Arguably the most overlooked aspect of the whole room, the bathroom mirror is like the one that got away – you don’t realize how much you need it until it’s gone.
With time, bathroom mirrors can show signs of ageing, black spots or even cracks. If your mirror is looking less than brand new, don’t get set to toss it just yet. There are a few things you can do to breathe new life into an old mirror, so you’ll always be the fairest of them all!
Cracks
However it happens, a crack in a bathroom mirror is annoying, especially when your mirror is mounted directly to the wall. If the crack isn’t too serious, you can repair it yourself with a glass repair kit, like the ones you can find at your local auto supply store to fix small cracks in windshields.
You’ll need:
Soft cloth
Glass cleaner
Glass repair kit
Razor blade
Microfiber cloth
Thoroughly clean the crack with a soft cloth, being sure to remove all dirt and debris from the crack and the surrounding area.
The kit should contain a stabilizer, syringe, resin, and curing film. Remove the adhesive backing and apply to the crack to cover the damage. Smooth out any air bubbles.
Fill the kit syringe with resin and insert it into the crack through the stabilizer. Inject the resin into the crack until it is filled. Let this cure for as long as recommended before peeling of the stabilizer.
Once the stabilizer is removed, apply a tiny amount of resin to the cured, filled crack. Cover this immediately with the curing film. Remove this film after the top layer of resin has cured.
If necessary, remove any excess resin from the area with a razor blade, and clean with a microfiber cloth and glass cleaner.
Black Spots
Though black spots don’t necessarily affect the integrity of a mirror, they can really ruin the aesthetic appeal. There are several causes of black spots on mirrors, the most common of which being cleaning products seeping behind the glass and damaging the back of the mirror, or moisture between the back of the mirror causing damage.
The bad news is there’s no simple quick-fix for black spots. If you want to save the mirror you have, you may consider applying a new finish, a process known as resilvering. Though it’s possible to perform this process at home, you may want to defer to a professional to strip it, especially with vintage and antique mirrors that may contain mercury.
It’s also possible to simply disguise the spots. Ehow.com shared this easy trick that requires adhesive tape and aluminium foil:
You’ll need:
Aluminium foil
Clear adhesive tape
Screwdriver
Determine whether you can get to the backside of the mirror without damaging the frame or the mirror itself. If you can’t, don’t bother with this method. If you can, examine the mirror hardware for how the backing is attached to the mirror and remove the glass from the frame accordingly.
Identify where the black spots are. Tear off small bits of aluminium foil and use the clear adhesive tape to tape those pieces over the black spots, being sure the shiny side of the foil is against the back of the mirror, and that the foil is as smooth as possible. Once all spots are covered, replace the frame of backing and rehang.
