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Build this distinctive bathroom mirror frame by turning inexpensive wooden yardsticks into painted “mosaic” tiles, creating a rear rabbet with lattice, tiling the stock before cutting the miters, and finishing with clear glaze and white unsanded grout. Kristi Linauer’s original project used 20 yardsticks and a miter saw; treat her dimensions, historical price and finish schedule as a project example, then adapt them to your mirror and bathroom conditions.
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What this mirror-frame project actually is
The surface that looks like ceramic mosaic is made from small pieces of wood. Linauer selected wooden yardsticks, removed their printed markings, cut them into pieces just under 1 inch wide, painted them in several yellow-and-white mixes, and grouted the joints. The result is a custom decorative frame rather than a tile installation. Her complete project is documented in Kristi Linauer’s Addicted 2 Decorating tutorial, published February 20, 2013 (the page also displays June 23, 2022).
The construction has two jobs: hold the mirror securely and provide a broad, level face for the wood pieces. Linauer did not have rabbeted frame moulding or a router, so she glued thick lattice to the outside back edge of her frame stock. That added strip created a recessed ledge—a rabbet—for the mirror to sit in.
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Plan the opening, frame depth and tile layout first
Measure the mirror and the wall
Measure the mirror’s actual width, height and thickness, not just its advertised size. Decide whether the finished frame will replace a mirror or surround one that is already mounted. Mark the frame’s inside opening and outside dimensions on paper, including the depth needed for the glass and any clips or backing. Both Lowe’s bathroom-mirror framing guide and Home Depot Canada’s mirror-frame guide stress measuring before cutting and test-fitting miters.
Allow for the tile field
Include the thickness of the substrate, lattice rabbet and wood pieces when you check clearances around faucets, medicine cabinets and lights. Sketch where the tile field will end at each corner. Linauer marked the future miter cuts before attaching tiles so she would not cover areas that would later become waste.
Choose how the mirror will be retained
An inset frame such as Linauer’s receives the glass in a rabbet. Other approaches leave an existing mirror on the wall and attach a decorative frame over it, or build a new frame that holds a separate mirror with clips. The overlay method avoids removing the existing glass but requires an adhesive rated to bond both wood and glass; Lowe’s says the adhesive’s curing time is product-specific. The clip-and-rabbet approach requires more accurate woodworking but gives you a defined mechanical seat for the mirror.
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Linauer’s quantities are specific to her mirror, not a universal bill of materials. Buy extra stock if your mirror is larger, your cuts are wider, or you want to reject pieces with knots or damaged print.
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| Item | How it was used in the featured build | Adaptation notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wooden yardsticks | Twenty sticks supplied the small wood tiles. Linauer reported paying 68 cents per stick in 2013. | That price is historical; current cost and availability vary by location and retailer. |
| Frame stock and thick lattice | Lattice was glued to the rear outside edge to form the mirror rabbet. | Size the frame stock and lattice to your glass thickness and desired reveal. |
| Sandpaper | 80-grit removed printed markings; 150-grit smoothed the faces. | Sand until lettering cannot telegraph through paint, then remove dust. |
| Paint and brushes | Random tiles received several yellow-and-white mixes; dry-brushing softened the color blocks. | Use a palette that suits your room and label mixes if you need to reproduce them. |
| Clear glaze | About four coats of Rust-Oleum Triple Thick Glaze were sprayed, with many hours of drying. | Current formulas and bathroom suitability were not established for this project; follow the product label. |
| White unsanded grout | Chosen because Linauer believed sanded grout could scratch the shiny finish. | Test your grout and finish on a spare tile before committing. |
| Miter saw or hand setup | A miter saw cut the four frame pieces after tiling. | A miter box and hand saw are an alternative for small projects, as described by Home Depot Canada. |
You will also need wood glue for the lattice and frame assembly, a square, measuring tape, clamps, a pencil, a straightedge, dust protection and a way to support the mirror while it is installed. The source tutorial does not provide a current total cost, and a realistic budget depends on mirror size, local prices and whether you already own the saw and finishing tools.
