Excessive humidity on mouldings

[The ApronDude]

A customer wants a framed a mirror in his bathroom insted of the plastic clip thingy-magig. The Moulding will not take any weight since the mirror will be mounted on the wall first. My concern is will the humidity dammage the finish or the joint? I'm thinking varnish all the exposed wood back and the inside. Any insights?

 

[wpfay]

I have framed a number of bathroom mirrors and erring on the side of caution, I generally warn the client that picture frames were not designed to withstand the constant humidification/dehumidification that goes on in most bathrooms.
The typical climate in a bathroom changes radically and frequently in terms of relative humidity, and that is what will cause damage to the structure and finish of the frame.

This doesn't seem to affect the decision to frame bathroom mirrors, and I'm willing to put a frame on anything that holds still long enough, but the client should be aware of the possibilty of damage to the frame from the bathroom's environment in this application.

 

[Baer Charlton]

As long as you don't hold it's little head under the water in the tub too long, it will live.

The cabinets in our downstairs bathroom which was the only bathroom for 71 years, are just fine.

I thought about touching up the shellac finish on the pine, but then I layed down untill the urge subsided.

It looks as good today as it did in 1929.

If they get that much steam build-up that it affects the frame, they have worse problems then the frame..... mold, meldew, plaster slump, dryrot in the wall studs.....