Bathroom Renovation: How One Mirror Became Two {a great DIY project}

I already posted all the pics from our bathroom renovation, but I wanted to do a more in-depth post on the mirror and how it was transformed with some simple boards and a can of stain. Even though I didn't do it myself, I watched it being done and know that this is something we could have definitely done ourselves.

Before demolition began, I went in search of inspiration on Houzz. Good stuff there if you haven't ever looked. This was the inspiration for the mirror:

Transitional Bathroom by Burnsville Design-Build Firms Highmark Builders

I really liked the look of this frame, with it's simple lines, heavier looking top and the sconces set through the wood. It was also the first time I realized that we could frame the mirror into looking like two mirrors. I showed this pic to our contractor, and he said we could easily do something like that. Jeff and I decided that we would rather have downward pointing sconces mounted over each sink, rather than on each side of the sink. 

The frame was built using 1"x8" poplar boards for the top and bottom, and 1"x6" poplar for the sides and middle, as well as a strip of crown molding for the top. We chose poplar, which is about the same price as pine, because it has less knots and a nice grain. The boards were stained to match the vanity using Minwax stain and sealer in Red Mahogany. It took most of an 8 oz. can, leaving us a little for future touch ups that may be needed. (Four kids at home and you never know!) Three coats of stain were applied, with a sanding between the 2nd and 3rd coats. 

As you can see, the frame was built around the granite backsplash. Before the frame was there, the granite was mounted to the mirror with clear silicone. Our other option would have been to forgo the granite backsplash and have the frame extend to the countertop, but granite will take moisture and abuse much better than wood, so we decided to do it this way. I really like the look of the granite and wood next to each other. 

A couple of other important points: the mirror was not held to the wall with clips, it was glued to the wall and was never coming down easily--and if anyone tried it would probably get broken. Mirrors of this size are not cheap, so we had to frame it as was, and that was wall-to-wall. We had elected to get a 72" vanity rather than the 89" that used to be there, so the frame extends about eight inches beyond the vanity on each side. We are perfectly okay with that and love the look. 

Once our contractor had pre-stained all the boards and molding, he cut everything here and dry fit it all together before mounting the boards to the mirror. The bottom board is attached to the mirror with clear silicone, and nailed at the ends into the wall. The side and top pieces are all mounted with a combination of clear silicone and finish nails. Holes were cut into the top board for the lights. One plus of having the lights hang lower than the frame is that the light is reflected all over and made much brighter.

If you do a project like this, note that you need to stain (or paint) both sides of your boards. The side that sits against the mirror will be reflected in it and unfinished wood will show. 

Thanks for following along on our bathroom remodeling adventure!