How to Frame Plain Bathroom Mirrors

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By favefive
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A Plain Bathroom Mirror Framed with Moldings

Bathroom mirrors usually come plain with only mirror hooks and clips holding them. You can update your mirror without buying brand new ones. All you need is a little bit of elbow grease and very basic carpentry skills.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Plain bathroom mirrors
Moldings
Miter saw
Velcro or double sided adhesive tapes
Nail glue (optional)
Caulk
Semi-gloss paint

Step 1

Measure the width and height of the bathroom mirror.
Step 2

Purchase frames or PVC (Poly Vinyl Chloride) moldings from a home improvement store. Choosing PVC instead of wood is better since it is lighter and it doesn't warp when exposed to humidity. Have them cut the frames to your specification. They will charge you a minimal fee. If you have a miter saw, you can do the cutting when you get home.
Step 3

Paint moldings with the desired color. Use semi-gloss paint.
Step 4

Mark approximately 2 inches on all sides of the mirror. Put Velcro or double-sided tapes on each side. Put a matching Velcro or tape on the back of each frame. Start by connecting the bottom molding then add each side then add the top part. Make sure that the mitered corners are butted together snuggly.
Step 5

Apply caulking at each corner where the moldings connect.
Step 6

Apply touch up paint to cover the caulk and seams.

Tips & Warnings

You can use nail glue in place of Velcro or double-sided tapes. The advantage of using Velcro or double-sided tapes over nail glue is that if you are renting an apartment or house you can take the frames off when your lease is over. You can re-use the frames when you move to another place with plain bathroom mirrors; all you need to do is trim the frames to desired size.
Check if the frame is snug so it doesn't fall off.
Ensure that the mirror is securely hanging on the wall before you attach the frames to prevent the it from falling and breaking.

Comments

barbaraj said

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on 6/18/2009 http://www.mirrormate.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/MirrorMate.woa/wa/pages/Home?_ixref=mmgmirror

Great tip. I wanted to do something similar but ended up ordering a custom cut frame from a company named MirrorMate. They custom cut it to my dimensions and it took my husband and I about 25 minutes to install. It was affordable too!