do i 'frame' my 42 vanity mirrors or get frameless shower door

14 years ago

I am in the final stages of a major renovation.

I am faced with another decision that will cost me MORE money.

Should I spend about $200 more per vanity mirror to have them framed out. Apparently it is is not just wood trim but something a bit nicer.

I would do this on 3 mirrors. My Guest bathroom and my 2 Master Vanities.

OR ..Should I Take that MONEY put it towards 2 FRAMELESS SHOWER DOORS? OR DO I NEED TO DO BOTH??

Featured Answer

amysrq

14 years ago

You know, we did not get the shower doors through the builder because we didn't want to pay his mark-up and we were trying to keep closing deadlines in mind. I just put up a tension rod and a plain, heavy white fabric shower curtain. I thought it was a temporary fix, but it will stay. I am so glad not to be chasing after water spots constantly and the open curtain gives the bathroom a breezier feeling. Don;t know what your set-up is like, but consider a curtain until money isn't as much of an issue.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

oceanna
14 years ago
42 vanity mirrors???

Should I spend about $200 more per vanity mirror to have them framed out.

Nope, not if money is tight.

Two things you can do. You can buy the trim lumber, and buy decorative squares that fit your trim lumber. Inexpensive. If you buy the squares it looks better, and you will just be making straight cuts on the lumber, no mitered corners. In fact, if you do your measuring before you buy, you can get the hardware store guys to cut your lumber for you. How easy is that? Paint the pieces black on the underside and do whatever paint or stain or artsy technique you like on the topside. Then use your hot glue gun to apply them to your mirror, keeping your glue toward the outer edges.

Or, buy those little glass marbles with the flat backs. You can get them all over, but deffinitely in Michaels, in any color or in clear (I used clear). They cost about $3-4 per bag and you'll only need one bag. Now with your hot glue gun, apply a single row all around the outside edge of your mirror. It's very pretty.
alterit
Original Author
14 years ago
good ideas..

The contractor said I can have the mirror cut a bit smaller if I want to add later..but you are saying just go on top of the mirror?

SHOULD I SPEND MY MONEY ON FRAMELESS SHOWER DOORS?
Related Discussions
How much do frameless glass shower doors cost?
Q
Comments (90)
Ours was 3K, included all parts, glass, labor. The shower is a modified square shape a square with a slice off of one of the corners. Of course, that's where the door is. He really struggled with getting it all to line up. Mostly because the standard door wasn't the same size as the opening for it and there is an additional trim piece of glass beside the door. Looks great in the end, fainted at the price. Good to see that others are familiar with these kind of numbers. He did everything, measure, fabricate, deliver, install. They were very tall pieces of 3/8" tempered glass. It was no picnic for him!
...See More
placing vanity right next to shower w/frameless glass door
Q
Comments (15)
enduring - our shower is 5' X 5' which is wider than one planned here. If they got the right kind of vanity, similar to Ikea's Godmorgon (which we used), it is floating, they could get beneath to clean there. If their countertop guy was able to cut the counter so there was no lip on the side where the glass is installed, seems like counter could be butted against glass and caulked above and below and along front to "seal" middle part. But still a bit risky considering caulk needs to be resealed periodically since it isn't meant to last forever. Would kind of spoil a shower (if it was mine) if I had to look at "junk" along that glass wall though at least it wouldn't be obvious when walking in the door. Also, houses usually aren't exactly level, could be some movement between vanity and glass - might not be a good thing :(
...See More
Frameless vanity mirror size/placement
Q
Comments (9)
the plate that covers the electrics has to be big enough to cover the hole in the mirror SJ, yes, exactly what I was thinking about. I have a 5-light fixture and an appropriately sized wall plate. The good news is, I really like my light, so that's not likely to change anytime soon. The finish on my frame looks so much better after a second coat. Liquid Leaf, quite the stuff. I will definitely live with it and hope it will be good for the long haul.
...See More
Replacing framed shower with frameless?
Q
Comments (6)
You should be able to replace those doors without tearing out the tile, because the doors, frame, etc should be sitting on the tile, not embedded in the tile. Those holes can be filled with silicone, and the old silicone used to hold the door frame in place can be scraped off using a razor blade and cleaner like Goop Off. We just did this. I'm not sure, but I think that maybe you can get some silicone that is close to the color of your tile or grout, so the holes would be less visible. Also, there are semiframeless doors that you could use that maybe would cover up the old holes, etc. Go to a glass shop that has their doors on display to see all of the options that are available for you. In our area (Cinti OH), we used Ryan's All Glass. They were terrific. I wanted the glass co to install my new doors, because all of the responsibility, liability was theirs, in case something happened now, or later. You don't have that when you or your contractor installs them. I did not want to deal with people, companies, that would "pass the buck" if warranty issues arose. In our case , we went with bypass doors, which alleviated leakage, etc, and they look terrific. We also got hydroshield on the doors which helps alleviate the hard water, etc. Take your time, and get what wks best for your space. Good luck!
...See More
justgotabme
14 years ago
If there is anything you can hold off until after move in and pay cash for, you're better off. And if you can DIY it, you're even better off.
If you really want the frameless glass shower doors and want them now, then go for it. They are beautiful. But if it's something you can wait on......
alterit
Original Author
14 years ago
My contractor is really fair...I get his cost I think it was about $400 more for frameless vs framed on one door and same on the other . So about $800 extra.

