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Around the House: Bathroom Mirror -or- How to hang any picture straight the first time

By Dawn Sailors In Guest Bath, Projects

For a long time, we had this mirror propped up on the bathroom counter, after removing the old builder grade mirror when we moved in.

But the scale was just all wrong. It was way too large for the size of the vanity. We couldn’t hang it because it was too tall to fit between the light and the counter, and the scale made the room seem small by taking up so much of the wall. So I’ve been looking around for a more size-appropriate mirror, that wouldn’t break the bank. At Garden Ridge a few weeks ago, I happened on this little girl for $40:

I wasn’t super excited about the color, but the scale was perfect and there were some other elements that tie in nicely with the rest of the accessories I’ve found for the bathroom, so I took her home. Plus you know I can’t resist a good spray paint project.

I got to work, taping off the mirror, priming the frame, then spraying the whole thing white. But I didn’t stop there. Once that was dry (a few days later just to be sure), I taped off the main part and added a little glitz to this girl in the form of Rub ‘N Buff.

If you’ve never heard of or tried this product, I’ve so far been really happy and impressed with it. It is easy to use and goes on like a dream. I just squeezed a little onto my finger and rubbed it onto the frame in the area I had taped off.

When I removed the tape, I had a nice clean edge and I am loving the way the gold metallic brings out the detail in the frame, and how it ties into the counters I recently painted. But before I show you the mirror all hung and looking pretty, let’s go into a little detail about how to hang a mirror, or any artwork, perfectly straight the first time. I promise it’s super easy.

I’ve talked about this little trick in the past (here) but I have to give credit to Dania for educating me. We’ve been using it for years and it really saves a lot of time and trouble. Here’s how you do it

1) Grab a roll of tape and measure hook to hook on the back of your frame. Like so:

2) If height is a concern, like it is on this mirror since I don’t want it to overlap the backsplash of the counter (a shelf or small photo might not matter as much), you can also use tape to measure the distance from the hooks to the bottom of the frame.

3) Then you simply remove the tape from the back of the frame and transfer it to the wall.

4) Make sure your tape line is level, and insert your screws or nails at the ends of the tape.

5) Finally, hang your frame! The screws will be perfectly positioned and the frame will be level. Easy peasy. No measuring, no marking the wall, no wasting time.

So that’s my picture hanging technique. Nice right? (Thanks Dania.) Now on to the updated photo:

What do you think? I am very happy with it, and now that I see the mirror and new open shelving in place, I already have a new light fixture in mind. :) New light, accessories, shower curtain and some touch up paint, and we can finally call this bathroom done! I can hardly wait. I’ll keep you posted!