DIY Bathroom Update–Mirrors

How to frame plain wall mirrors with molding.

Plain mirrors hanging on the wall with clips – functional, but not very pretty.  I removed the clips and remounted the mirrors with Mirror Mastic. It is like Liquid Nails, but is made especially for mirrors as the adhesive will not bleed through the finish of your mirror and ruin it.

With the help of of a 10-Inch Miter Saw along with repeated viewings of a This Old House video on how to cut the corners of crown molding, I had success.

The easy part was framing the mirrors with Mdf boards that I got at Lowes.  Each mirror required 4 boards.  Top, bottom, left side, right side.  I cut 2 –5 1/2” wide Mdf boards(Top and Bottom – Horizontal) to the width I needed and 2 – 3 1/2” wide boards to the height ( left and right sides) I needed.

These were all just straight cuts.  I then painted the back edges of each of the cut boards the same color that the front will be – white – so that when they are mounted around the mirror the mirror doesn’t reflect unfinished wood.   Sand the edges and attach around the mirror with Liquid Nails.  Use a bubble level to make sure all the boards are straight and level.

I chose to place the boards right on the mirror to hide a chip in one of them.  This raises the frame away from the wall a bit.  You also could just butt the boards right around the mirrors’ edges.

Now here is the part that I always have to think through – lots of left brain/right brain thinking necessary to cut the corners of crown molding. I am using Bed Molding – just a tad bit smaller than crown.

It was all I needed to set me on the right course.  I am such a visual learner and this made it so clear to me.  There are also written directions for those of you who prefer reading directions.

I used Liquid Nails to attach it to the top of the mirror frame.

I first positioned the front piece and taped it securely in place until dry. I used a bubble level to make sure it was level.

Then I added the side pieces in the same way. Lots of tape to hold it up while it dries.

Once the glue is dry I will paint the frames in a semi gloss white and caulk to hide all the imperfections. Caulk is a DIY’ers best friend when they are installing crown molding and want it to look good.  Once that is done the mirror frames will be done.

You can see the AFTER makeover of the mirrors and the bathroom in this post:

• $265 Bathroom Makeover