I could do it later but It might cost me more cause I am not getting his pricing.
User
14 years ago
oceanna-- your suggestions sound great. any chance you have any photos of that? thankyou
justgotabme
14 years ago
If you feel comfortable with his pricing than go for it.

Sheilaaus Home Depot or Lowes, one of them, had kits to frame your mirrors.
annzgw
14 years ago
If the $400/door also gets them installed, then I'd do the frameless doors now and wait on the frames for the mirrors.

You can frame those mirrors for a lot less than $200 a piece.
oceanna
14 years ago
The contractor said I can have the mirror cut a bit smaller if I want to add later..but you are saying just go on top of the mirror?

Yep.

SHOULD I SPEND MY MONEY ON FRAMELESS SHOWER DOORS?

Please don't yell at me. I read your question the first time. If I had an answer for you I'd have already given it.

Thanks, Sheila. :o) I haven't done the wood frame one yet (I need to buy the squares). But I did the marble one...
pharaoh
14 years ago
Get the frameless shower door now.

Leave room for the mirror frames. Then DIY it. Add molding or picture frame or tile or beads or anything else to dress it up.
artlover13060
14 years ago
Are the mirrors already on the wall? If not I would have them cut down now before they are rehung and then add molding myself later. If they are frameless they are probably going to be glued to the wall and you wouldn't want to have to take those down and risk messing up your wall.

$200 a piece for framing sounds really high unless that's the price for new mirrors that are already framed. I would do what Oceanna said. The molding kits that I've seem are plastic and just don't look as nice as real wood IMHO
2ajsmama
14 years ago
Depends on what look you're going for - contemporary? Then spend the $ now on frameless doors and get them installed. More traditional? Then do a shower curtain(s) and frame your mirrors. It's not that hard to do (I did it with a huge jigsaw puzzle in ds's nursery) after the mirrors are on the wall, as long as there's room. Only thing is you want to paint the back of the trim black so you don't see reflection of the wood where it overlaps the mirror.

A mirror will be thicker than the jigsaw puzzle, so you'll need to route a channel in the back of the trim pieces where it overlaps the mirror, or else the outer edge of the trim won't lie flat against the wall. If you don't have the carpentry skills to DIY, ask your finish carpenter to do it - I'm sure it'll be a lot less than $200 per mirror (42" x ? each).

Do you have pics of bathrooms so far (vanities, sinks, faucets, lighting installed?) so we can see what style is?

Of course, oceanna's solution is much easier to DIY and looks so pretty (but more casual/contemporary). As always, oceanna, your painting is beautiful! I'd love to see your whole bathroom!
vivachick
14 years ago
We did semi-frameless for our shower door. It was MUCH cheaper than frameless and looks really great. Have you priced that out?
annzgw
14 years ago
If you want the mirrors framed later.....attach them to the wall with clips so they can be removed with no damage to the walls. Ok......maybe a few tiny screw holes to fill............

do i 'frame' my 42 vanity mirrors or get frameless shower door

amysrq

Comments (14)

oceanna

alterit
Original Author

Related Discussions

justgotabme

alterit
Original Author

User

justgotabme

annzgw

oceanna

pharaoh

artlover13060

2ajsmama

vivachick

annzgw

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

do i 'frame' my 42 vanity mirrors or get frameless shower door

Comments (14)

alteritOriginal Author

Related Discussions

alteritOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

alterit
Original Author

alterit
Original Author