Mirror frame question

[Doug Keener]

Somewhere I read that when putting a mirror in a frame one should paint the rabbit area where the mirror sets either black or silver to hide the reflection from the rabbit area. Problem is, I can't remember which. Does anyone recall which one or is there another treatment for this area?

Doug Keener

[Lee Schierer]

I don't know which color to use either, but it is important to finish the rabbet for the mirror the same as the wood its going into. If you stain or (shudder) paint the wood and don't get it even, you will see it in the reflection along the edges.

I would think black would be better than white, but can't really say why.

[Bobby Hatfield]

Somewhere I read that when putting a mirror in a frame one should paint the rabbit area where the mirror sets either black or silver to hide the reflection from the rabbit area. Problem is, I can't remember which. Does anyone recall which one or is there another treatment for this area?

Doug Keener


Doug, black rabbits are hardest to see in the dark. If you look close the inside of the rabet can be seen but non-reflective "flat black" will help a lot. Also thin mirrors have less space to show reflections. Only those with confidence with who they are and how they look will notice anyway, all others will be too busy looking at their own reflection.

[Phil Phelps]

Go buy a can of flat black interior latex. Cheap paint is ok. Paint the rabbet and set the mirror. I've done plenty this way and it works wonderfully.

[Doug Keener]

Doug, black rabbits are hardest to see in the dark. If you look close the inside of the rabet can be seen but non-reflective "flat black" will help a lot. Also thin mirrors have less space to show reflections. Only those with confidence with who they are and how they look will notice anyway, all others will be too busy looking at their own reflection.

Opps! Guess I was a hare off on my spelling. Thanks for the input. This is going to be a pretty big mirror so it probably will be quarter inch thick or close to it.

Doug

[Bobby Hatfield]

Opps! Guess I was a hare off on my spelling. Thanks for the input. This is going to be a pretty big mirror so it probably will be quarter inch thick or close to it.

Doug


Doug, I think Lee may have the best thought on them rabbets not showing, and speaking of rabets, how do you spell them correctly ? I have a set of matching frames to make for LOML and have been putting her off about as long as I dare. We need pic's soon as you complete them.

[Jason Roehl]

Doug, I think Lee may have the best thought on them rabbets not showing, and speaking of rabets, how do you spell them correctly ? I have a set of matching frames to make for LOML and have been putting her off about as long as I dare. We need pic's soon as you complete them.

Rabbet or rebate, the latter being more common across the pond. Interestingly enough, I looked it up in Webster's, and the picture they showed of various rabbets included one that I would have just called a dado, as I always understood rabbet to be a dado along the edge of a board so that it was 2-sided instead of 3-sided as a dado down the middle of a board would be.