How to affix mirror to frame

[Bob Cooper]

I’ve built a frame for a mirror. The rails in the stiles are each about 3 inches wide by 3/4 of an inch thick and I have about a 5/8” inch rabbet on the inside edge.

My question is what’s the best way to affix the mirror so that it fits tightly up against the inside edge of that rabbet. I can tell you one way not to do it and that’s to try to use mastic. I’m thinking there should be some kind of clip because I’d rather not put a chunk of wood behind it as I want the mirror frame to sit flush against the wall.

Any suggestions are welcome thanks.

BTW Apple needs a woodworking lexicon else we have styles and rabbits I keep having to fix by hand.

[Doug Garson]

I think what you are looking for are glazing points.

[Bradley Gray]

I cut a stepped rabbet and add a 1/4" ply back.

[Mitch schiffer]

Rockler makes a clip for this. It is basically a rubber bumper that screws into the frame.

[Lee Schierer]

Place the frame on a flat surface with the back side up. Place the mirror in the frame. Apply short beads of silicone caulking every 3-4 inches all the way around the mirror between the glass and the frame. Make sure the beads are flush with the back of your frame. Let it set 12 hours or more so the sealant cures. The mirror will not fall out.

[Bob Cooper]

Lee....actually i think i need something to apply force to kind of pull the mirror and frame snug one to the other. Also i too thought silicone would be the right choice but the glass supplier said not to use silicone as it can eat away at the mirrored material somehow

[Bob Cooper]

stepped rabbet...hadn't thought of that but the frame is already cut and assembled. Cutting a second shallower but wider rabbet ...say 1/4" deep would work but seems tough now that everything's together.

[Bob Cooper]

Actually the glazing points seem like they would work quite well.

[Brian Tymchak]

How thick is the mirror? If you have a 1/4" or so of the rabbet left after installing the mirror, you could cut some stops and pin nail them into the frame.

[Bill Dufour]

Lee....actually i think i need something to apply force to kind of pull the mirror and frame snug one to the other. Also i too thought silicone would be the right choice but the glass supplier said not to use silicone as it can eat away at the mirrored material somehow

Gravity works well to pull things together. Put a can of paint on the glass if you need more gravity. Do not overload the glass and crack it.
Bill D

[Ole Anderson]

I like to use a very thin bead of clear silicone to bed glass. Apply it to the wood rabbit and it won't be contacting the mirror finish which is on the backside of the glass.

[Stan Calow]

How big is the mirror? For a large heavy mirror, I feel better with something more substantial than glazing points. I use the metal clips used for framing photos https://www.homedepot.com/p/OOK-1-8-...-202341145-_-N, sometimes flattening them with a hammer to fit flatter. I do not trust mastic or any adhesive.


I do the stepped rabbet too. Eagle America makes stepped router bits for framing.

[Jim Becker]

Assuming you are mounting from behind, the rebate should be deep enough that you can use pin nails to affix wood strips to hold in the mirror. That's the method I use. Easy to pry out the strips if the mirror needs to be replaced but quite secure.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Given that this is going to sit flush on the wall - and not be something like a cabinet door that's subject to movement - I can't see any reason to use more than glazier's push points.

Heck, I bet duct tape would even work for this.

Next time around - the push points, deeper rabbet and wood pieces pinned in are the way to go.

[Jacques Gagnon]

Bob,

Part of the answer depends on the height/thickness of the lip you want to have. When the combination of lip/frame thickness allows, my approach mirrors Bradley's method. A stepped rabbet to which I add a thin (3/16 inch) wooden strip to hold the glass / mirror. That strip is held in place with two or three screws per side. I often rout key holes combined with a slot at the router table on the back so that the frame sits perfectly flat on the wall.