DECORATING PROJECTS
Adding Trim to Plain Bathroom Mirrors
Mirror trim around a bathroom mirror adds a finishing touch. Unadorned mirrors are fine, but when you want a designer look, be sure to add mirror trim.
Mirror trim can be purchased online, but the prices can run high especially if you have a large mirror. Trim can also be purchased at your local home center. However, these trim kits can be expensive and may look a little dinky or small. With a small amount of time, a little paint and some basic carpentry skills you can create a beautifully trimmed mirror in an afternoon.
Small Mirror -- BEFORE 
Small Mirror -- AFTER
Large Mirror -- BEFORELarge Mirror -- AFTER
Materials
Wood moulding
Paint (primer, base coat, wood stain (water-based), metallic craft paint, craft paint for "splatter effect" (see details in Step 3 below).
1 small bottle of silver craft paint
Flat mirror clips (see Step 2 below).
L-brackets to put moulding pieces together
Industrial strength hook and loop tape
STEPS -- Read through the steps first before beginning.
1. Measure mirrors. Purchase enough moulding to go around the mirror.
2. Replace large "crystal" mirror clips with flat mirror clips. The small plastic mirror clips to attach a mirror to a wall will have to be replaced with flat clips in order to mount the moulding. I purchased these at Lowe's. These clips mount your mirror flat to the wall and you can place the moulding on top of them.
3. Paint moulding. A four-step process looks rich and elegant. Visit a decorating store and select a picture frame for inspiration. Use the colors in that frame. My framing has a beige undertone with a green-silver finish. These are the 5 steps I took to paint the frames in my upstairs bathrooms. Be sure to use rubber gloves to protect your hands.
1. Prime. Apply a primer to the moulding and let dry.
2. Undercolor. Select an undercolor color that will coordinate with your mirror. Because we have beige toned tile, I selected a warm beige with a hint of brown and painted all the moulding with this color.
3. Stain. To pull out the intricate details of the moulding, I wiped on a rich brown walnut water-based stain. I kept applying and wiping the stain until I had the amount of detail highlighted that I wanted on the moulding. Stain will settle into cracks and grooves in the moulding and highlight the details. Use as much or as little as you like.
4. Metallic layer. To match the soft satin stainless pulls and light fixtures, I chose a silver sage craft paint to cover the beige and walnut staining. I wiped this off with a soft rag being sure to keep some of the "wiping" effects. You are not trying to create a "perfect" finish. In fact, "imperfect" is what you are striving for. Again, use as much or as little as you want. Select a bronze, gold, silver or copper color -- or omit altogether.
5. Detail. This step may seem silly, but don't omit it. This is the step that creates richness of detail. This is the splatter or tiny droplet effect that you see on furniture and picture frames. Many have tiny spots of red and/or black or other colors of paint. It creates rich detail that makes your frame look custom and not like you did it yourself. I put some red and black craft paint on a paper plate and then dipped a large-bristled potato scrubber brush into the paint simultaneously. Then, I flicked the brushes with my finger to create tiny spots of red and black paint all over the moulding. The result was fantastically rich! (There is a picture of it at left)
3. Cut and attach moulding. Measure and cut the moulding carefully with a mitred corner using a mitre saw or a mitre saw box. Apply wood glue to the pieces and screw one side of the L bracket on one side of the moulding and then attach the other side, until all four corners are attached.
4. Paint the inside inch of moulding silver. Because you don't want the moulding to be reflected in the mirror, you should turn your moulding over to the backside and paint the inside one inch of the moulding with silver craft paint. This will create a neater look once the moulding is attached to the mirror. You don't have to do this step, but it looks much, much nicer if you do.
5. Attach the moulding. Cut two-inch pieces of hook and loop tape to attach to the mirror and to the moulding. Once the pieces are on, apply your moulding. You can see where the moulding is attached with the Velcro below.
© 2007 Kathryn Weber, all rights reserved
