on top.

Due to the size of the doors, there became a bow in the middle causing it not to seal against the weather-stripping. I bought some cabinet latches at a department store and put a few around the edges ( you can see them in the upper corner and just above the FDNY Seagraves) with a little bit of brass spray paint, they matched real well.