Ever since we moved into our new home I have wanted to do something. Well, if I am being totally honest, A LOT of somethings. I have wanted to frame around my builder grade, boring as heck mirrors above all of our bathroom vanities. I have been biding my time. Waiting for the rooms to be painted, or the basement bathrooms to be done so that I can frame them all out at the same time. Whatever. Well, last week I got the chance to get a gorgeous framed AND beveled mirror to put in our upstairs half bath. YES PLEASE! I literally grabbed it and ran! I took it home and had dear strong hubby hold it in front of the original mirror to see if it would work. BEAUTIFUL! One problem....it was a little bit too wide for the vanity, therefore it threw everything out of proportion. Not to be detered I soon took it to a mirror cutting place and had them dismantle it and cut and rebevel the mirror. Now all I needed to do was trim down the frame and VOILA! Instant custom fit beautiful mirror! Right? Ummm, yeah kinda sorta. That is what eventually happened, other than the instant part. Let me teach you what I have learned from this experience. Work with the frame FIRST! See, when I went to get the frame done I ran into a couple of problems. Since the frame was made out of some sort of plastic instead of wood I had a difficult time finding a place that could cut through it without totally mangling it. Ugh. (I ended up taking it to Four Sisters in Riverdale.) Second problem was, they would have to totally dismantle the frame in order to get it sized down and cut correctly and I ran the risk of the entire frame just busting all up due to the glue and metal brackets that were inserted into the frame. Just taking it apart could be disasterous for the frame. So then I thought, well okay, if it breaks while they are taking it apart I will just buy a new ready made frame for the mirror. WRONG! Since I had the mirror cut first to the specifications I needed for the space they cut my mirror to within a quarter inch of a standard size. A quarter inch! So, if my frame busted I would have to have a CUSTOM frame built for the mirror. The minimal amount I was willing to spend to make my FREE mirror work for me could potentially skyrocket. Wasn't sure I was willing to do that. So, if you ever want to redo a plastic framed mirror remember these tips: 1) Do the frame first, wood is best, unless you are a risk taker, like me. 2) Then do the mirror. Oh, and make sure it is all done in a standard size, just in case your frame busts into a gazillion jagged pieces. Luckily for me, the nice lady at Four Sisters was gentle enough to get it all apart with very minimal damage to the frame. Also extremely lucky for me, where the damage was was right where she would be making her cuts. WHEW!
This is the before photo of my upstairs bathroom, see the boring builder grade mirror.
This is the wall AFTER I spent almost an hour trying to pry the glued on mirror off of the wall. I am telling you, THAT is an adrenaline filled workout. I really broke a sweat. I think it was from the sheer effort expended, the heat of the vanity light bearing down on me (no window) and the anxiety that at any moment I was gonna break the mirror and it would come crashing down on me. This project is definitely not for the faint of heart, but when there is a will, there is a way. FYI: The mirror came off intact (SUCCESS!) and is ready to be rehung at a different location, in fact, it was taken immediately out to the van for delivery. I was actually pleased that this was the amount of destruction done to the wall. I was expecting much worse. So, with a little prep and paint, it would be ready for the mirror to be hung.
This was my arsenal of tools. I am not sure my little pampered chef spreader thingie will ever be the same. It now has a little bit of a curve to it and is a bit scratched up. Sacrifices, sacrifices. Definitely one of the most useful things was the BBQ gadget. That sucker made light work of cutting through the glue.
Drumroll please! The AFTER! See what I mean? Totally worth it!
I figured since I ws posting about the room I would show some of the other decorating features. This room is pretty much done for now. I only have one other project in mind for this space. I will save that for another day. The room is so small I can't get a very good angle that shows the whole room. I also have a slightly shaggy red rug on the floor. LOVE IT! This room was painted in one of my all time favorite colors. Banana Nut.
So, while the end result was totally worth it to me, I think I would really think twice about 1) redoing a plastic framed mirror, 2) and prying off a glued on mirror.
The other mirrors in my house have definitely moved up my list of To Do's. However, they are mongo huge and I KNOW I would end up breaking them. So, I will have to just have someone custom frame those bad boys. I gotta hit the nursery again today. I just know that one of these days I will find a money tree. Until then, I will enjoy my "FREE" custom, beautiful, beveled, framed mirror.
