There are a few different ways to build a mirror booth and a few different materials and configurations you can opt for. This is how I built ours. I aimed for easily accessible and cheap materials that I knew were reliable and durable.

Our mirror booth has been an absolute hit at our client’s events and has paid itself off many times over. The booth was so popular that it was booked for multiple events before I had even finished building it!

The booth literally paid itself off before construction was complete, a perfect sign of a great investment!

Once construction was completed I had a custom cover made by Studio Slips to protect is during transport. These guys produce affordable, excellent covers that I can’t recommend enough. I strongly suggest getting them to make you a softcover to increase the longevity of your build.

Now, with all that out of the way, let’s get to the fun stuff, building the booth!

What you’ll need

• Basic construction or woodworking knowledge – Helpful but not essential.
• 3 x 11mm to 16mm MDF Sheets (or pine for less weight) – About 1.5m x 1.5m each.
• A Mini PC – You’ll need at least an i5 processor to power the booths animations. I recommend something like the Intel NUC range. We bought ours off craigslist for about $500, half of what they go for new.
• An Infrared Touch Frame – This gives the front glass it touchscreen ability. We bought ours here
• A 3mm Glass Sheet – Cut to fit the IR frame, the size is about 55 inches. Wait until after building your enclosure to measure. Purchase this from a local glass supplier in your area.
• A Dye Sublimation Printer – We’re just using the Mitsubishi CPD70-DW from one of our existing booths.
• Vinyl Wrap – Measure how much you’ll need once you’ve built the enclosure. I used black but you can use any color you like.
• 42″ HD TV – The TV will be mounted behind the glass.
• 2 x USB Cables – Like this.
• DslrBooth photobooth software – Or, you can also use the new Booth Junkie software.
• Canon DSLR Camera of your choice – As long as it’s supported by your choice of booth software. I recommend a Canon T31 or 1300D.
• Camera Mount – You’ll need one with a ball head that has an adjustable angle. Like this one.
• Ac Power Supply– For you camera, or you can use a spare camera battery and charge it while your first battery is in use.
• IEC cable x 2 – To power flash and printer.
• HDMI Cable – For connecting the mini PC to the TV screen. You’ll need a Mini-HDMI to standard HDMI like this one.
• External Strobe Flash – 1
• Hot shoe Flash Adapter – Like this.
• Flash Sync Cable – Like this. This will connect from camera to the flash. The flash will be mounted on top of the booth.
• Flash Pole – To mount flash to the top of the booth.
• 2 Way Mirror Film – We went to a local car tinting shop and asked them to apply 2-way mirror tint to our previously cut piece of glass. Don’t bother buying your own mirror film and applying yourself. It’s impossible to get all of the bubbles out, trust me, I tried this twice.
• Led Strip Lights – This will act as the modelling light for the photos. The extra external light helps the camera see through the mirror tint when using autofocus on your camera. The LED strips will attach to the front of your booth double-sided sided tape.
• Piano Hinge – Cut to your desired length for the back door- like this.
• Cam Lock x 2 – Like this. These will need to be sized the same as the MDF you’re using.
• Various Tools – Battery Drill, Jigsaw, Hand Planer, 10mm Wood Screws, Construction Adhesive, Black Gaff Tape, Black Spray Paint, Sandpaper, Builders Putty, Spatula.
• 20mm x 20mm Pine Beading – Like this. These are for reinforcing the joins and for screwing each panel into.
• Large Ornate Frame – We found some nice gold ornate mouldings from a local supplier for our frame. If you can’t find a supplier for mouldings you can repurpose an old picture frame as long as it’s large enough.

Most mirror booths are on a slight 30-degree angle. In my opinion, this is the best way to do it as opposed to having the mirror completely upright.

Because of the 30-degree angle, the taller guests will be able to see themselves in the mirror, something you could only achieve otherwise by making to booth much taller if it was upright. This makes transport much easier.

The measurements provided are a guide and don’t need to be strictly adhered to. You’ll need to measure each panel yourself, with a tape measure, and adjust if necessary.

Before you start, make sure you have the appropriate safety gear on when using power tools. You’ll need safety glasses and earplugs at the very least. I suggest a pair of gloves also. Make sure any power tools you use have all of their safety mechanisms working correctly.

