4.23.2010

DIY Framed Mirror Tutorial

I've seen lots of great framed out mirror's lately!
And I wanted to share mine that I finished a few weeks ago, in the girls's bathroom.
I LOVE the way it turned out!
Here's how we did it!
Without ANY nails...



As far as the wood supplies, we bought some thick baseboard
(I think it was about$10 or $11 each... we used 2 pieces)
And some corner round molding.
(4 pieces @ about $3 a piece, I think)


Cason cut a frame, after measuring the mirror... using 45 degree angles


Does it fit???
Yes...
Whew... 
lol.  Do you ever do this with projects. LOL



After we made sure that the frame fit well, together,
we used liquid nails to adhere the 4 pieces. 


We used some masking tape to keep the frame tight while it dried
AND
a paint can on one side. lol.
The one piece of wood was a little bowed, so we needed something heavy to keep it down in place, until the glue was set.


Okay!  basic frame done!
Enter:
No shower, no makeup, molding-adder-worker-er...
Yours truly! :) 


While Cas was at work, I attached the corner round to the edges of the frame with some wood glue




and used some tape, again, to hold it tight, till the glue was dry.



ta-da!  Almost finished frame!
So easy, right!?


Next step...
LOTS of quick dry putty
(ours is bright purple, and then turns white when it dries, to let yo know that it's TIME TO SAND!)


Then I sanded down the edges, and seams.
And gave it a couple coats of semi-gloss white paint.


Then came... the secret weapon... "The distress ink!" lol


Marked up the edges a bit, so it didn't look so ... stark white.
I wasn't sure at first if I liked it all distressed, but now that I have it up, I'm totally diggin' it!


K!  So it's done!
All we did, to adhere it to the mirror, was slap some liquid nails on the back and stick it up there, with some more trusty tape, to hold up the frame, till it dried.
(About a day or so)


I'm totally thrilled with the results!  I think it makes it look totally "custom!"
And for only about $30 or so dollars!  If you already have paint and adhesives.



I'm ready to do this in EVERY bathroom in the house! :)

Update:
I've had a lot of questions about what I did about the "clips" on the mirror, that hold it up.
I actually didn't have any!
My mirror was just glued on the wall.  So I just set the frame on top.
But if you DO have those plastic brackets, then you may need to take them down and glue the mirror straight to the wall, in order to make the frame sit flat on the mirror.

117 comments:

  1. i love it! I have been wanting to do it in our bathroom and now that I have seen how to frame them I think I can! I love that distress ink, use it on everything, lol! Thanks as always for being so inspiring!

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  2. IT looks AMAZING! great work.

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  3. Oh I can't wait to have a house so I can do that in EVERY bathroom! Absolutly love it! Great job!

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  4. That's Beautiful! I want to do something like this to a mirror in my house!

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  5. Oh I love it! I've been wanting to do something to our mirror but I thought I'd have to take it down or something. You continue to impress me sister of mine.

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  6. That frame is gorgeous, I love it! And from one happily married gal to another I just wanted to say that you look so cute in that pic. Just thought maybe that could brighten your day :)

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  7. This post could not come at a better time. I'm waiting to do my bathroom as we speak and I was just looking around for how to do this! Thanks for posting this!!

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  8. SOOO awesome!! I love it and am totally gonna try it!! question though: Did you cut your mirror or just glue the wood to the mirror?? THANKS for sharing all your great ideas!!

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  9. It looks so nice and custom! I have been wanting to do this in our boys bathroom and now with your simple and excellent ~how to directions~ I can show my husband and he can help me do it. Thanks so much for the directions and your inspiration! Nice Job!

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  10. It looks so good. It's kinda funny that you went to all the trouble to glue and tape it up and wait for it to dry...instead of nailing. You have a chop saw but no nail gun? LOL. Whatever the process, it looks great!

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  11. I love your blog!! You have inspired me! I can't wait to show my hubby this mirror project. I will need his help with this one. Keep posting, even with the :mean girl" comment!

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  12. I'm so jealous, it looks amazing!!! I'm so bookmarking this tutorial, and going to try this myself, err... scratch that - going to make hubby try this, LOL! Love it!

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  13. Chaching bada bing! This is awesome girl! It really does look so custom. You and Cason make a great team.

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  14. Oh! I love the thickness of the frame (or width...you know what I am talking about...I hope!)

