Now you don’t have to live with boring builder’s mirrors with no molding. You can DIY your own with lightweight molding and corner blocks. No mitering the corners!
The mirrors are finished and ready to share so get settled in for LOTS of pics. Iβll try to answer all your questions with pics and instructions, so that all of you can try this at home. I learned again the best way to do this and I think I have it fine-tuned now. I’ll cover it all below in a bulleted list so that you can see all the instructions in one spot. Hereβs all the materials being painted. I bought 2 sets of fluted molding. One was real wood and one set was that composite stuff. Iβd highly recommend you go with the composite stuff, as it is flat, lightweight and easy to work with. So, keep that in mind. I had some problems because one piece of the βrealβ fluted molding was slightly bowed. But, I conquered it and made it work. That hideous purple color was a free can of spray paint I got & used as primer. I found the real fluted wood at one Lowes and didn’t see the other composite stuff until I went to another store. So, look around and get the already primed lightweight stuff. Lowes should have it!
Here you can see the white primed lightweight molding. This is what you want to look for at Lowes or Home Depot. Itβs all in the decorative wood section, as well as those corner rosettes. I used black for one bathroom and my trusty Ralph Lauren Turret Stair in the other since I have already painted my vanity in the dark chocolate brown color.
My miter box comes in handy for cutting molding like this and I plan to put it to use in the dining room too. The composite molding cuts like butter, very easy.
OK, several of you asked about the clips on your mirror. Hereβs something that you need to check first. Take out the screws which are holding the mirror in place and see if there is extra mastic or adhesive on the back of the mirror that will still hold it up if you take these clips off. I found that one of mine was stuck with some adhesive on the back and one was not. This is where the Liquid Nails will come in handy. I simply took off both clips on the one mirror, leaned the mirror towards me and shot Liquid Nails all down the back of the mirror, pushed it in place and put the clips back up so it could all dry for at least 24 hours. I checked it the next day and sure enough, it was adhered just fine. So, thatβs how to get around the clips. They can definitely be taken down.
You may have a slotted little clip at the bottom of your mirror. You can see mine is pretty corroded and not very attractive. This is flat enough that you can just cover it up with the molding, no problem at all. If you have another kind of holder on your mirror, youβll probably have to take it off. Itβs really not a problem to put some adhesive behind your mirror to hold it up. You can see my backsplash of cultured marble comes up to this point. The molding will rest right on top of this.
Youβll end up with 4 pieces of molding and 4 corner blocks like this. This is the black set.
And this is the brown set. You will want to paint both front and back and ends of the molding pieces.
Now, hereβs the bathroom I started in and started out using Liquid Nails with tape added to hold it down. That was a disaster as I said, because some of the βrealβ wood was bowed and didnβt want to stay down very well. I left it overnight to dry and Liquid Nails takes quite a while to completely dry, so parts of it were coming up. So, I resorted to my hot glue gun on those pieces and it worked like a charm. Should have done that to begin with, but I learned a new lesson on that. Now, just let me tell you this, once you put that hot glue on BE SURE that you get the molding exactly in place the first time. It dries in about 5 seconds and YOU WILL NOT be able to get that piece back off. I learned that the hard way too, after I put in that bottom piece and didnβt have it set exactly right. I had to practically get a crowbar to get that thing off the mirror. It was stuck SO hard on there, so that will tell you that this stuff is not going to come off with the glue gun adhesion. Trust me on that!
Hereβs the BEFORE of the downstairs mirror. Plain oleβ mirror. Wall color in here is Benjamin Moore Wedgewood Gray. Took me 3 tries to get this exactly the way I wanted it. I love this color! It’s not quite as gray as it looks in these pics. It’s a soft blue with a touch of aqua.
Doesnβt that look completely better? I think so.
If you end up with a small gap, all you have to do is add a little caulk in there, let it dry & touch up with paint.
This one has a few blemishes & if I had it to do over, I would NOT have used the real wood on this. So take that as a lesson. Use the lightweight white primed stuff. Much easier. This pic looks like there are little specks all over, but itβs really not. You can see a little spot of Liquid Nails that shows through on the edge in the mirror peeking out from behind, but since Iβm not a perfectionist, I can live with this. If youβre careful and paint the backside of your molding the same color AND you donβt spread too much hot glue, you wonβt see any of that.
Another shot of the new molding. And while weβre at it, Iβll show you more of this bathroom, which many of you have already seen, but I have a LOT of new readers now who may not have seen it all.
Hereβs my yardsale shelf that I painted black to hold all the pretties in here. This bathroom is right next to the new blue guestroom.
Someone asked about the side view of the mirror. Hereβs what that looks like. You can see blue paint on the edge of the mirror from when I painted the room, but other than that, it looks fine from the edge. Iβm actually going to take a small brush and go over that mirror edge with my black paint & it will disappear.
Molding closeup. I went back to Stray Cats on Friday and they had the cutest beadboard hook board just the perfect size for my bathroom, so I picked this one up for $32. I love this little thing, so cute and vintagey. I had to add these pics in too.
