To dress up a bathroom mirror, add a frame made from stock door casing with either mitered or plinth blocks corners. The frame can be painted or stained to the desired finish to match your décor.

Here’s how to make and add a DIY frame to a bathroom mirror:

  1. Measure the outside dimensions of the frame, so it overlaps the mirror.
  2. Cut the corners on the frame square if using plinth blocks, or at a 45° angle if mitered.
  3. If the mirror is attached to the wall with screw clips, either notch out the frame to accommodate the clips, or remove the clips and attach the mirror to the wall with construction adhesive.
  4. Stain or paint the frame the shade or color desired.
  5. Apply two coats of clear polyurethane to stained frames to protect the wood.
  6. Attach the frame to the wall and mirror using two-part epoxy glue and finishing nails.

Watch the video above to find out more.

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

John Paul Jones: Well, I think that maybe we’ll just keep as much of the mirror as we can.

Allen Lyle: Right.

John Paul Jones: Then put the molding so that it’s up against here and down against here.

Allen Lyle: We’ll cut off a little bit of mirror since it’s all the way up against this trim here. Now, when we put it on, let me ask you this. We’ve got enough to wrap the entire mirror. What do you think? Even though we don’t have it in the rest of the house, it might work, though, with these little – they’re called either plinth blocks or little rosettes in the corners, all four corners. And we could butt the molding up to it. Or run the molding all the way around and just forty-five it.

John Paul Jones: I like the idea of those corners.

Allen Lyle: The corners? Okay. Now, are we painting or staining it?

John Paul Jones: I think we’ll stain it. And what we’d like to do is get a color that would match the fixture here.

Allen Lyle: Okay, like a burnished bronze?

John Paul Jones: Yeah.

Allen Lyle: All right. Probably almost an ebony that we’re gonna have to get for that. Okay, well, let’s make this happen.

John Paul Jones: Very good.

Danny Lipford: To get just the right shade of stain, Allen is mixing a chestnut color with an ebony. Although this will complement the faucet on the vanity, it will add contrast to the wall, which is primarily lighter colors. If you’re trying this project yourself, be sure to stain both sides of the molding so no bare wood is reflected in the mirror. And while you’re at it, here’s another free tip. Don’t set the stain container on your work piece – don’t use glass containers!

Allen Lyle: That was our mix.

Danny Lipford: By using the corner blocks, Allen and John Paul will be able to make simple, square cuts on the molding so it fits between them. A two-part epoxy applied to the back of each piece will hold it in place. But wherever they can, they added a finish nail or two to secure them while the epoxy dries. After a little colored putty to mask the nail holes, the work is done.

Allen Lyle: All right. Well, what do you think, John Paul?

John Paul Jones: I think that looks great.

Allen Lyle: I like the choice of the color that you did there. To bring out that instead of the walls.

John Paul Jones: Exactly.

Allen Lyle: I think it would have been too much if you went with white.

John Paul Jones: Oh, definitely, would have been too much white.

Allen Lyle: Simple, inexpensive.

John Paul Jones: I thought we would lose some mirror, but we got, we still have the same.

Allen Lyle: Oh, yeah. Yeah, I think you may have lost maybe an inch up top. A little bit on the bottom, but the bottom doesn’t matter as much as the top.


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Danny Lipford

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Danny Lipford is a home improvement expert and television personality who started his remodeling business, Lipford Construction, at the age of 21 in Mobile, Alabama. He gained national recognition as the host of the nationally syndicated television show, Today's Homeowner with Danny Lipford, which started as a small cable show in Mobile. Danny's expertise in home improvement has also led him to be a contributor to popular magazines and websites and the go-to source for advice on everything related to the home. He has made over 200 national television appearances and served as the home improvement expert for CBS's The Early Show and The Weather Channel for over a decade. Danny is also the founder of 3 Echoes Content Studio, TodaysHomeowner.com, and Checking In With Chelsea, a décor and lifestyle blog.

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