    And the distress is great. I would have never thought to use my distress inks for that.

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  15. OMG I love it! I have been searching for how to do this for the past hour (without luck) and finally clicked on blog search and this is the first blog that popped up! YAY!! Thanks for the great step by step, I'm going to start ours tomorrow!! I can't wait! I will be following along with your blog now too.

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  16. That's amazing. I totally love the distressed look.

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  17. L-O-V-E it! I'm so doing this today! :) Thanks for the tute!

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  18. oh my gosh!!!!! I am SOOO gonna do this with my bathroom! I just may steal the whole entirebathroom idea I LOVE it!! Can you just take a tripe to Moab and tell me what I need to do with the whole house?!

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  19. Love it! Can't wait to do this in my new house!

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  20. Fantastic!! Thanks for the tutorial, I have been wanting to do this for a while...now I can give hubby step by step instructions so he can't squawk about it!

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  21. Yea! Im your 400th follower, you have a beautiful fun blog!

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  22. I love it too!! I have been wanting to do this for a loooong time, but I have a question.....What do you do about those pesky little plastic clips on the mirror? Do you notch out the back of the frame where they are? Do you take them off and hope that the frame (or just the glue on the wall) helps hold it up?? This is the dilemma that holds me back. Help!

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  23. love it, and i love the white - i actually just finished my last one today! but seeing yours painted out white makes me want re-paint mine! - mine are all black to match the cabinets - maybe i should repaint the cabinets??!!

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  24. thanks for the great pictures and instructions. i've seen some frames on other blogs and wondered how to do it. now, i can!

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  25. Oh my gracious! It's GORGEOUS! I'm dying to do this in out bathrooms. We have those ugly big ole mirrors. Thanks for sharing. Now if I could just learn to use a saw!

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  26. I hate you! That's so pretty. I so appreciate your posts. Its super time consuming to take pics while doing a project then to blog about it. I don't know how you get it all done. Love your blog!

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  27. It's so great. I need to do that to my mirror it really gives it a nice finish.

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  28. We did this at our last house. Makes such a difference - nice job! Dropping by from BNOTP, #7.

    Allison

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  29. Great transformation! Great tutorial! I did something similar in my powder room a few years ago with fluted trim...painted it silver...it gets lots of compliments as I'm sure yours will!
    Have a beautiful week!
    ;-D Kathleen

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  30. Hey...I never considered using distress ink on wood - great idea - thanks for sharing. Mirror looks great!! Came over form Hope Studios

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  31. WOW....where do I start! I hate those plain ole` unframed mirrors...YOU MADE YOURS BEAUTIFUL!!!! I can't believe you used distressing ink! Thanks SO SO much for linking up to Anything Related!
    ~Bridgette

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  32. This is gorgeous! Love it! You did an amazing job! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing at the Sunday Showcase Party! I greatly appreciate it! Hope you have a great week! ~ Stephanie Lynn

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  33. Hi Shelley! I'll be featuring your mirror today! Love it! Stop by and grab a featured button if you like! Thanks so much for joining the Sunday Showcase! ~ Stephanie Lynn

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  34. Huge difference! And that no make up pic is adorable :)

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  35. Wow! This is crazy awesome! I thought that was an actual distressed frame--I cant believe you did that with ink! And you make it look so EASY I'm ready to do it too! I would love to know what brand the purple stuff is that turns white when dry.

    Corinna
    www.myscrapbooklife.com

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  36. love it! i have been wanting to do something like that in my kiddos bathroom! they have two sinks and one big mirror! any suggestions? and did you just liquid nail it to the mirror or the wall? thanks for your help!

    ps. just became a follower! looking forward to it!

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  37. Absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this idea!! It looks AMAZING!

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  38. How cute! I love the distressed edges!! It's amazing what a difference that makes on the frame!

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  39. That turned out so nice love it!!!

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  40. I LOVE your mirror frame so much that my husband I and are making our own this weekend! We went to Home Depot and selected the trim tonight. We'll be framing our master bathroom mirror which is twice as big as yours. If all goes well we will put one up in our girls bathroom too. Wish us luck!
    -Desiree

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  41. I LOVE your mirror frame so much that my husband and I are making our own this weekend. We went to HOme Depot and selected the trim tonight. We are putting it up in our master bathroom so the mirror is twice as big (hopefully the frame isn't too heavy). Thanks for the tutorial and inspiration! Wish us luck...
    -Desiree

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  42. I love, Love, LOVE this! So much cheaper than the ones you buy online and totally customizable - I really love it! It looks great...I'm SO copying you at my house :)

    Thanks for linking at Lucky Star Lane!

