Rattan Frame for Oval Mirror

Dress up a simple oval bathroom mirror with wicker cord to look like a rattan masterpiece for under $100.

What to Buy

When I was originally planning our hall bathroom remodel, I wanted to add wood or rattan mirrors to break up the faux marble wall and chrome sconces. But everything I found was so expensive! So instead I purchased inexpensive plain mirrors with the intent of DIY-ing a frame eventually.

Well, eventually is here…17 months later…🤷🏼‍♀️

Prep Foam Board Base

The base of this mirror frame is cheap foam board. Yes it’s a little flimsy. But once it’s up on the mirror, you’ll never know! Determine the best layout for your boards to cover your mirror and tape them together with white duct tape. For the mirror I used, it was best to butt the boards together on the long side.

I wanted my rattan frame to only be as wide as my mirror. So I laid the mirror on top of the foam board and traced it. But you could also make your frame wider than the mirror itself if you have more space to fill on your wall.

Set the oval mirror aside and use your tape measure to mark 1.5 inches inside your traced line all the way around.

Then connect those marks to create your cut lines.

Using a VERY sharp and new blade, slowly score the foam board along your lines. I found it helpful to score the first layer of foam and then go back and saw to get through the remaining layers. Do not rush this part or you’ll have a shaggy mirror frame.

Can you tell which side I used a fresh blade on and which side used an old one? Yeah.

(It’ll get covered so it’s not the end of the world.)

Once your frame is cut out, head outside to spray paint the best side with brown spray paint. I used ‘Nutmeg’. Make sure to coat the small inside and outside edge too.

Let it dry.

Glue and Wrap Base

Now you’re ready to wrap your frame base. This step is a little tedious. But with a drop cloth, it makes a great project to mindlessly work on while watching a show after dinner.

Start at the bottom of your rattan mirror frame and add glue to the back. Line up your wicker cord and wrap it around your frame a few times. Then use a small clamp or chip clip to hold it in place while the glue dries. You can continue wrapping the cord. Keep the sides of each wrap touching each other to cover as much of the frame base as possible.

Add glue along the small inside and outside edges to help hold everything in place as you go.

You’ll need to repeatedly feed your bundle of cord through the frame. I liked to feed it through and loosely wrap it 3-4 times. Then go back and tighten up the wrapping where it’s supposed to be. The cord gets twisted as you go. So every so often you’ll need to pause to untwist the cord or it’ll get unmanageable. You can clamp the last spot you wrapped while untwisting if you need both hands.

Keep going until your entire foam frame base is wrapped. Add a big dollop of glue on the back when it’s completely wrapped and clamp the cord in place.

Mount Frame on Mirror

Once the glue is dry, it’s time to mount the frame to your mirror. Use clear mounting tape. It comes with adhesive on both sides and since it’s clear, it won’t be noticeable in your mirror’s reflection.

Stick the tape to the back of your frame in several places and then carefully place on your mirror. The tape linked above comes with 48 squares, so you could practically cover the whole back in sticky tape. That should get the job done!😅 (I only used 4, though!)

The wood look of this frame adds warmth to our otherwise stark bathroom wall.

And adding warmth to any space is never a bad idea! You can adapt this idea and make a frame as big as you need by adding more foam boards. I just love the way this rattan oval mirror turned out!