Framing a mirror

[Vicki Heidorn]

Karen - I am posting as a new thread your question about the mirror.

:smile: Thank you all for commenting on my Book question. I'll order it. I have another customer with a large mirror that is mounted on the wall and wants a frame around it. Haven't seen it yet will go next week for an appointment Any handy hints??? Another book maybe???

Framing a mirror has one unique challenge. We had to take apart a mirror we framed because we forgot to darken under the lip of the frame - - the mirror reflected the raw wood. Our local glazier sells mirrors. If we give him the frame, he uses a silicone caulking to set the mirror in the frame. If he gives us the mirror, my husband, Chuck, likes to use offsets to hold the mirror into the frame. I would be interested to hear how other framers set a mirror in the frame.

I defer to others with direct experience. Comments for us, anyone?

 

[Kai Vanuffelen]

Hello Both,
My opinion is, that mirrors without a bevel look plain, whereas mirrors with a bevel look classy. Naturally there is difference in price, but if you have some samples hanging in your shop then customers can see the difference.
You can buy some mirrors secondhand from Ebay. An oval mirror with a bevel looks really impressive.
Then there is the convex oval mirror.

I do not have experience with calking. Does this glue the mirror to the lip?
For small sizes you would not need this and even for larger frames, the frame can be reinforced in several ways. One way is to screw a sturdy backing.

 

[Mira Bishop]

My opinion is, that mirrors without a bevel look plain, whereas mirrors with a bevel look classy.

I don't think it is a question of classy, rather traditional or contemporary look. It would be hard to imagine a high end contemporary mirror with bevels. I use both, beveled and non-beveled mirrors, depending on our clients taste and their home decor. I frequently see small beveled mirrors. They often loose the elegant edge because a small mirror area is divided with many lines. Designing a mirror is often like a creating an artwork; balancing values and styles.

 

[John Ranes II CPF GCF]

Mira,

Although I respect the fact that indeed some folks may desire a flat mirror as opposed to one that is beveled, I find that we sell 99% mirrors with bevels. I think that it dresses up the presentation regardless if the frame selection is contemporary or traditional.

I will agree with you that a wider bevel if room exisits looks better than a narrow bevel (1 inch or less).

To the original question at hand....

Some folks may siicone the mirror into the frame, but I would guess that this is more of a mass-produced technique to achieve strength at a reduced cost. Essentially by glueing the two together, they are distributing the mass over the whole frame.

Visiting a couple of mirror shops (Not frame shops), a few years back was enlightening. Many would screw or staple a thin board of MDF or hardboard to the back of the frame to give the whole unit strength. Of course they would use strap (mirror) hangers to fit the back, allowing the mirror to hang closer to the wall and to accomodate the increase in weight.

We have developed a similar but nicer in appearance variation to this technique. We still use MDF cut about 3/8 inch within the outside dimension of the frame, but we screw this down in place using stainless steel screws with matching nickel plated cup washers. This gives the back a professional looking finish. We also complete the project with Hook-Ups. These are adjustable strap hangers which support up to 100 pounds but have the advantage of adjustment after the hooks are in the wall.

Regards,

John

 

[Karen Holritz]

Thank You all !!!

Thank you for talking about the process of framing a mirror. We got the project and with your ideas about using off-set clips and using the ZBar hanger we did it.
The mirror was 60 x 42 and the moulding was 2 3/4 . It turned out lovely. Our client was very happy.
Thank you all again:smile:
Karen