We’ve all seen them — those plain, flat standard mirrors that are either glued or pinned to the wall when you move in. They are usually extremely boring and look cheap. You might find yourself wondering how to remove and replace it? Well, instead of going through the trouble of removing the builder grade mirror, you can upgrade it by adding your own mirror frame made from stock trim.
How do you frame a mirror?
Below I’ll share how I was able to frame a mirror for a drastic change and include all the tips to make it easy for you to make your own mirror frame.
How to choose trim for your mirror
There are TONS of stock trim to choose from at the big box stores. It’s probably best to pick a window and door casing (it would look odd if you use baseboard, lol), but if you don’t find something you like there are other options if you want to get a bit creative.
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Can you build your own trim?
Yes! I choose flat baseboard then cut it on my table saw and added cove molding. To finish, I glued and brad nailed it all together. I really liked the option of building the trim myself because it creates a more customized and finished look.
Cutting trim to fit your mirror
It’s just as simple as framing a picture or wall art. Using a miter saw, you’ll need to set the saw to a 45 degree cut to form a 90 degree corner with your trim. While cutting, make sure your trim is flat against the base of the saw.
When choosing the dimensions of your frame, measure the mirror and consider adding at least a 1/4 ” to each side of the frame so it hangs over to cover the edge of the mirror.
Gluing the frame to the mirror
Before assembling your mirror frame be sure to check for any exposed mounting clips holding your mirror to the wall. Ours had a few that would keep the frame from sitting flush against the mirror, but I was able to use my multi-tool to cut notches to fix the problem.
If you don’t have a multi-tool, I would suggest you run out and get one but if it’s not possible, you can also try a chisel and notch it out that way being careful not to damage the trim.
Depending on the size of your mirror, you might want to pre-assemble your frame with wood glue and brad nails. I didn’t have enough space to fully put it together before installing, so I glued and brad nailed the bottom and sides first, attached it to the mirror, and then put the top on separately.
I used a Gorilla Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive. It starts to hold after about 30 seconds to give you just enough time to set the frame into place. I recommend putting the glue directly onto the mirror and then placing your frame onto it.
TIP: When putting the glue on the mirror, make sure to keep it near the outside edge of the mirror. This will keep glue from showing along the edges of the mirror once the frame is on. Finally, once the frame is attached and in place, add a few pieces of painter’s tape to keep it from move while drying.
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Finishing your mirror frame
Once your frame is attached to the mirror and looks great, use painter’s caulk to fill any gaps in your corners. This will give you a finished look.
How much does it cost to frame a mirror?
Our mirror cost about $60 not including paint but as you can see, it’s a huge mirror and frame. If you go with a simpler style trim and your mirror is smaller, you can easily frame it for under $30, and wow, what a difference this simple project can make!
If you have a boring, basic mirror, I hope you’ll give it a try then come back and let us know how it looks in the comments
