Okay guys. If there were only one DIY project I could share with you, I think it would be this DIY bathroom mirror frame. It is so. easy. and transforms your bathroom. Affordably. And if you have a builder-grade mirror, it will no longer feel so… builder-grade!
When we were planning our bathroom renovation, we started looking at new mirrors… but they were expensive! I wanted to keep our bathroom makeover cheap, so I had no intention to spend $50+ for a new mirror. That being said, I hated the builder-grade mirror that was in there – you know, it’s like a giant slate of mirror. It gets the job done, but it’s so boring.
As I was searching Pinterest for bathroom makeover inspiration, I came across a DIY bathroom mirror frame on a fun home decor blog called Cherished Bliss. I pinned it knowing it would be something I’d actually come back to later. Would you guess that the mirror above turned into this one??
Okay, let me show you how we did it!
This post was originally published in January 2017 and was updated in November 2018.
*Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you choose to buy an item after clicking a link, I may receive a small commission from the purchase at no extra cost to you. This helps me keep this blog up and running. Thank you!*
DIY Bathroom Mirror Frame Materials
- 2 small plastic washers (plastic will ensure they don’t crack the mirror)
- 2 small screws
- Wood, trim, or another framing material that’s the length of the perimeter of the mirror
- Stain – I used water-based stain in American Walnut
- White paint – only about 1 cup of paint or less!
- FUZE IT Liquid Nails (or any construction adhesive that bonds to glass/mirror)
- Matte polyurethane or wax finish (optional)
Step 1: Replace the mirror clips.
At the top of the mirror, there are little plastic clips holding the mirror in place. They’re a bit bulky and the new frame won’t lay against it very well, so you’ll need to replace the clip with washers.
You don’t need to worry about replacing the “tray” along the bottom of the mirror – the frame will lay over it just fine, even if it slants in a little bit.
Unscrew the mirror clips (one at a time), and screw in the plastic washer to hold the mirror in place. Like this:
Step 2: Saw the boards to the correct length.
We wanted to find some very thin, inexpensive wood for the mirror. Thin, so it wouldn’t be too heavy to glue onto the mirror, and inexpensive, because duh. While in the lumber section of Lowe’s we came across a redwood “fencing” which was perfect – each 8 ft. board was only $2.50. Here is a similar redwood at Home Depot for $3.48/6 ft.
When measuring the perimeter of the mirror, we added an inch to each piece so the outside edge of the frame would extend about 1/2″ past the edge of the mirror. You don’t want any mirror showing outside of the frame!
We cut the end of each board at a 45-degree angle so the boards would fit together as a frame (make sure to put them together as such before you start gluing later on). They look like this:
Step 3: Finish the boards.
We decided to treat the wood the same way we treated the accent wall in our master bathroom renovation. I stained it, then white-washed it in a mixture of 2/3 water and 1/3 paint (make sure to test your mixture and adjust it until it’s the right color for you). Once it dried, I lightly sanded it. I’d also recommend waxing the boards or using a matte polyurethane finish after it’s assembled to protect the wood from your toothpaste splashes. That being said, we never actually put on a protective layer on our mirror frame and 2 years later, it still looks good!
Step 4: Glue the boards to the mirror.
Once the boards are finished, glue them to the mirror! Make sure the construction adhesive you use bonds to glass or mirror material, otherwise you may have some issues getting the boards to stay put. We used FUZE IT Liquid Nails. Grab your adhesive, caulk gun, and husband because it’s kind of hard to squeeze the glue out of the tube. LOL
Once the glue is on, stick it on to the mirror and make sure it’s level. You may need to hold it there for a few minutes until the glue starts drying and it stays in place.
Glue the rest of the frame to the mirror, nudging it around until all the edges fit together properly.
And just like that, this builder-grade mirror…
Became this beautiful upgraded mirror!
Wah-lah! Easy peasy and cheap! Here’s the cost breakdown…
Redwood Fencing for Wood Frame: $7.50
White paint: On hand (~$5 at Home Depot for a sample size)
Stain: On hand ($10.77 at Home Depot)
FUZE IT Liquid Nails: On hand ($6.47 at Home Depot)
Caulk Gun: On hand ($2.77 at Home Depot)
If you had to buy everything new at the store, it would cost around $32 and you’d have a TON of supplies leftover – like, with more (cheap!) wood, you could probably frame 10 more mirrors. We had most of the items on hand as they’re fairly common for many home improvement projects.
This DIY bathroom mirror frame is such an easy project to upgrade builder-grade mirrors in your home. It only takes an afternoon and will give your bathroom a whole new feel! In fact, after I framed my parents’ bathroom mirror, my dad said he felt like he was getting ready in a fancy hotel room. LOL.