Iβm playing around with my accessories in here, so some of that will probably change later.
Donβt you love it?
So, now we move upstairs to the gold bathroom.
Hereβs the before of my upstairs bathroom. Iβve showed you this before, but I did a few more pics today since I have my newer camera. The wall color in here is Sherwin Williams Camelback, one shade darker than my Whole Wheat most everywhere else upstairs. Thatβs my $10 light fixture I found at a yardsale (still brand new in the box). Not exactly what I would have picked out at the store, but it was sure better than the Hollywood light that was up there before. Iβll change that out again one day to something a little less tropical, but Iβve enjoyed it for a couple of years now.
Another lesson learned is to start with the bottom of the mirror to put the first pieces up. Figured that out after I started, so YOU get to do it right. That’s because you have more wiggle room at the top of the mirror than you do at the bottom. Make sense now?
Hereβs the whole bathroom.
Doesnβt it look SO much better all framed out? I love it. This is the Turret Stair color.
And Iβve got lots of leopard print in this bathroom.
As well as black iron.
My mom made my black floral shower curtain topper and window treatment several years ago and they still work, so I havenβt changed them out.
Small iron bakers rack in the tub space with hubbyβs reading material. π
A couple of yardsale vintage prints on the wall.
And back to the sink side with the new mirror. I just love it!
Yardsale shelf with mostly yardsale items on here. Iβve got a couple of palm tree things in here, but Iβm not really going for all out tropical and I’ll be changing out some of this stuff one day. I’d like to do a little spruce up in here now that the mirror’s framed.
Closeup of the molding.
And hereβs the vanity that I painted right after we moved in here. This was white laminate and I primed and painted it with 2 coats of Turret Stair. Look how purdy it looks now with the matching mirror. Whoohooo!
So, Iβll outline all the steps here for you to use when you try this at home:
- Buy the lightweight white preprimed molding and corner pieces. Youβll be glad you did.
- Check to see if your clips are holding up your mirror. If they are not, you can safely take them down. If they are, add some Liquid Nails behind your mirror to adhere it to the wall , let it dry at least 24 hours, and THEN take those clips off.
- Measure your molding pieces before you paint. Youβll just need to measure your mirror EXACTLY from side to side & top to bottom to get the dimensions. Subtract the corner piece measurement from that total and youβll see how long to cut the wood piece. My corner pieces were 3 1/2β wide x 2, so I subtracted 7β from the total measurement to see how long to cut my 2 top pieces and 2 side pieces. Are you with me on this? Itβs simple math and Iβm not a math whiz. So, cut your 2 top pieces and 2 side pieces and get them ready to paint.
- Paint all the molding and rosettes first, including the backs, sides and ends.
- Start at the bottom of the mirror and add the first corner piece. Just line it up exactly with the corner of the mirror so it is all flush. Get your glue gun ready, shoot the glue & get it into place FAST. It dries really fast!
- Add the long piece next side to side, just donβt get too much in a hurry, make sure you line up your molding and have it ready to put into place immediately.
- Add the next corner piece. Youβll have a little bit of give in your measuring if you start at the bottom, go across and then go UP.
- Add the 2 long side pieces next.
- Add one rosette at the top, then the next long piece, and finally finish off with the last rosette at the top. You should be able to get most of them all lined up and may not even need to caulk. If you do, thatβs not a problem at all either. You may have a few spots that need touching up with paint, so do that last.
So, thatβs it! Hope you can follow all these directions and using the hot glue gun is really fast and easy, you just have to be a little careful with slapping those things into place too fast. Cost on this is very reasonable. I used 2 fluted molding pieces at $10 each and 4 each rosettes at about $3 each, so thatβs about $32 total plus tax. Great cost for a low-budget makeover and not having to take down those huge mirrors.
Iβd love to know if you are doing this, so please come back and show me YOUR finished mirrors! Once you do one, youβll be hooked!
Carrie says
Thanks for the great how to! I did two very large mirrors last year after reading your post and learned a few lessons myself. 1. Hot glue didn’t hold my fairly light composite wood pieces up, and that was in a powder room with no humidity. I ended up using Scotch Indoor/Outdoor Mounting Tape. I just cut 2 inch pieces and placed them about a foot apart. The molding won’t come off unless you REALLY want to pry it off. 2. I didn’t realize there was a liquid nails specifically for mirrors, and got what I thought was the correct one. It wasn’t, and the mirror is being desilverized. So be sure to get the proper liquid nails!
Keri says
Carrie, thank you for posting this. My hot glue failed me too! Went to bed with everything looking great only to find it all hanging by strings of glue in the morning. Is the scotch mounting tape still holding up for you? I think I may need to try it out. Thanks!
Rhoda says
Sorry you girls had problems with the hot glue. I wonder if it is a difference in glue, maybe hi-temp vs. low-temp or something like that. My hot glue stuck so well on most of it that I couldn’t even pry it off. I’m sure you’ll get it to stick!