Make the wooden mosaic pieces
1. Remove all printed markings
Sand every yardstick with 80-grit paper until the numbers, graduations and ink are gone. Linauer specifically warned that old markings can show through paint if they are not fully removed. Work on a stable surface and keep the abrasive moving so you do not dish the thin stock.
2. Smooth the faces
Switch to 150-grit paper to remove the coarse scratches and produce a paintable face. Ease splintered edges, then vacuum or wipe away dust. Do not skip dust removal: loose grit can become visible in the glaze and grout.
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3. Cut repeatable pieces
Cut the sticks into pieces just under 1 inch wide, following Linauer’s stated size. Set up a stop block if your saw permits one so the pieces remain consistent. A hand saw and miter box can work when the quantity is modest, but repeated cuts take longer and require careful clamping. Do not hold short pieces directly beside a moving blade.
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Build a mirror-ready substrate and rabbet
1. Lay out the four frame members
Transfer the mirror opening and outside dimensions to your frame stock. Check the diagonals of the planned rectangle; equal diagonals indicate a square layout. Mark each future miter line now, before any tile hides the lines.
2. Glue on the lattice
Apply wood glue to the outside back edge of the frame material and attach the thick lattice so its inner edge forms a continuous ledge. Clamp or weight the joint and allow it to dry according to the glue manufacturer’s instructions. The lattice is functioning as a built-up rabbet, not as decorative trim.
3. Dry-fit the glass and backing plan
Confirm that the mirror can drop into the recess without forcing it. Leave a small, even clearance rather than wedging glass into wood that may move. Decide how the back will be retained—clips, a thin backer or another method appropriate to your frame—and keep that hardware clear of the rabbet.
Attach the tiles before cutting the miters
Why this order works
Linauer spread full wood pieces across the frame edge and front while the stock was still straight. She then cut the four miters through the tiled material. This let her use full tiles instead of fitting tiny fragments into each corner and made it easier to cut accurate miters. The trade-off is that the pattern will rarely continue perfectly around a corner.
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Set the field
Brush adhesive onto a manageable area and press the pieces into the wet surface, covering the front and the edge that will be visible from the room. Keep the pieces seated at a consistent height and leave regular joints for grout. Use your marked miter lines as no-tile boundaries so the blade will not encounter unnecessary material in the planned waste areas.
Accept or plan around corner irregularity
After assembly, Linauer noted that the tile pattern did not line up perfectly at the corners and accepted that irregularity as part of the handmade look. If you want a more continuous pattern, dry-lay pieces around all four corners first and reserve matching pieces, but expect additional cutting and more waste.
Cut and assemble the four frame pieces
- Set the saw. A miter saw was Linauer’s tool for the four angled cuts. Verify the blade is square to the table and fence, and use supports for long stock.
- Cut one reference piece. Cut the first miter on your marked line, then test it against the mirror opening and the adjacent member before cutting the remaining pieces.
- Cut the matching pair. Transfer measurements rather than relying on a damaged or chipped end. Keep the inside opening dimension as the controlling measurement.
- Dry-assemble all four sides. Check the opening, outside dimensions and corner gaps on a flat surface. Adjust before glue reaches the tile joints.
- Join and clamp. Apply an appropriate wood adhesive to the frame joints, align the faces and clamp without crushing the tiled surface. Remove squeeze-out before it hardens.
For a small frame, a miter box and hand saw can substitute for a powered saw. It reduces equipment needs but generally makes repeated, identical miters slower; neither setup eliminates the need to measure and test-fit.
Paint, glaze and grout the mosaic surface
Paint a varied palette
Linauer mixed several yellow-and-white shades and applied them randomly rather than assigning a rigid repeating pattern. Once dry, she dry-brushed additional color over the pieces to soften the flat, uniform appearance. You can vary value and opacity while keeping one dominant hue so the frame reads as a field rather than a checkerboard.