If you need me, I’ll be framing the rest of our mirrors… 🙂
Pin the DIY Bathroom Mirror Frame Tutorial!
https://savenshine.com/
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Wouldn’t you lose access to the screws once the trim is placed over the screws and plastic washers? How would you ever take the mirror down without breaking it if you wanted to update the bathroom at that point?
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Hi Hayley,
What are the dimensions (thickness and width) a of the wood “fencing”?
This turned out so cute! We are currently making a list of home projects we want to do for the summer here in Wayne, PA & will have to add this to the list. Hopefully we can find time to do some kitchen cabinet painting too. Thanks so much for sharing!!!
How far was the bottom of the original mirror to the countertop backsplash? Beautiful job!!
Thank you so much! It came out fabulous! Here’s a before and after.
https://i.imgur.com/paaNx5h.jpg
I have a mirror that I picked up at a yard sale. I would like to hang it in our newly renovated bathroom(which seems like it is taking forevvveeerrrr) and then make a frame to put on. How would you recommend we adhere the mirror to the wall first? It seems pretty heavy. Do you think 4 screws and plastic washers hold it? Do I need to glue it also? Or should I just get the clip thing you have at the bottom of yours? Thank you so much for your help????
I am not sure what a plastic washer is. I googled it and I’m not sure what I should be buying for this project. Can you be more specific or send a picture?
Washers are usually a round, flat metal disc with holes in the middle like donuts. Apparently they also come in plastic and are better suited for placement on a mirror. The risk with a metal washer is that when you tighten it down with a screw to hold the mirror in place there is a risk that the mirror could crack. There is less risk with a plastic washer. But most people go ahead and use a metal one and just don’t screw it down too tightly.
Heads up on plastic washers looking your plumbing section or by the faucets in your local hardware store. ????
How about the smaller recessed mirror cabinet, could you mount mosaic tiles on it or would that look tackey. It’s just so blah!
Hi, wouldnt you paint the back of the framing to avoid weird reflections on the mirror?
I certainly intend to. The raw wood showing on the back side would bother me.
You can’t see it! ????????♀️
Any ideas on how to get the wood cut to the sizes I need? The only men in my life are my two sons and they’re not old enough to help me with things like this yet.
Thanks!
Hi Lindsey! Many home improvement stores (Lowe’s, Home Depot) will have stations where you can cut your wood yourself. Otherwise, I recommend getting a miter block to make easy cuts at home. They’re pretty inexpensive! 🙂
Question! In the picture you’re taking of you’re husband gluing…his reflection is in the mirror but not actually on your side gluing. Ah!!! So strange!
Haha! He’s just outside of the frame!
Question- I have metal 4 metal clips to hold the mirror up can those be replaced as well?
It’s hard to tell without seeing the clips, but as long as they don’t stick out too far from the edge of the mirror they should work. You just want it to be as flush as possible.
What are the wood planks on the wall reflecting in the mirror? In the process of making over our bathroom and love this. Everything looks beautiful.
I have been wanting to do this for ever just couldn’t figure out how to get rid of mirror clips. BRILLIANT!!!
I love the light you replaced the bulb strip with! Can you tell me the brand/model and where you got it?
Haha thank you! We actually bought it used from someone locally.
Maybe this will help you out on light fixtures. Look on Amazon… I believe I saw some pretty similar to the one she has after project complete.
So my giant mirror doesn’t have a handy tray holding it steady at the bottom – just the four bulky square brackets. Do you have any thoughts on how to secure it better before flying wood to it? Also, as much as I love the farmhouse look, your same style wood isn’t going to work in my bathroom. I want a more polished look but am thinking traditional “trim” will be too heavy and thick. Thoughts?
Hi Rachel! No worries at all. I would try using the plastic washer trick on the bottom. There’s a chance your mirror might also be glued to the wall, as another one of our builder-grade mirrors is! I would put the washers wherever there was a clip.
As for the second part of your question, you could just get really thin wood and paint it a color you like! In our other bathroom reno, we did a simple solid white frame and it looks great!! Trim is also pretty light and could work, especially if you use the plastic wood trim instead of real wood. Hope this helps!
What about the mirror cabinet on the side, r u still able to open it? I want to do this but the space between the two is very small.
Hi Karla! Yes, there’s enough space for the side cabinet to still open. You want to make sure that the wood that you find is as flush with the mirror as possible. You could buy just one piece and hold it up against the mirror to see if the side cabinet will still open. Hope this helps!
you’ve inspired me…your mirror and old ugly lights on the before could be a twin to mine! your tutorial looks very doable and we are in the process of renovating. i do love your light fixtures. do you have the make or model for it, if you don’t mind sharing? thank you for your inspiration.
