How To Frame A Bathroom Mirror & Remove One

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When we purchased our home, it came with a guest bathroom that was just awful. The tub and sink were pink, the hardware was outdated, and the mirror was framed with a thin piece of wood. That frame was glued on so tight that it made us question even taking it off. With a swift call to my dad, who always seem to have a solution for everything, we ended up getting it off.

I’m going to show you how I made the mirror look even better too. And show you how I got that pesky one off.

First up is how I got the first frame off. This might not apply to your situation, but if you have a frame you want to get off your mirror that’s glued on, listen up!

Do It

1. Starting with one section of the frame (about a 10 inch section) and wedge the putty knife in-between the frame and the mirror. 
2. Use the heat gun or blow drier and heat up the glue by blowing it on the frame for about 20-40 seconds. 
3. Wedge the screwdriver in-between the putty knife and the frame to help lift the frame up and blow the heat under the frame. 
4. Work your way around the frame until you can pull off the frame from the mirror.

How To Frame A Bathroom Mirror

Supplies

• Baseboard or Moulding
• Lexel Clear Adhesive
• Nail Gun
• Paint
• Caulk & Caulking Gun
• Painter’s Tape

Do It

1. Measure the border of your mirror and cut 4 baseboard pieces accordingly. On each side of the pieces, cut a diagonal edge so that they will fit together to make a perfect square or rectangle.
2. Nail the baseboard pieces together using a nail gun on the sides.
3. Make sure the frame fits on your mirror by holding it up to the mirror.
4. Put the clear adhesive on the back side of the frame and then place it on the mirror.
5. Put painter’s tape every foot or 2 feet to hold the frame to the mirror, you will remove this once the glue is dry.
6. Caulk in the seams of the frame and any noticeable nail holes.
7. Paint the frame. I painted my frame gray and then used a dry brush technique with white paint to achieve the weathered look. I did this by putting a tiny amount of white paint on my dry paint brush and stroking it on the gray until the brush was dry again.

In order to really explain and show you the process, Will and I put together a little video. Sometimes it’s just easier to learn by watching.

Watch How To Remove A Mirror Frame & Add A New One

I hope that this was helpful, especially if you couldn’t figure out how to remove your old mirror frame. We thought we tried everything and then I gave my dad a call and he told us about the heat trick so I knew I had to share it! I couldn’t find anything online with that trick to get a frame off that was glued on good. In total, our mirror frame cost us about $20 and was well worth it to update the overall feel of the bathroom. 

You can see my finished bathroom here, how I DIY’d the marble countertop here, how I painted the tub and shower tile here, and how I made the grout look like new here.

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