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Bathroom mirror sizing

11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago

I need some help with the getting the correct mirror sizes for the 2.5 baths in a townhouse I rent out. Is there a rule of thumb or something to determine how big the mirrors should be in a bathroom?

A couple of years ago, I I updated the bathrooms with new vanities, granite countertops, and new faucets. But, I don't think it helped as much I would have thought because I didn't completely remodel the bathrooms so it was missing the veneer of a totally updated bathroom.

One of the biggest problems is that I kept the original builder grade mirrors in the bathrooms, the ones that cover one wall in a bathroom:




I can see that new homes are using framed mirrors that aren't as big so I know I need to replace the current mirrors with framed ones but I'm not sure what size these mirrors need to be.

Its a bit confusing because I thought mirrors were good because they visually increased the size and reflected light so I would have thought that bigger mirrors is better. But, then you can't get any bigger than the current mirrors and that's the problem.

At what point, are the mirrors too large? And, at what point, are the mirrors too small?

Comments (16)

  • 11 years ago

    I have some general comments since you didn't provide measurements or a full photo of the vanity wall. In the first bathroom, the mirror needs to go to the wall to give full coverage for the person at the sink. You could add a plain frame over the mirror from an online company called Mirror Mates. This photo shows there may be room for as much as 3" of frame when the sink is that close to the wall. The frame width needs to be proportional to the size of the mirror. Having that type of setup in my BR, I know you can't stand comfortably directly in front of that sink anyway, so you could probably do 3". However, I think a frameless beveled mirror looks updated too.


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    In the second bathroom, you could use a framed mirror. I've seen several examples on Houzz where a long mirror is less than 36" tall and is hung a few inches above the backsplash. I really like the look of emphasizing the length rather than the height. It depends on how much room you have between the backsplash and light fixture, but I'd give a few inches of breathing room to both. Sometimes the mirror is placed directly on the backsplash, and that might be a good choice for you since it looks like you have a taller than standard splash.


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  • 11 years ago

    What kind of lighting is those bathrooms? Maybe you could keep the mirrors and add sconces through them for an update? Or pendants in front of them?


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  • 11 years ago

    Love the clean look of those frameless mirrors.

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Thank you, Linelle! You are singing my song. When I update bathrooms, beveled mirror strips are used to frame the wall to wall mirror. They are a great bang for the buck and add a dramatic effect. The use of an ornate frame, or wood strip, near water that will be splashed makes me cringe. However, if the silver backing on a mirror strip starts to erode over time, dental floss easily removes the offending piece so a new one can be installed. Viola! Inexpensive and easy.

  • 11 years ago

    When you cut through a mirror for electrical. You will pay more for the mirror in and of breakage

  • 11 years ago

    You're probably right, gwlake. I also don't like the idea of cleaning around a sconce (same thing with framed mirrors). I do love the look of pendants in front of the mirror, though!

  • 11 years ago
    last modified: 11 years ago

    Texasgal, I'd never heard of beveled mirror strips. I'll have to look into them. Most big plain mirrors do look builder basic though. The ones in Errant's photos look good because the bathroom themselves are impressive. The full length, frameless, bevelless mirror over my 60" oak vanity with the cheap brass 8-light globe lights....not too impressive. Maybe if I tried a Buddha on the counter....

    The mirror frames usually aren't wood. Mirror Mates are MDF if I recall correctly.

  • 11 years ago

    I got some Mirror Mates samples and they MDF or some product with a photo of wood on top. In very small amounts, it can fool the eye. Larger, um no. I ordered a frame online for a mirror over my vanity and the product was the same. It was awful. I could see the repeats. It was my fault so I couldn't return it and it's hanging out in my garage. It'll never get used.

    I still think a good quality frameless beveled mirror, sized correctly, will look great. It's not, oh wow, look at that mirror! But it will do the trick.

  • 11 years ago

    When we remodelled our master bath, I thought about doing individual framed mirrors, but a large mirror spanning the whole vanity looked best, as it reflected a tile feature wall opposite the vanity. Just a large mirror seemed too plain though, so I bordered the mirror with a frame, made with a glass tile molding piece that matched the glass tile I had used in the bathroom. I've received several positive comments about that choice.


  • 11 years ago

    I spend a shameful amount of time reading design blogs and it's my observation that the framed bathroom mirror trend is on the way out. I wouldn't get rid of your mirrors if they're in good condition.

    I can't see your bathroom very well, but I think just painting the walls a color that relates to the counter and the floors better would make a world of difference.

  • 11 years ago

    I think elaborate frames are out. Plain painted ones are not.

  • 11 years ago

    I think the full-width and height ones have sort of a clean, uncomplicated look. I would removed the one on the diagonal wall though.

  • 11 years ago

    Unfortunately, I can't provide measurements and better photographs because the tenant is still living there so I had to pull some old photographs.

    I don't know if its clear from my pictures, but if I remember correctly, the mirrors extend across the entire vanity and extend all the way up to the ceiling. I'm looking at errant_gw's pictures, and her full length mirrors don't extend all the way to the ceiling like my mirrors do.

    With mirrors that size, I'm afraid I'd just be putting lipstick on a pig if I framed it.

    But, if these builder grade mirrors were beveled, then they would still be considered all good? I don't understand what difference the beveling makes on a mirror.

    I saw some mirror beveled strips from Home Depot. Would this work:


  • 11 years ago

    I think the idea is for the mirror not to be (or look like) builder grade in the first place. I have one of those in my master bath. It is unbeveled and is held in place by clear plastic clips. It screams Builder Grade!!! I'm not sure that bevels would elevate it beyond that.

    I have priced good beveled mirrors at a local glass shop and they are quite reasonable. You can choose thickness and I'm sure that contributes to a more quality appearance. I think I could also get better attachments (J channel). They can glue the sucker to the wall, but I don't know that I'd want to do that.

  • 11 years ago

    I really doubt the rentability of your property is dependent upon the bathroom mirror. It looks like your mirror might be set in a metal channel? We had a similar installation in our last house and in addition to the channel the darn thing was adhered to the wall. Can-of-worms. I left it alone and updated the lights, floor and wall color only.

    From what I can see in the pictures, the yellow paint is not doing your granite any favors. I'd seriously start there. Benjamin Moore's Muslin is great go-to light beige. We "neutralized" our house by putting Muslin on all the walls last year. It looked fantastic and it sold above asking in 15 hours.

    Your tiles look fine, but the dark grout definitely dates it. If you're ambitious, you could lighten the grout but then you might create a maintenance issue because I bet that dark grout hides a lot. Here's a blog post about grout project: Grout Renew