Hi Patti! Haha!! It seems like a common duo for builder-grade bathrooms! I actually found the light fixtures on a buy/sell page locally, so I don’t have much detail. But I think the glass is called bubble glass, so that might help you in your search 🙂
Maybe this will help you out on light fixtures. Look on Amazon… I believe I saw some pretty similar to the one she has after project complete.
Love this! I’ve read quite a number of reframing mirror posts, and yours is the first to address the tacky/bulky plastic holders!!! Thanks so much for the extra attention to detail!!
Thank you, Heather! The plastic clips can be pesky, so I’m glad I was able to help! 🙂
I second the appreciation for mentioning the plastic clips! I look at several tutorials and not a one mentioned them. Thanks!
Happy to help, Asia!
I love this! Would you mind sharing what color you used on your walls?
Of course! It’s Venus Teal by Bebe!
Oops, I meant Behr. 🙂
Hey Hayley, where did you get the light fixture?
I was wondering the same thing! It’s beautiful!
I’ve also heard of Mirror Mates – they have many styles of frames to match any decor & the wood pieces have a groove that the boards will fit over any clips or bottom metal piece holding the mirror on the wall so that the frame lays flat. You can talk to them & give them your dimensions & they send everything you need for installation,including very strong adhesive strips to hold the wood frame in place. We have 3 mirrors we are going to do as we have many updates in our home & want the mirrors to look updated as well. Too costly to take down, repair walls, paint & still buy mirrors.
Hi there! Can you tell me where (what department in the home improvement store) to find the plastic washers you used?
Probably in the hardware section with the screws, bolts, etc., but I can’t totally remember. Just ask a Home Depot associate when you’re there! 🙂
Was this an advertisement for Mirrormates? I looked at the website and the prices are pretty high for MDF wood.
Haha no! I haven’t heard of Mirrormates.
I just did this project in both bathrooms and LOVE the results. We ended up using raw finish toe kick board in the cabinet section of Lowe’s. It was $10 a board, and I used 6. I stained it a dark walnut, left it overnight, then glued it on. You weren’t kidding about the Fuse It glue! Trying to squeeze that out was the worst part of the whole thing. Definitely include some muscle on your supply list! I did both mirrors for about $35.00 each!
Hi Cyndi! Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I’m so glad they worked out and you love the results! I’m sure they’re beautiful! 🙂
Love this project and definitely want to try it out. I’m still wondering about the plastic on the bottom of the mirror. My big mirrors sit on two of those and I’m just thinking that the frame would protrude a lot, but also don’t want to just have two little screws hold gigantic mirror like that. Any thoughts?
Hey Sonja! Sorry for the late reply. We have the plastic piece along the bottom, too. We just glued the wood frame over it. They slant inwards a little bit, but it’s not very visible to the naked eye. Hope this helps!
What did you use the caulk for?
I love this project idea! We are getting ready to sell our home, and need to update our bathrooms. Mirrors are expensive, so we’re looking for an alternative. I was wondering if you changed your bathroom countertop. In the before picture it looks off white/beigey, and the after picture it looks more white. Did you update the countertop and/or paint the vanity cabinets?
Thank you, Jennifer! We didn’t change the countertop. We changed to cooler colored bulbs which could affect the color of the countertop. We did paint the vanity cabinets Repose Gray!
FYI they have granite paint you can use to update kitchens and Bathrooms! head ove rto Giani DIY paint kits!
No caulk, just the gun. I assume the FUZE IT liquid nails is applied with one.
If you need to change your counters look into contact paper! I did it on mine and it’s amazing I used a brown marble from amazon they have lots of options!
Thanks for sharing this! This is exactly what I am trying to do. I have a question though. My mirror has a thin metal trim at the bottom, just like yours. You glued the wood board on on top of it, right? Then wouldn’t it make the frame not flat? Like it would lean slightly towards the mirror? Then how would the vertical fream pieces still fit perfectly at the corner with the bottom piece? Thank you!!
Hi Maggie! Yes, I glued the board right on top of that metal tray. You can see if it it would work better to angle it in towards the mirror or have their be a small gap on top. We angled ours in. You really can’t even tell at the corners, it still fit together really well! Hope this helps! ????
As as realtor, It would not behoove you to try to make your countertops look like granite. I would leave them alone as it will eventually wear off or crack. It would not add value to your home. There is a company called Granite Transformations that does a very good rehab of countertops. They lay (pour) a granite & composition material over your existing tops. Of course, it could also involve you replacing the sink. Its last a long time & looks very professional. I have seen it in many listed homes, but if you are planning to sell, please disclose that it is “Granite Transformations & not actual Granite. Thanks! Hope this helps! 🙂
Any chance you would recall the name of the paint color for your walls?