Be sure to work in a clear area without any trip hazards.

Step 1 – The Enclosure

1. Cut two identical side panels out of your MDF with a jigsaw, or circular saw. Use the measurements in the images on the right. These are for the sides of the enclosure.

Be sure to measure and mark each panel with a straight edge to ensure nice straight cuts.

2. Cut another panel for the front of the booth about 793mm wide. This panel will be fixed to the inside of the two side panels. We’ll cut a recess for the TV out of this front panel later.

3. Cut a small panel for the top of the unit that meets the edges of the two front pieces and the two side pieces. This measures about 793 x 333 mm.

Leave a gap at the bottom of the front piece as you can see in the image. We’ll add a small 90-degree angled section here later.

4. Install a Philips head screwdriver bit into your power drill. Measure and cut some lengths of pine beading to reinforce the inside of each corner like the image on the right.

5. Screw the 2 side panels and the top panel together. Be sure to screw into the pine beading underneath.

Make sure your screws are long enough to go all the way through the first panel and deep into the lengths of pine beading below. It’s also worth using a ‘countersink bit’ (like this) to drill small pilot recesses in the MDF so your screw heads are embedded below the surface of each panel.

You’ll patch these up later with some builders putty.

Use 5 or 6 screws along each edge of each panel so it’s extra secure. Make sure you screw each piece from the outside of the enclosure.

Step 2 – Install The TV

Here we’re using a 42 inch LCD TV mounted to the inside of the enclosure. I picked this up off an online classified ad for about $150.

The front face of the TV needs to be flush with the front of the booth, so make sure you cut the opening large enough so the TV will sit inside of the panel, not pinned to the MDF behind it.

1. Measure your TV and cut out a recess in the front of the enclosure, you’ll also need to cut a rectangular section out at the top for the camera.

2. Measure and cut a small riser for the front (at the bottom) so it’s flush with the main angled panel. You’ll need to cut the angles off the bottom of the front corners of the main side panels so they’re not sticking out.

3. Secure the TV from the inside by screwing in some ‘S’ shape metal fixings to pin the TV against the front panel, add these to each corner. You’ll be able to find some that will fit your TV from your local hardware store.

4. Add a length of pine beading that will support the weight of the TV inside the bottom of the enclosure.

5. Cut and install 2 more lengths of pine beading for the top shelf onto each side of the enclosure. Use a spirit level to make sure these are level on both sides.

Step 3 – Paint The Front Panel Black

In order for the 2-way mirror glass to be reflective, the front of the enclosure will need to be painted black.

The mirror film that we’ll be adding to the glass later is only reflective on the side with the most light. So, by making the opposite side of the glass dark it makes it impossible to see through the mirror glass from the outside.

The only thing that will be visible on the outside of the booth will be the colorful animations of your photobooth software.

1. Spray paint the front of the enclosure black.

2. Secure the edges of the TV to the front of the enclosure with black gaff tape. Don’t worry about the TV eventually breaking through the tape, once you add the glass it will all be sandwiched together an secure.

3. Use a hand planer to round the top two corners of the enclosure, one like this is ideal. No need to round the front edges as these will be covered by the frame at the end.

Smooth over your rounded corners with some sandpaper.

Step 4 – Internal Components

Now will need to add;

• The bottom printer shelf.
• The Top shelf.
• A camera bracket to mount the camera.

1. Measure the length and width from inside the booth for your top shelf. The width of the shelf will depend on the TV that you’re using. I cut shelves so they hug the curve of the TV.

Place the shelf on the pine beading that you previously installed and secure it to the beading with screws.

That’s all for now…

If you’d like the rest of this guide please purchase our eBook ‘How to Build A Mirror Photo Booth – The Complete DIY Guide’ below.

It contains everything you need to know, from software, camera orientation, animations, printers and printing, LED lights, booth covers, finishing material, IR overlay for the touch screen, the glass and mirror tint, building the decorative frame, mounting and installing the flash, installing the pc and mounting the electronic components and more!

Our guide includes annotated photos of the process so you can easily follow along with your own build!

For only $10 you can’t go past this guide.