I’m finally finished writing up the nitty-gritty of my mirror molding project.
One of the questions I got a lot of was regarding the mirror, mainly regarding the clips. My mirror has no clips. It has a slot at the base where the mirror rests and then the mirror is glued to the wall.
I’ve read how others with clips have removed one screw to see how well the mirror is attached with glue. I’d recommend a second hand with this, so one can remove 1 screw while the other holds the mirror. If the mirror is held on well with glue, than it’s up to you if you want to attempt this project. I’m not a mirror hanging expert… so continue using your own wisdom.
I made my measurements so the molding would hang over 1/2 inch on all the edges. I did this because I had the space around my mirror to do it, and because I wanted to make sure my mirror was completely covered – call it my fudge-factor!
You can read about the molding I used in detail in THIS previous post. This molding is MDF. I have a power miter saw (I’m sure there is a more technical name for this) that I used to make my cuts. I just recently borrowed this from my dad, but I’ve done most of my molding projects with my miter saw & box. Lowes and Home Depot both sell theses for under $10… they look like this:
lowes.com
They have the 45% angled slots set for you… you just line up your wood and insert your saw in the slots for the angle you want. This is an easy and cheap starting tool for molding work.
One of the most important things to remember while cutting molding is to make sure you have the wood in the right direction when you make the cut (unless it’s a uniform pattern). I chose to have the thicker edge of my mold be on the interior. There were many times while I was cutting that I would stop and lay out my pieces to make sure I was cutting it the correct way… I’ve had plenty of wrong cuts.
Once all my molding was cut I painted. The MDF was already primed, so I just needed to paint them my espresso brown…. if you haven’t read about that drama… HERE is the story.
I used a hot glue gun to attach the molding. I started with the bottom piece, putting the left corner 1/2 inch over from the edge of the mirror. Then I attached the two sides, using a level on the side pieces. Lastly the top piece went in place. I placed the molding directly onto the mirror.
![[bath mirror after 1[3].jpg]](http://lh3.ggpht.com/_G5_YGMiglIw/S52FsBfN-bI/AAAAAAAABYY/bRiHGS6d2h8/s1600/bath+mirror+after+1%5B3%5D.jpg)
One thing I’ve learned… thanks to my husband ((SMILE)), is that when I’m close up on the mirror (like spitting out my toothpaste), I can see the reflection of the back of the molding in the mirror. So painting the first inch of the backside, that is closest to the exposed mirror, would make it look even better. I “might” get brave and try a blow dryer on the molding to see if the hot glue might loosen so I can paint that inch – because it’s going to BUG me now that I know.
Caulking… I still need to caulk the corners, if I want to really make it look well done. I’m sure I’ll get around to it eventually. If you’ve measured well the corner will match up nicely.
So I hope I answered all your questions… if not, PLEASE let me know!
I’m planning to tackle the bathroom cabinets this next week ~ Wahoo!
Today is the last day to enter Lisa Leonard’s Giveaway… click HERE to enter if you haven’t yet. The giveaway will close at 9 PM (PST) Friday.
I’m linking up to the following parties:
Ooooh, it looks really good! I'm getting ready to do the same thing through mirror mate. Can't wait! Are you painting your cabinets? If so, what color?
I so need to do that to mine. Or, would you just come over and help me do it?
Thanks for the great tips–I want to do this!
I love this project…I hope you will submit it for cataloging at my PROJECT: LIBRARY. You can send the link to your post via email, all projects welcome, 24/7/365! Hope you join us!
What a great way to customize a plain old builder's mirror. I did the same thing at our last house, but I only made 1 big frame. I like this look so much better!
I think that is so funny how the back side of the molding bugs you – I am so like this!!! My hubby just keeps telling me to not sweat the small stuff.
Great job on the mirror project! I have a huge mirror in our downstairs bath that would look fab doing something like this with.
bee blessed
mary
I love it! You did a great job. It is amazing what a difference this makes to a bathroom!! I did this to a mirror with clips. I used a finger joint molding that was flat on back and mounted it directly to the mirror with double sided foam mounting tape. It went right over the clips and they do not show at all. I also used the little square rosettes on the corners so there was no miter cutting. It was a supper way to dress up a plain mirror.
I love this look! thank you for sharing!!
What a difference the frames made. Love that you painted them black.
Barbara
I want to do that with my mirrors one day! Yours look gorgeous.
WOW this looks great!! I am in love with mitre boxes – we are using one for paneling in our house right now. Thanks for the play-by-play!!
This could not have come at a better time…just last night I was telling my hubby I wanted to do this to our huge bathroom mirror!! Thanks
I love this idea! It really gives the mirror some weight. Sorry about the button, I finally discovered an extra quotation mark that snuck in there. Eek!
I got an email asking for me detail on the glue gun… here's my email answer to her: Hi Sabrina
I have 2 glue guns… one is more a warm glue gun (I'm sure they have better names) and then I have the HOT glue gun that burns bad when the glue gets on your finger. I used the HOT glue. I use the hot glue for most of my projects because it takes longer to cool down. I just went wiggling down one side and then wiggling up the other…. worked great!
Let me know if you need more clarifying on the type of glue gun and I'll find the "technical" name for you.
Have fun with your project!
Maryann
I LOVE this! I totally borrowing your idea. Unfortunately we have an unattractive mirror border around our current bathroom mirrors. Hopefully they will come off easily. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful idea!
I'm visiting from ASPTL.
- Michele
Yes, yes I agree this is my favorite thing you have done this month. I am dreaming of trying it myself. Thanks for always inspiring me, your the best. I hope you are enjoying the most special week.
Cha Cha
I have a bathroom mirror in dire need of updating! Thanks so much for posting this!
Great job! It looks so professional!
Your mirrors look great! It's amazing how much difference a little bit of wood makes. So much more custom-looking! Thank you so much for linking up to my party!
Blessings,
Traci
That is a great project. I am putting it on my favs.
Cheri
It looks great. I've been wanting to fix up my bathroom for awhile now and my mirror is just flat. This would really make it pop without having to replace it. Thanks for sharing.
Brilliant!!! I am going to do this in my bathroom! My husband won't let me take the mirror down and get a new one and this will update it! Plus – hot glue is my best friend so it's only appropriate that i use it for this project♥