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Apply a clear finish cautiously
She sprayed about four coats of Rust-Oleum Triple Thick Glaze and waited many hours for the finish to dry thoroughly. That is a creator-specific schedule, not a tested bathroom specification. Product formulas can change, and the tutorial does not establish long-term resistance to shower steam, splashes or cleaning chemicals. Read the current label, provide ventilation during application, and test the complete paint-and-grout system on scrap first.
Choose and apply grout
Linauer used white unsanded grout because she wanted to avoid scratching the shiny finish and said sanded grout would scratch it. Work it into the joints with a grout float or compatible tool, remove the excess without abrading the coated faces, and follow the grout maker’s instructions for haze removal and curing. A test board is especially important when the joint width, coating hardness or grout brand differs from the original project.
Install the finished frame and protect the bathroom environment
Support the mirror and frame according to their combined weight and the wall construction. If you are overlaying a frame on an existing mirror, use only construction adhesive whose instructions specify adhesion to both wood and glass, and observe its stated cure time; that advice comes from Lowe’s overlay-frame method and is not automatically a prescription for Linauer’s inset design.
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Bathroom humidity is a long-term risk for both woodwork and mirror edges. Lowe’s explains that moisture can contribute to mirror corrosion and recommends allowing steam to escape through a bath fan or by opening doors and windows. Ventilate during showers, wipe standing water from the frame, and keep caulk and joints maintained. Neither the original tutorial nor the retailer guides reports independent long-term testing of this particular wood, glaze, grout, attachment or mirror assembly in a bathroom, so do not treat the glaze as proven waterproofing.
Decide which construction route fits your project
| Route | Mirror position | Main work | Best fit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rabbeted inset frame | Glass sits in a rear recess made with lattice or routed stock. | Build the substrate, establish the rabbet, tile, miter and provide rear retention. | A new frame where controlled glass seating matters. |
| Overlay frame | Existing mirror stays mounted on the wall. | Build a trim frame, verify clearance, and bond it to wood and glass with compatible adhesive. | A makeover that avoids removing a sound mirror. |
| Clip-retained new frame | Separate mirror is held by clips or similar hardware. | Build and finish the frame, position the glass, then install retaining hardware. | Projects where accessible hardware is preferred over a built-in rabbet. |
The featured mosaic technique can be applied to any of these routes, but the mirror-retention details cannot be swapped casually. Choose the structural method first, then size the tile field around it.
Common problems and practical fixes
- Printed numbers remain visible: return to 80-grit sanding before using the finer paper; paint will not reliably hide raised ink or deep impressions.
- Corners do not match: decide whether the handmade mismatch is acceptable. If not, dry-lay corner pieces and mark each cut individually instead of expecting a repeating pattern to align automatically.
- Mirror will not seat: stop forcing it. Recheck the opening, rabbet depth and any glue squeeze-out; glass needs an even, supported fit with clearance for movement.
- Finish looks flat: the original maker used dry-brushed color over the base coats. Apply that effect before the clear finish, and test the appearance on a spare piece.
- Grout scratches the coating: stop and test an inconspicuous area. Unsanded grout was Linauer’s choice for her shiny finish, but compatibility depends on the actual coating and joint.
- Frame edges swell or the mirror edge darkens: improve bathroom ventilation and address leaks or standing water. Humidity control is maintenance, not a substitute for a validated waterproof finish.
What to take from the original build
The most transferable idea is the sequence: make and finish a supply of small wood pieces, create a rabbet with a glued lattice strip, attach full tiles while the stock is straight, then cut and join the miters. It saves the fiddly corner fragments that a tile-first-after-miter approach would require. The least transferable details are the 20-stick quantity, 68-cent historical price, yellow palette, four glaze coats and drying time; each belonged to one 2013 mirror and should be recalculated for your room, materials and current product labels.
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Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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