Framing A Mirror

This is a project that I have seen all over Pinterest and I really wanted to try it. The mirror in the master bathroom is just your plain builder grade mirror and it has some chipping at the bottom which makes it look awful. 

Ugly chipped mirror (which is also in need of cleaning).

The most intimidating part of the whole project was cutting angles. Anything involving math or geometry makes my head hurt. It ended up not being that hard though. So without further ado...here is my mirror framing tutorial.


You'll need:
mitre box (you can find these for less than $5 at Lowe's)
small hand saw
tape measure
level
pencil
paint
trim
Liquid Nails made especially for mirrors and glass
painter's tape
paintable caulk or spackle

First measure the perimeter of your mirror to see how much trim you will need. I needed 9 feet. Lowe's sells pieces of trim in 7 or 10 foot lengths. I got two 7 foot pieces so a) they would fit in the back of the truck better, and b) I'd have plenty of extra if I messed up.

I drew sketches of the mirror so I could remember the lengths I needed to cut. I also drew out how the angles would go so I could have a visual when cutting and checked them off as I cut them.

You will measure your first length and cut at a 45 degree angle. Do this for all 4 sides. Don't worry if your cuts are completely clean. That's what the caulk is for!

After you have cut all your trim, it's time to paint. Paint BOTH the back and the front of the trim because you will see the reflection of the back in the mirror. 

OK, I lied. The most intimidating part is not cutting the angles. The most intimidating part is putting that first piece up with Liquid Nails and knowing there is no turning back! 

The first piece to go up will be the bottom of the frame. You will want to make sure this piece is level and let it dry overnight before gluing the other pieces. Hold it secure with painter's tape.

When putting the Liquid Nails on the back of the frame, make sure you don't put it on too thick or too close to the edge that will be reflected in the mirror. That way it won't squish out when you put it up and be visible in the reflection. Here's a look at my Liquid Nails application.

The right side is the side that is reflected in the mirror. I kept the glue away from that edge.

Don't worry if your corners don't match up exactly when you put all the pieces of your frame up. You'll fill those in with caulk or spackle.

I chose to use spackle in my corners just because I prefer it over caulk. You'll let it dry then sand and you're ready to touch up paint in the corners.

Another little issue I had with my mirror is the fact that you could see the side of it behind the frame. Other tutorials I've seen have added an extra piece of very thin trim around the outside edges to hide this, but it wouldn't have worked well in my case. Plus, it's only the one side that you can see so I wasn't too worried about it. I just ran some caulk down the side and then painted it white so it blended in more. 

I absolutely LOVE my "new" mirror! It makes such a statement in the room and is a huge upgrade for very little money. I think I spent maybe $15-20 total? I did have a lot of the needed materials on hand already though. Here's the before...

Before

And the much improved after...

After