I continued to read your posts and found the answer thanks
Glad you found it, Joanne! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I can’t find the wall paint color, can you share please?☺️
bathroom is Venus Teal by Behr!
https://riseandrenovate.com/diy-master-bathroom-makeover/
Thank you, Joanne!
Where did you get your washers for the mirror?
Hi Sharon! I bought the washers at Home Depot. You should be able to find them at any home improvement store.
Not sure what brand liquid nails were used in this project but ours was a major fail. We held it in place for near 20 minutes per board and when we let go the boards fell every time. We spent almost 2 hours trying to get it to work and only ended up with a mess and needing to buy a new mirror. Major Pinterest FAIL
Oh, no!!! Tiffany, I am SO sorry to hear it didn’t work out for you. That’s my worst nightmare! After reading your comment, I realized I should have better specified in the post what type of Liquid Nails we used. I have since updated it with the exact type – FUZE IT Liquid Nails that bonds to glass/mirrors. I’m guessing the type of Liquid Nails you bought (there are several!!) didn’t bond to glass. Thanks so much for leaving this comment, as I definitely don’t want other readers to run into the same issue. If you give it another try, let me know how it goes. Best of luck! <3
I love this ! I rent the house my husband and I live in, is there anyway to do this without the glue so my landlord could take it down if they wanted ?
Hi Angie! That’s a great question! I would try either some double sided mounting tape or maybe command strips! Just make sure your frame is nice and light so it’s easy to hold up. If you took it down it would probably ruin the frame but the mirror behind it should be fine! Hope this helps!
We are about to move in into our dream home and I cannot wait to try this project. I am not one to do these type of projects but we have so many bathrooms mirrors in our new home (6 total) and I cannot stand how ugly they look! I also want to stain the wood the same color as my cabinets (dark chocolate). Ive never done that. Do you have any tips on how to go about doing that?
Hi Franchesca! That’s so exciting! This is a great project to quickly upgrade your existing mirrors. Make sure the wood you buy for the frames is very light so they go up easily. At home improvement stores (like Home Depot or Lowe’s), they have samples of all the different stain colors. I’d recommend finding one that’s as close to your cabinet color as possible, then watching a couple YouTube video tutorials on how to stain! It’s actually SUPER simple. Cut your boards first, then to stay you’ll just brush on the stain with a foam brush (get ALL the edges!), let it sit for 15 minutes, then wipe it off with a rag. You can totally do it! 🙂
Great project! Love the plastic washer idea! Do they make the wood stick out further from the wall?
Hi Karen! Thanks for stopping by. As long as the washers you get are small, they don’t stick out much more than the head of the screw. The amount it affects the wood is negligible if the washers are small enough! ????
It looks great! I love your new light. Where did you find it?
Thank you, Cyndi!! We actually found that vanity lighting on a local buy/sell app, OfferUp! You might be able to find something similar on Amazon by searching for vanity lighting and bubble glass! ????
Great job. Unfortunately, our bathroom mirrors sit on a molding.
Hi Pepper! Hmmmm, is the molding removable? I wonder if there’s a way to work around that!
It looks great! Does the wood stick out from the wall a bit because of the thickness of the mirror?
Thanks, Angie! It does – it’s probably a quarter inch from the wall, but it’s not really noticeable. We also had the wood hang over a bit from the edge of the mirror so you wouldn’t see the edge of the mirror!
Do you know what the wood was called? I’m excited to do this to my mirrors. What did you do on the wall behind the mirror? Beautiful.
Hi Elizabeth! Thanks for stopping by! I think it’s one of the best DIY projects ever! Instant upgrade! I found the wood for the mirror along the back wall of Lowe’s, and I think it was for a fence. Whatever wood you find, just make sure it’s THIN! Like a half inch or less. Trim would also work very well.
As for the accent wall, you can read more about that in my Master Bathroom reveal post here!: https://riseandrenovate.com/diy-master-bathroom-makeover/
This project was not under $10 even if you have the majority of the supplies. Slightly disappointed because the preparation was not what I expected.
Hi Renise, I’m sorry you didn’t have a great experience with this project! At the end of the post I laid out how much the project would be if you had to buy everything new, which is about $40. That being said, you’d have a lot of supplies left over. I suppose if you couldn’t find cheaply-priced wood the project would be even more. That being said, it’s key to get very thin wood so the frame isn’t too heavy and thin wood is usually less expensive than other options. Again, I’m sorry that you were disappointed with this project!
Thank you so much! It came out fabulous! Here’s a before and after.
https://i.imgur.com/paaNx5h.jpg
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