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  43. I am featuring this at somedaycrafts.blogspot.com! It's just too amazing not to show it off!

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  44. This looks great! I can't wait to try it :)

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  45. I posted about this too at onmycraftlist.blogspot.com! Such a great tute and it's definitely "on my list." My blog is new and mainly just so I can bookmark things that I want to do when I can.

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  46. LOVE this!! You make it look so easy and DO-able.
    I think I have the same question as commenter Janel, above. What did you do about those plastic clips that hold the mirror at the top. It seems like they would get in the way. Thanks for any tips!

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    1. I read another Pinterest site where they replaced the clips with washers. Just don't screw too tight or you'll crack the mirror. Seems like it would work.

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  47. I LUVVVVVV YOUR FRAMED MIRROR! Does the distressed ink ever rub off or does it seal in to the paint once it dries? I'm going to head over to Joann's Fabric tonight to pick some up to give it a try!

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  48. I am love love loving your website and all the cool crafty things you have going on. What's even cooler is my last name is Smith as well so a lot of the things you can do in your household will work in mine! And I am SO beyond stoked.

    Quick question - how did you use that distress ink? I'm loving the outcome on the mirror.

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  49. hello

    first of all I want to let you know that you and your husband did a great job with your house. I love to design and do crafts for my home too! I'm wondering, how you and other crafters get this kidna of template for your blog. is it from blogspot cause I can't find a way to do it like yours. I just have a very simple one and feel so limited to just that.

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  50. Thank you so much for this!! I was trying to find a way to have a better looking mirror in our bathroom without have holes in our wall from ripping off the builders glued on mirror!

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  51. I love it! I'm getting ready to remodel my powder room. And I couldn't decide what to do with the existing mirror. Didn't want to buy a new one, so I will have to try this. Thanks for the tip.

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  52. This is so cute!! My husband and I are buying our first house, and it needs some lovin! And you are so totally my inspiration to do it!! Soooo cute!! Thanks for sharing all your fun tutorials!!

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  53. That's awesome. (I came over from your guest post at Centsational Girl.) I love how you used stock molding to create the frame . . . I think I'm going to have to do that myself. Thanks so much for the great idea!

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  54. Alrighty, I am trying to get the nitty gritty on your supplies for this project. I know you gave a fabulous tutorial and I thank you for that. However, I just got home from Lowes and there are way too many baseboard choices. How did you choose yours and your casing? Do you have a model or UPC number for me--or can you help narrow down the choices for me by telling me what I should look for. I have such a hard time envisioning what the end result will look like with the boards and would love to cheat off of your homework.
    Love Love Love everything you've done to your house...are you still planning on painting the dining room? I remember you said you got paint at SW for 40% off but haven't heard anything since then.

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  55. this is so inspiring. i can not wait to do this same thing in our girls' bathroom. it's just lovely!

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  56. Thanks for the last part about the mirror clips! I have been online for ever tonight trying to figure out how to frame my mirror and how to deal with those clips- You are awesome. THnaks

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  57. I love it! but I am confused about the distressed ink. does it wash off? I have that ink right now and if it stays on I will be so excited!!!

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  58. Hey... I was Blog hopping this morning and came across yours. I love it!!! So cute and lots of great ideas. I have been wanting to do something with my bathroom mirrors. So I now have a fabulous plan. Thank you...XoXo

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  59. Just shared your idea on my blog and can't wait to try it in my HOUSE! Thank you!
    www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com

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  60. Beautiful! But what would you suggest instead of liquid nail to make it less permanent? I live in an apartment and hate how blah the bathroom is! I just can't do anything that would damage it to take it down when I move out! Any ideas, anyone?

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  61. Tay, I just took down some old baseboards I had around my mirror so I can do this fab treatment (the old one was coming off & looked BAD).

    I used the hair dryer to get the old baseboards off - they were originally attached with a TON of Liquid Nails. An hour & some elbow grease & they are off. The adhesive comes off fairly easily once it's heated up - I just scrape it fairly gently with a flat head screwdriver.

    You might also try some heavy duty velcro & caulk where the wood meets the mirror, but not sure if that will hold the test of time with the steam in the bathroom, etc.

