gluing frame to mirror

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farmgirl1

True Grumbler
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Oct 13, 2002
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Centreville, Va
Customer is requesting to attach a frame to mirror, not around it, as there is no additional space around mirror and they don't want to take the mirror down. Would you cut the rabbet depth off? Put strips of mirror in rabbet? Will glue (what type)hold the wooden frame to the mirror? Any way this could be done with metal frame? Customer would like it to match brushed nickel hardware in bath. Should I just tell her to go away?
 
How is the mirror attached to the wall – it is glued to the wall (risky, since it could pull the paint, the silver and, maybe, the whole wall down) or does it have those “S” shaped doodads screwed into the wall?

If it has those “S” holdy downy things, they will interfere with any type of frame or moulding from surrounding it.

If it is glued to the wall, I would think that an “L” shaped strip of aluminum from Home Depot would be the right way to go – not a frame moulding. You’d never be able to join the corners if you eliminate the rabbet.

I wouldn’t get involved especially if they don’t want to dismount the mirror.
 
Lets see what we have here.....

A customer who wants....


But,
But,
But,
But,
no this,
no that,
no,


They are not making it very easy for the framer. Yes it will have to be glued to the face of the mirror in some manner.

I can either mill down an existing frame moulding to remove the rabbit. Or I can take a moulding and fill in the rabbit with wood covered with some gesso, and gild or paint it to their specifications.


I would say that at least $500 is a good starting point to even think about undertaing such a job. ;)


Oh yes, this frame will be part of the house and not removable.
 
And I'm guessing they want it done this way to "save money," but all the complications will end up costing more than just doing a conventional mirror...so I wouldn't spend alot of time worrying about this, because I'm betting the customer will never follow through.

Mirror customers almost never follow through.
 
WOW! Andrew the perfect solution, thanks for sharing.

Paul it's the framer that follows through that get the job.
 
RParrish said:
WOW! Andrew the perfect solution, thanks for sharing.

Paul it's the framer that follows through that get the job.
Click to expand...

The problem isn't follow-through. The problem is that customers ask about a 36x56 mirror, and then they find that the frame will cost them $800+, and they run to Home Depot to buy a mirror for $119.
 
PaulSF said:
The problem isn't follow-through. The problem is that customers ask about a 36x56 mirror, and then they find that the frame will cost them $800+, and they run to Home Depot to buy a mirror for $119.
Click to expand...

Yes your right, the same thought occured to me after posting. There are plenty of "good enough" frames out there in retail stores nowdays, even beveled mirror with those plastic foam frames that look pretty authentic.

I often put my scraps to use by building frames that are 12 x 8 or 12 x 6", tall but narrow frames and fill them with mirror stock, of course I can't charge what the moulding may cost, but it would have been garbage otherwise, they are my lunch money frames.
 
If you go through with this and the mirror is being held with J-pieces (the little metal jobbies about 1/2" wide that are really just metal mirror clips) you can rout out the frame where they interfere by using a Dremel. Just did it for myself....and yes, it was to save money. :p
 
RParrish said:
Yes your right, the same thought occured to me after posting. There are plenty of "good enough" frames out there in retail stores nowdays, even beveled mirror with those plastic foam frames that look pretty authentic.

I often put my scraps to use by building frames that are 12 x 8 or 12 x 6", tall but narrow frames and fill them with mirror stock, of course I can't charge what the moulding may cost, but it would have been garbage otherwise, they are my lunch money frames.
Click to expand...

I get the 12-inch mirror tiles at...yes, Homeless Despot...and I cut them down into 4-inch square pieces, which I frame up and give to customers as gifts for placing hefty orders. When I have time, of course.
 
Gluing mirrors to the wall seems to be the modus operandi in many of the older condo complexes down here. We get to glue quite a few frames to them as the mirrors are so well glued to the walls that you can do some major damage to the marlite or drywall trying to pry them off.

I have a few favorite frame mouldings that I show quite often and I line the rabbet with a small roundover or flat or slightly domed matte black gallery type frame and it has a very nice well finished look. And you don't have to worry about the raw wood of the rabbet reflecting along the edge of the frame through the mirror.

It isn't that difficult a job if you just take your time and plan things out before you cut and use some common sense. We tend to make such complicated projects out of the simplest jobs if we over think ourselves.
 
that mirrormate "looks" like an interesting product----has anyone actually USED it????? opinions of product/company? good parts??...BAD parts?? the thing that worrys me about it is that the frame is ONLY held on by the 2-sided tape! as we all know/have seen, any of this tape that has weight 24/7 will give it up over time, so a year, or 2 or 4 down the road 'they' call you up and give you the earfull about shoddy materials, worksmanship, etc etc etc...then what? ... unless they use the new/improved SUPER tape that never quits, yes?
 
Bill

Mirror Mate, a local company to me, buys all of there product from one source, LJ. The profiles are custom milled for them to have no rabbet. The MDF moulding is Framerica, also with no rabbet.

When you send them an order, they cut the stock to size, stick on the tape, and box it up. It is up to the one installing the product to make sure everything lines up before you pull the liner off of the tape.

The install tape is one that we use in the trophy industry. It holds, trust me on that.
 
Moen has a new product out that utilizes corner blocks, and the only thing glued to the wall is so "snap on" track. I tried to find it on their website to give a link, but it doesn't seem to be up yet. Really cool stuff, and about 20 different mouldings.... MDF and Poly.
 
Hey,

Hope this helps, I ran across this information today. Try mirrormate.com. Apparently they make frames which will fit over existing mirrors and you do not have to remove the mirror from the wall.

Dana
FMI
 
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