Updating an old Mirror

I've had this old mirror hanging around for quite some time now (actually it was propped up.) Though it got in my way and it was positioned against the wall in such a manner that it actually made me look fatter, I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of it. It had so much potential and it was really well-made.

I had seen friends of mine and other bloggers make their own mirror frames and thought that would be a lot of fun, but I couldn't figure out how to do it well and on a dime. Finally, my inspiration came from my favorite bathroom periodical, This Old House Magazine. There you have it, toilet motivation. I wouldn't be the first person to influenced by the potty...I hope.

In this particular article, (link up here) Tom Silva teaches you how to make a simple mirror frame out of case molding. Since I live in a construction zone, it wasn't hard to find what I needed to fashion the mirror frame.

I only needed to find three layers of scrap supply to make my mirror frame: The backer board, the middle fill, and the frame itself. We had a piece of that fake wainscoting in the basement that was perfect for the backer board and I was able to use the scrap pieces of this paneling for the filler.

I centered the mirror on the backer board and measured an extra 2 1/4 inches around. This left a lip wide enough to glue the filler to and enough room that the frame could be flush with the ends of the panel and fit over the mirror an inch to hold it all together.

I put a layer of glue on the exposed backer board and placed strips of board cut 2 1/4 inches wide all around the mirror...just like a really ugly frame. Don't worry the pretty frame goes on top!

I had to weigh the filler frame down with random bottles of stuff. Time to invest in some clamps right? Hey a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. Besides it worked fine! I let them dry over night before I attached the finished frame.

 

 

As we've been fixing up our home, there's been an abundance of scrap trim lying around in the basement, so it wasn't hard to find four pieces long enough to frame out this mirror. I actually settled on four pieces of baseboard trim. I like that they were so wide and chunky, the perfect fit for my mirror!

We (meaning Chris, remember I can't bend at the waist!) cut the trim to size, I glued and then screwed through the backer board on the flip side to hold the frame securely in place and I let it dry for a day.

The sides of the mirror were a bit ugly, so Chris cut some corner round molding and framed around the outside of the mirror to hide the nastiness.

I painted the frame antique white (trim paint I had lying around in the basement.) While it was drying I went to the local hardware store to purchase a mirror hanging kit. It cost $13. Hardly broke the bank with that one!

Chris had to hang the Mirror for me, but he's always willing to help! I feed him remember? The finished product looks lovely above my TV. It makes me feel like I have a mantle. Maybe I should invest in one of those fire place recordings to get the full effect!