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  62. I've been wanting to frame my bathroom mirror and wasn't sure how. Awesome tutorial! Can't wait to give it a try!

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  63. Omg.. I just found you through pinterest! I love your blog!i used to work with Cason at the Buckle in the Gateway! What a small world! Tell him A-Hall says hello! Your family is so beautiful by the way! :)

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  64. This is probably the easiest directions I've seen yet, thank-you. This is perfect for my master bathroom mirror, can't wait to try it out and put my hubby to work, gets him off the Xbox. ;)

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  65. Super cute!!! I'm doing this next week :D

    The other thing you can do about the clips is make notches in the back of the frame where the clips are. That way you don't have to take down the mirror.

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  66. This looks like a really fun DIY project that my roommates and I could tackle with an old mirror in our lounge. We have been wanting to find a way to transform it into something remotely eye catching and I think this would be just the project! None of us had ever seen the "Distressed Paint" used prior to reading this post, instead we are familiar with other forms of aging wood/other products that we had seen on HGTV. This appears to be a much quicker and simpler method with the same results. Thanks!

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  67. This looks like the perfect project for my roommates and I. We have been looking for a way to transform the large mirror in our lounge and this could be just the project. None of us had even seen or heard of the "Distressed Paint" before. This sounds like a much quicker and simpler method of aging wood than what we have seen on HGTV and other home improvement shows. Thanks!

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  68. Gorgeous! I have those clips on my mirrors and they are too big for me to remove to glue. I'm wondering if there isn't a moulding/corner round out there wide enough to cover them.

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  69. Looks really nice! I am working on this in my son's bathroom now, and I cannot get the frame to stay on the mirror...it is so warped! Ugh! I hope the hubby has some ideas when he gets home.

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  71. I just finished painting my bathroom and was looking for some mirror update ideas. Thanks so much! This is wonderful!

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  72. I love this and am in the process of doing this just now! Along with framing out all windows and closets. Anyway, we have clips on our mirror and I think we are just going to use the chisel to carve out where the clips are and then glue to the mirror. Not sure if that will be easier than taking down the mirror or not, but we'll see!! Also I bought a smaller trim, but now seeing how you used baseboard, I'm going to maybe make another trip to lowes! Thanks for the tutorial!

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  73. Ok I followed the steps and it is perfect except for the distressed ink is not drying at all! Been about 3 days.....any tips or ideas??? My email is saylerbug@yahoo.com

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    1. I just finish my mirror today. I also used distressed ink. The drying time is running long. Did your ink finally dry?

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    2. I'm wondering the same! Did it eventually dry???

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  74. I just saw your awesome mirror on Pinterest. LOVE it!!

    Just one quick question. Did the glue fill in the space where the metal clamps holding the mirror are? Did that take a LOT of glue and LOTS of dry time?

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  75. I love your mirror! We just did our bathroom like that except the glue showed :( I am trying to figure out how to fix it!

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  76. I have been wanting to do this!!! I've already bought all the stuff and have had it for about a year but was scared of how it was going to look thanks for doing this and pining it on here. Now I know for sure I want to finish what I've started. Also thanks for the idea about the distress ink great job and thanks again!!!!

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  77. Any suggestions on how to do this when the mirror takes up the whole wall? i don't want to have to buy a new mirror.

    thanks!

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  78. Love it. Thanks for sharing.

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  79. I love this tutorial and I want to do it. I don't know if you answer questions but my husband says we can't do it because our mirror is held onto the wall with mirror clips that would prevent the frame from laying flat on the edge of the mirror. We don't have the space to make the frame go on the outside of the mirror. Can you tell me/us how your mirror was hung on the wall prior to adding the frame?

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    1. Our mirror was just applied with construction adhesive on the back, so we didn't have clips. You might be able to notch out some spots for the clips in the back of your wood though (?)

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  80. I just love it. For people who have those mirror clips here is a tutorial from somewhatsimple.com: http://www.somewhatsimple.com/how-to-frame-your-bathroom-mirror-over-plastic-clips/

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  81. You did a great job taking that from wooden planks to becoming a border for a mirror. It really shows off the vanity!

    -Bronx Shower Doors

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  82. you may have already answered this question but I didn't see it, so here goes.... Did you liquid nail the frame directly to the mirror?

