Every time my husband leaves town, I tend pick a project to keep me busy and attempt to tackle it while he's away. I was wasting some time on Pinterest, like usual, and saw this seemingly simple tutorial on updating your builder grade mirrors by adding moulding on the "Full of Great Ideas" blog . The link to her tutorial is here. With my list of supplies, I headed to Lowe's and was beyond lucky to have an extremely helpful man assist me while I was trying to gather all the supplies I needed. I showed him the photo of what I was trying to do and he started pulling boards and trim, laying them out so I could decide what combination I liked best. I gave him my mirror dimensions and he cut ALL the boards for me—SCORE! He even made sure I had the right type of mirror adhesive. This is the first time I've ever gone to the hardware store with a project in mind, and not had the person helping me look at me like I was a crazy lady. He said his wife uses Pinterest—he gets it.
This is what you'll need:
• 1" x 3.5" MDF board
• 1" x 6" MDF board
• Quarter round trim
• Decorative moulding of your choice
• Wood glue (Gorilla Glue)
• Mirror Adhesive & Caulking Gun (Loctite PL 520 Mirror Adhesive)
• Wood Caulking (DAP Alex Fast Dry in White)
• Clamps
• Level
Once I had all the board measurements figured out, I brought them home and laid them out on the floor. Here is a guide:
Start by wood gluing your quarter round on top of your 1 x 3.5, and also to your 1 x 6. Use painters tape to secure the two pieces and form a tight bond while they're drying. Use wood glue sparingly. It expands, so you don't want a mess leaking out the edges.
Do the same with your decorative moulding. I had to use clamps to hold mine together because it kept wanting to slide off the top. Here is a close up to explain a little better...
Bad photo, but you get the idea. I also kicked my moulding up about a 1/2" to make the top of the mirror a hair taller.
Some of the trim pieces taped together after gluing. I was doing two mirrors at once which is why there is an extra piece.
Once your trim pieces are dry, starting from the bottom, apply mirror adhesive generously to the back of your base piece. Press onto mirror and use your level to make sure it's even. You can apply directly over the mirror brackets. I used the backsplash as a guide and them made little adjustments with the level. Next, apply the side pieces using the level and walls as your guide. Finally, attach the top piece and you're done! I went back and sealed all the joints with some wood caulk just to finish it out.
I love it! I was so happy with the way it turned out, that I did two more of our bathrooms! The cost for each mirror was approximately $30 with wood to spare. It's amazing how a little paint and some trim can totally transform a room!
Paint: Valspar Woodlawn Colonial Gray
Towel: World Market
Hardware: Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze Spray paint
