Mirrors: The Image of Restoration

House Doctor | Gary Dymski

August 21, 2003

Our bathroom mirror fought the good fight, but it's slowly showing signs that it will lose in the long run. We've noticed deteriorating edges, which means ammonia-based cleaners and humidity are winning the battle.

You've probably noticed signs in your own home. Bathroom moisture seeps behind the sealed edges of mirrors, causing deterioration in the silvering on the rear facing. As years go by, the mottling at the edges grows.

Not all is lost, however. You can do a few things to restore mirrors. The problem is that the most common solutions -- replacing, resilvering and cutting away the bad edges -- are expensive and, for the most part, must be left to the pros.

Here's one inexpensive option: Creating a frame of milled wood or polyurethane molding to cover the damaged edges and add a touch of flair. In the sense of home repair and maintenance, it's a little more Martha Stewart than Bob Vila, but provided you can measure, cut with a handsaw, paint and glue, the results are excellent.

Framing our bathroom mirror, roughly 5 feet long and 31/2 feet high, was a snap, and it cost less than $40 for materials. Here's a how-to guide:

Molding. We used 3-inch-wide reeded molding made from soft pine that is available in 7-foot lengths for about $8 apiece. You can find several molding styles at home centers and lumber yards, including some pre-primed pieces. To eliminate the need for miter cuts in corners, and to connect the molding in corners, we also bought four corner blocks at about $2 each. Our molding is unfinished wood, so we had to prime and paint it. However, many interior moldings are made of a white-coated polyurethane. No need for priming.

Adhesive. Two tubes ($3.50 each) of a clear silicone allow for fast drying and strong adhesion to glass.

Tools. Backsaw and miter box, caulk gun, hammer, 4d finish nails and cordless drill.

One last item. At the very top of the mirror, you'll need wood spacers or a long piece of wood to serve as a spacer. In all other areas, molding and corner blocks will be secured to the mirror with only clear silicone. At the top, the molding will attach to the wood spacer. The thickness of the spacer depends on the space between the mirror and the wall. The spacer, when laid against the wall, should be flush with the face of the mirror. We luckily plucked our spacer, about 1/4 inch thick and 13/4 inches wide, from a collection of wood scraps we keep on hand.

Step 1. Paint or stain all molding before cutting or installation. After priming all wood pieces, apply a finish coat of white semigloss. Because the molding will be flush against the mirror, the back facing of the molding will be visible. Be sure to paint or stain both sides of the molding and corner blocks.

Step 2. When the paint dries, secure two corner blocks to the bottom corners of the mirror with clear silicone. The bottom edge of the mirror should rest on the top edge of the counter top. After applying the silicone to the back of the blocks, push them into place. Wait several minutes for the silicone to dry, then measure between the two blocks. (For a more accurate measurement, place the molding on the top of the blocks, then mark where to cut with a pencil.)

Using the backsaw and miter box, cut the molding and secure it to the bottom edge of the mirror, between the corner blocks. Apply a bead of silicone near each edge of the molding and enough in the middle so it sticks to the mirror. Wipe away excess silicone with a paper towel. You might have to hold the bottom piece in place for a few minutes.

Step 3. Apply the spacer or spacer pieces to the top edge of the mirror. A bead of silicone should secure the piece, but several nails also might be needed. If you use spacer pieces, put one in each corner (at least as wide as the corner blocks) and at least two or three more spaced out evenly along the top edge. One spacer is easier to work with than several pieces. (Nail carefully; the hammer head is close to glass.)

Once the spacer is secure, attach the corner blocks. Pre-drill two holes into each block and tap the 4d finish nails through the blocks and into the spacer. A glop of silicone before nailing will help secure the blocks. Because the blocks are a tad wider than the molding, the top edge of the blocks should be a bit higher than the top edge of the spacer(s). Measure and cut molding for the top edge. Pre-drill a few holes so the molding can be nailed into the spacer. Again, use a bead or two of silicone on the back face before nailing.

Finish. Measure and cut the two side pieces of molding and attach them to the mirror with silicone. Touch up molding with a small brush. Dried silicone can be scraped off glass with a single-edged razor blade. Apply a bead of latex caulk to the edge of the molding where it meets the glass. A thin bead of silicone applied to the top edge of molding will keep moisture from seeping behind the mirror.