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  83. It turned beautiful! The one worry or question I have is, I thought for this kind of project you need to use glue specific for mirrors?

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  84. I thought it would be WAY harder to do this. Great tutorial!

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  85. Which liquid nail you used? I had one in my hand that said good for moldings but not for mirrors, then i grabbed the Loctite, then I got confussed and left the store. I have the moldings and since This is my first time using a hand saw I know I might have to go back to replace the pieces Im sure Im going to destroy. Let me know which one you used so I can pick it up with my replacement moldings.

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  86. What about the side of the mirror that is not against a wall? Does the mirror show behind the frame?

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    1. Nope :) It just blends right in. Plus, you can't see either side, really. I mean, I guess if you stuck your head between the shelf on the wall and the mirror (which I'm not sure I could even manage) you might see a bit of the mirror from the side. lol.
      It's really not enough to create any worry.

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  87. My bathroom mirror is just like yours...no brackets and sits on the backplash of the counter. Looks like I'll have to do the same you did but I was thinking you'd see the molding back? Know what I'm talking about? You don't see the back of your bottom molding but looks like you would...what to do to prevent seeing back of the molding?
    Thanks for any help.

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  88. My mirror is like yours...goes all the way down to the counter like sits on the edge of the backsplash. I would think you'd see the back of the molding? You don't on yours...how did you prevent from seeing the back of the molding?

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  89. How is your actual mirror attached to the wall? I have plain mirrors like yours in all of our bathrooms but they have little plastic brackets securing them to the wall. I would love to dress up my mirrors with a frame but not sure how to get around it!
    Thank you so much! love your blog :)
    -Rachel

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  90. Or for $10 more, you could buy a beautifully framed mirror--with a shelf! You might have to use a nail, though.

    http://www.target.com/p/stratford-wall-mirror-white/-/A-10582161#?lnk=sc_qi_detaillink

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  91. Ive been wanting to redo all our ugly mirrors and this is a great tutorial. Thank you. Come check my blog. Thanks so much

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  92. This is a great tutorial ! my husband and I are currently redoing the master bathroom. We are almost done with the process of staining our cabinets in there! next is the mirror =) Diy projects are the best !

    http://rosuts.blogspot.com/

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  93. Where do you find Distressing Ink?

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  94. Where do you find distressing ink?

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  95. Hey, nice post! I think we are going to try this! We don't have a lot of room at the top of the mirror, so we are thinking we'll glue this straight to the mirror. It looks like you did the same thing. Did you glue any of the frame to the wall? Would you recommend gluing it straight into the mirror? How did this frame hold up over time?

    Thanks!

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  96. Which type of liquid nail did you use? There are several different kinds. I wasn't sure what kind to get.

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  97. Which type of liquid nail did you use? There are several different kinds. I wasn't sure what kind to get.

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  98. Okay.. I just have to say.. I absolutely LOVE the "saw horses" you are using. I used my bar stools (just like yours) as saw horses while using my jig saw to lay laminate flooring on the entire first floor of my house!!!!!
    Doing the mirror thing tomorrow! Looks Awesome and easy!

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  99. Okay.. I just have to say.. I absolutely LOVE the "saw horses" you are using. I used my bar stools (just like yours) as saw horses while using my jig saw to lay laminate flooring on the entire first floor of my house!!!!!
    Doing the mirror thing tomorrow! Looks Awesome and easy!

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  100. Love this idea! Lots of pics and detailed instructions. So helpful! Love the distressed look too! Thanks for sharing your decorating!

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  101. I love the moulding you used plus the quarter round glued to it, it's the best profile I've found to-date. Most are way to ornate for my bathroom, yours looks perfect!

    I can offer 2 updates for you -- replace the plastic brackets with thinner metal mirror clips, and for apartments or other temporary applications use the heavy duty Command Strips.

    Thanks for this great tutorial!

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  102. I copied this DIY yesterday and as of this morning the disress ink still is NOT dry?? It is smearing and smudging and still looks shiny wet....??

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  103. I copied this DIY yesterday and as of this morning the distress ink still is NOT dry?? It is smearing and sudging and looks shiny wet....??

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  104. I'm totally doing this in my powder room....what is distress ink? where did you get that? I usually use "real" wood and just distress it with sandpaper...but I would love to use mdf (cheaper) and this distress ink looks like a cool product. I'm in Canada...but if you got it Home Depot or Lowes...I'm golden. Please spill!!

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