On Wednesday I took you on a little tour of our master bedroom and awkwardly tried to figure out exactly what I wanted to do with the space. Though there are a lot of things still up in the air, one project I knew I wanted to complete was framing in the vanity mirror. I thought it would have a big impact without an overwhelming amount of work, especially on my part since handy hubby did most of it. {Oops, did I just blog that out loud? 
} Though it wasn’t as “quick” as I thought it would be due to glue and paint drying time, I think it was totally worth it and love the results.
Just in case you forgot, here’s what the vanity looked like before:
It definitely needed something, and when hubby said he had a Saturday afternoon available to do some projects, I set him right to work. Here are the tools he we used to do the job {I helped, I promise!}:
- Aluminum triangle
- Spackling
- Liquid Nails
- Wood glue
- Tape measure
- Wood chisel (if your mirror has clips)
- Hammer
- Duct Tape
- Baseboards
- Shoe molding (optional)
Oh, and you might also want to have one of these…
But if you don’t have a compound miter saw handy, a hand saw with a miter box will work just fine.
1. Make your cuts.
Once you measure the outer dimensions of your mirror, you’ll want to use your handy dandy miter saw to cut your baseboard pieces at a 45-degree angle, with the outside edge the same dimensions as the mirror. The inside length of baseboard will be shorter to compensate for the angle cut. When you are finished cutting them to perfection, they’ll look like this:
2. Double check size and mark for clips.
After the pieces are cut, you’ll want to double check to make sure they fit your mirror before you go any further. This would also be the time to deal with your clips. Oh, the clips…
If your mirror was hung without clips, you win! Go get yourself a prize! If your mirror has clips like ours did, however, you will need to mark your baseboard pieces so that you can chisel out a notch for them; otherwise, your frame will not sit flush against the mirror.
3. Chisel, chisel, chisel!
Hubby used a sharp 1/2″ wood chisel to do the job– look at that beautiful chiseling!
4. Create your frame.
Now your baseboards should be cut, chiseled, and ready to glue! Use the Liquid Nails to adhere the pieces, and duct tape the corners to hold them together while they dry overnight.
5. Add the shoe molding.
You don’t have to add shoe molding, but we thought it gave our frame a more finished look, so we decided to go for it.
Once you have measured and cut your molding, again using a 45-degree angle, use wood glue to adhere it to your frame. Clamp it {or if you run out of clamps, just start stacking stuff on it like we did }, and allow the glue to dry completely.
6. Paint and hang.
When your wood glue is finished drying, it’s time to paint. I tried to take the easy route and just paint the front of our frame. I soon found out, however, that since the mirror is reflective {duh!}, you will be able to see the the edging of the back of the frame, so be sure to paint both sides.
It’s a waiting game again until your coats of paint are dry, but then you can hang your frame using Liquid Nails. TIP: Don’t spread the Liquid Nails too close to the inside edge of the frame or, again, you will be able to see it in the mirror’s reflection. Once our mirror was affixed, we used masking tape to help hold it to the wall overnight while the Liquid Nails dried.
7. Admire your work!!!!
In the morning, I nervously pulled off the tape, hoping none of the paint would come with it. It didn’t, I was relieved, and I had a beautiful framed-in mirror that I just loved! Happy dance!
Want to see the before and after? {I’m going to show you either way because I just love a good B&A!}
Love! After this post, I was thinking I that I need to rename my blog Just a Girl and Her Blog and Her Hubby and Some Power Tools, but it seems a bit wordy, don’t ya think? In all seriousness, though, I owe a huge THANK YOU to my amazing hubbs for doing most of the grunt work for this project since I am not one of those awesome girls who knows how to work a compound miter saw {yet}. He is truly the bestest ever, and I couldn’t do the majority of my projects without him. {Ok, the fabric flowers I’ll take total credit for. }
And finally, just because I like to check things off our bedroom to-do list:
- Gut the bathroom and install new shower, tile, and flooring.
Spice up the vanity.- Reconcile the window treatment/bedding mismatch.
- Possibly repaint the accent wall.
- Accessorize…to what extent?
One down, four to go! Thanks for checking out our transformation!!!
Have you and your hubby partnered up for any DIY projects lately?
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Disclaimer: We are not professional carpenters, just homeowners who love to DIY whenever possible! Please be safe and attempt all projects at your own risk.
This post contains an affiliate link. View my disclosures here.
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It looks fantastic! It’s amazing how a few pieces of wood can create a much more updated look. This is on my (ever growing) to do list so I’ll have to pin this so I can easily access your tutorial. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks, Emily! Just read about your 40 bags in 40 days challenge on your blog and LOVE it! I need to do some serious purging around here, too! Thanks for reading!!
~Abby =)
Turned out awesome! I have the same bland mirrors in both bathrooms and have wanted to add frames to give it a more polished look. Great tutorial, especially about the mirrors clamps. Thanks!
Thank you, Audra! It is a fun update to do! Thanks so much for stopping by!
~Abby =)
I am so doing this in all my bathrooms! I love your instructions! Using YOUR guide when I do this…very helpful. And not to mention, looks super simple! Thank you for taking the time to share us all the details for doing this! (=
Thank you, Gloria! I think you’ll really like your results– I know I feel like our bathroom looks so much more “finished.” Thanks for stopping by the blog!
~Abby =)
The mirror looks great! Life to the full, Melissa
Thanks, Melissa!
~Abby =)
This turned out great! We have a mirror like what you had to begin with. Do you think you can send your husband over to make ours look just as beautiful as your new one
.
I’ll send him right over!
Really, he should just quit his day job and go around framing in mirrors anyway. Haha. Thanks so much for reading!
~Abby =)
It turned out beautiful!
Thank you, Megan!!
~Abby =)
it looks great! I have two similar mirrors in my bathroom and I have wanted to frame thwm for a while. I never thought about the how the frame would sit outside the clips, so thank you for the tips
You are most welcome, Trine! You should go for it–it’s so worth it! Thanks for visiting the blog!
~Abby =)
This is great! It’s awesome how much difference just a frame can make! I would love to have you share this at my link party going on! Im your newest facebook follower! I have two little boys too….they sure make life crazy huh?
http://www.pincushioncreations.com/2013/03/homemade-by-you-43.html
Thanks so much, Katie! I linked up! Heading over to Facebook to “Like” you back! Happy Wednesday!
~Abby =)
FABULOUS! Awesome improvement! XO, Aimee
Thanks so much, Aimee! We’re loving it!
~Abby =)
Great tutorial! I’ve been wanting to do this for my home’s master bedroom, but have been afraid to tackle this project. Mostly because I have bulky (not flat) clips, and I am not sure how to deal with them!
Thank you! That is a toughie! If you can’t chisel out a space for the clips, the only other thing I could think to do would be to take down the mirror, remove the clips, and glue the mirror directly to the wall. :-/ I wish I knew of some magical, easy solution!
~Abby =)
Oh Abby! The frame changes everything! WOW!! Such a great look!
Thanks so much for sharing this at The DIY Dreamer… From Dream To Reality! I’m looking forward to see what you link up tomorrow evening!
Thank you so much, Christine! I really admire the way you take the time to look at and comment on everyone at your link up! I’ll be there tomorrow night! Have a great day!
~Abby =)
This project looks great! I’m hoping to do this in my master bathroom this summer! I’ve got this pinned for when we’re ready to do the project!
Thanks, Carrie! Good luck with your project!
~Abby =)