Vanessa Maddox says
Love it. You have inspired me into action….doing it this weekend. Thank you!
Mary says
I loved your choice of rosettes, but cannot find them anywhere. Neither Lowes or Home Depot carry them. Have you seen them anywhere else or know where I can find them? Thanks so much!
Rhoda says
Hi, Mary, I bought those so long ago, so I’m not sure. I bet you could find some online if you do a search. Rockler is a good online site to check out for things like that.
Tammy Eakes says
Hi Rhonda,
This is a GREAT tutorial! I am working with a local contracting company to build a blog and online presence for them. I am writing a post on updating a bathroom EASILY with paint and a little molding. Instead of recreating the step-by-step instructions I will link to this post for how to frame the mirror. Thank you for the great information!
Larry says
Fantastic instructions on this project.
We’ll be finishing our second mirror later this week.
Thank you so much, R!
/L
Jalene Buysman says
I found your blog on pinterest and decided to do the mirror in our guest bathroom. Like you said I got the white lightweight molding and painted it black and it turned out beautiful. Later I went ahead and painted the cabinets black also. It looks terriffic! Thanks so much for this wonderful idea.
Rhoda says
HI, Jalene, thank you for letting me know. That’s been a really popular project of mine!
Heidi says
Hello, love this idea. I have a master bathroom with two mirrors that angle into each other. Any ideas on what to do where two mirror meet? How would the rosettes work? Thank you for any reply Heidi
Rhoda says
HI, Heidi, I’m not sure what to tell you without seeing it.
Barb Meyer says
where did you get your corner casings or corner blocks? Love your idea!!
thanks, Barb in Colorado Springs
Rhoda says
Barb, I got them at either Home Depot or Lowes, it’s been awhile and I don’t remember. You can find those corner blocks online too, so check around.
Pam Taylor says
I an in the process of redoing my guest bathroom. It looks like I’ve painted mine the same color as yours. I had bought 4 molding strips, real wood, and 4 corner pieces just like yours. I primed and painted the pieces a dark gray. I wasn’t sure of the right way.to begin putting the pieces up on the mirror so I Googled and found your article. I am go glad I did!! Wish I had known about the composite molding but I’ll try to use what I’ve got. Thanks for all the tips! Love your bathrooms especially the “towel rack”.
Pam Taylor
Pink Hill, NC
Donnice says
Fantastic tutorial! Love the detail in the steps! I’m waiting for mine to dry. I can’t wait to put them up!!!! I need a tutorial detailed to distress a frame and armoire. I want to do 3 colors. Blue Green and yellow. Do you do that?
Rhoda says
HI, Donnice, thanks for stopping by. I don’t think I have a tutorial for what you’re looking for, but I’m sure you could find something out there.
Denise Buff says
I’m pretty sure I understand but just to clarify you glued the molding to the mirror?
Rhoda says
Yes, Denise, glued directly to the mirror.
Susan Payan says
I just seen your pics on southern hospitality and that is exactly what want to do with my bathroom mirror. My concern is that in one bathroom one side the mirror is all the way to the wall and in my other bathroom both sides are at the wall. how do I install the frame on that side.
Rhoda says
Hi, Susan, not sure how to answer you, but my frames sat right on top of the mirror so I would think it would work whether or not your mirror went over to the wall.
Brenda Hustedt says
Thanks for sharing. Beautiful job. Have a question, On River Cliff Cottage, you mentioned using 80% Loctite Go2 glue and 20% Hot Glue. Did you apply the Loctite first and the the Hot Glue on the entire width of frame to glue frame to mirror?or Did you just use the Loctite to glue mirror to wall? I know you said you used hot glue for temporary stay and Loctite for long term stay. I hope this isn’t too confusing.
Rhoda says
Brenda, trying tho think back to when I did this project. It’s been so long ago now. I started with the liquid nails stuff first and it didn’t hold well since it had to dry. So I think I used hot glue to hold it in place along with the liquid stuff and the hot glue held it permenant after all.
Tawny Smeltzer says
Thank you so much for your post! We used Liquid Nails and are having trouble with the pieces bowing at the ends, so frustrating! So we’ll let them dry with the painters tape and secure the bowed areas with super glue! Thank you so much for your help!!
Cheryl says
It’s been 8 yrs. since you posted this article. I truly love this idea. My bathroom is about the same size as your downstairs bathroom. I am going to do this and send you a picture of it when I’m done. Thanks for sharing this great tutorial.
Rhoda says
HI, Cheryl, I still like this idea a lot too for dressing up a boring mirror. Thank you for stopping by!
Jen says
Rhoda
Thank you so much! I was scared at first to attempt this but now I am so excited! Thanks for taking the time to share your journey and trial and error stories with us also! Great job
Cynthia says
Rhoda
The mirror is absolutely gorgeous. In fact the other pieces in your bathroom makes it look fabulous overall. Can’t wait to start my own project.
Darlene Canterbury says
Loooooooove it u have inspired me so much thank u !!!!!πππππ