# Mirror Frame Question - How to keep the mirror in?



## EWJSMITH (Dec 4, 2007)

So I'm going to build a mirror for over our vanity and I plan on using half lap joints with contrasting wood dowels through the face hold it together. However, I'm wondering on the best method to hold the mirror in place? For those of you who have done this before, what do you use for the back of your mirror? Any and all suggestions are welcomed!

Thanks
Ed


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

You can use glazers points. They're like little arrows that you embed into the wood provided you will be using a rebate to sit the glass into. You could also use a thin piece of ply, say 1/4" over the whole back.

I think it depends on the wood type youre using. Driving those points into oak would be tough, a soft wood would be much easier.


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## Tennessee (Jul 8, 2011)

There are multiple ways, but you also need to cover the back of the mirror so oxygen and dampness does not invade the back, or you might find yourself with the reflective coating coming off over time. I'd use a thin piece of luan or pressboard stabilized against the back of the mirror, and quarter round to hold that onto the back of the mirror in the frame.


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## Charlie5791 (Feb 21, 2012)

Mirror clips. There are a number of different kinds. Might be called mirror retainers. The link is just to a sample. Other places have them too. And usually cheaper, but you look for a style that works based on how deeply recessed your mirror is into the frame.


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## Gene01 (Jan 5, 2009)

I'll often use a dot or two of silicone on each frame member. And I always put a recessed piece of luan on the back.
You can get a stepped router bit that puts two recesses in the frame so the mirror fits nicely and the luan sits a tad off the back of the mirror.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

Sorry for the bad photo, it's the only one I can find at the moment. This is the inside of a medicine cabinet that I built. The mirror sits in a rabbet the same depth of the mirror and the cover panel is larger than the opening. The panel is held in place with screws, I believe 4 in the top and bottom, and 5 in each side - basically about 4" apart, then painted along with the door for appearance sake. I don't remember for sure but I may have run a bead of silicone caulk around the mirror before installing the panel, so the mirror doesn't rattle around in the frame.

Another option, if you want the inside of the door to be flush, is to cut the rabbet deep enough for the mirror and the cover panel, and set the panel into the rabbet. Problems with this method, however, is that you end up with a small gap around the panel (because it will never be a perfect fit) and securing the panel would require tabs mounted on the surface, or nails driven in at an angle. Weighing my options, I chose to have the panel surface mounted. It's just 1/4" less space inside the cabinet, which is pretty deep anyway.










Here's a closer look, though it doesn't show much more than the above photo.










You can't see it, but I chamferred the edges of the panel to give it a more finished look.


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## davegutz (Oct 16, 2012)

In 1984 I stuck a larger mirror to a luan door panel on medicine cabinet using silicon caulk. No problems.


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