Bathroom mirrors usually have a dedicated spot over the sink, where they are never removed. With this, tiling behind your bathroom mirror is made easier. After doing the research, we will answer whether you should tile behind a bathroom mirror.
Tiling behind bathroom mirrors is normal but not always necessary. Some bathroom vanities are designed to be placed directly on the wall and tiled around. Whether or not you decide to tile behind your bathroom tile is completely your choice.
How should you decide when to tile behind a bathroom mirror? We will answer this question and more in this post. The next sections will also include quick tips on hanging bathroom mirrors and design ideas. Keep reading below for more information.
Do You Tile Behind A Bathroom Mirror?
While tiling behind a bathroom mirror is not always necessary, it is the preferred option. Tiling behind a mirror makes your bathroom walls look more streamlined and easier to redecorate and renovate. This is also the most practical option for renting out homes.
If you have a mirror-shaped hole in your bathroom wall, this can be a redecorating headache. You will have to structure the way your bathroom looks around the untiled spot. With a completely tiled-off area, you do not need to worry as much
Tiling behind your bathroom mirror also makes it easy to clean. Having the same material as the rest of the walls saves you time and effort each time you have to clean behind the mirror. Tiles will also protect your wall to prevent fungal growth or dirt accumulation.
Note that you will have to drill hooks into the tiles to hang bathroom mirrors. Small holes are easy enough to patch up or cover during redecorating. But, if you cannot cover them easily, you may have to replace the tile.
Not tiling behind a bathroom mirror can be a workaround to patch up holes. If you wish to patch up an untiled section that has drill holes, you can simply tile over the area without having to remove the original tilework.
The only caveat to retiling is that the original tile might not always be available anymore, especially if it is old. This is something that you will have to be ready to deal with when it comes to renovations.
Do You Tile Before Or After Bathroom Vanity?
You should tile before adding a bathroom vanity. This is especially so if you have tile behind the vanity and mirror. Even if you are not tiling behind them, you can still work on tiling before placing the vanity. This helps keep the furniture safe while you work.
When tiling a bathroom wall, carefully plot the measurements. It is important to have enough tiles so that they will all fit together nicely. If your tiles have a pattern, consider it when plotting their placements.
Measure out the areas you will be left blank if there are any. It is good to section the area with some tape or mark the lines as a guide. Prepare the wall beforehand and keep it protected so as not to get damaged during the tile installation.
You can finish up untiled sections after you have installed all the tiles. Make sure to avoid ruining them. You can cover up surrounding tiles from the blank wall when doing this.
A good rule of thumb is to select a standard mirror size when installing to an untiled wall. This way, the mirror is easily replaceable in the future. Custom mirrors are pricey and can leave an awkward-shaped hole in the tiles if you do not tile behind one.
How To Hang Mirrors On Tile
Hanging mirrors on tile is easy enough to be a DIY job. All you need is a drill, a masonry bit, masonry wall anchors, masking tape, a spray bottle, a hammer or mallet, and measuring tools. Mirrors are heavy, so your anchors need to keep a secure enough hold on them.
Here are the steps to hanging a mirror on a tile:
- Clear out the area and protect anything that could get damaged
- Measure out the area where you will mount the mirror
- Mark the location for drilling with masking tape
- Drill into the marked point slowly while keeping a steady spray of water on the drill bit. This will help avoid cracking the tile.
- Hammer your masonry anchor into the hole and test if it is secure
- Hang your mirror up
You may have to switch out drill bits depending on the wall material. Alternatively, you can stick your mirror to the wall instead. Using adhesives like Command strips can be enough to hold your mirror up. Just make sure whichever method you use keeps the mirror secure.
There are several extremely strong adhesive tapes on the market if you want to hang your mirror that way. Here are the steps to hanging a mirror on a tile using adhesive tape:
- Calculate how much tape you need. Extremely strong tapes usually indicate how much they can carry in pounds per square inch, so base it on that.
- Clean and dry the tile. Moisture will prevent most adhesive tapes from sticking to the wall properly.
- Clean and dry the back of the mirror.
- Add enough tape across the edges of the mirror and the center. Press out air bubbles.
- Remove the backing plastic and stick the mirror onto the wall.
Click here to see Scotch Extreme Mounting Tape on Amazon
Whichever method you choose, make sure to hang your bathroom mirror around 5 to 10 inches above the sink or vanity. You can also adjust this based on your height. When hanging a mirror, it is best to have someone help you avoid accidents.
How To Tile Around Bathroom Mirror
One fun way to elevate the look of your bathroom mirror is by tiling around it. Essentially, you will be making a tile frame for your bathroom mirror. This project does not involve drilling. Instead, you will be using mounting adhesives.
Choose a tile that is small enough or can be cut into small pieces. Mosaic tiles are a popular choice. You want the tile pieces to be at least 2 by 2 inches. You may adjust the dimensions to the look you want to achieve. Have enough pieces to go around the perimeter of your mirror.
You can get creative from here. You can stick the tiles around your mirror directly onto the wall with mounting adhesive. Some people opt to stick the tiles onto frames first before mounting. Keep the material light, so it does not fall apart easily.
Aside from tiling around your mirror, you can purchase pre-made mirror frames. This is where standard mirrors come in handy since you will not have trouble looking for available sizes.
More affordable alternatives to tile include peel-and-stick mirror frames or edge trim.
Check out this peel-and-stick tile on Amazon.
Bathroom Mirror Ideas
Looking for inspiration for your bathroom vanity? Here are some ideas that could help you out when you are remodeling your bathroom.
[PIN id="516999232236571313" description="hide" size="large"]
[/PIN]
Looking closely, you can see that the tile goes behind this round mirror. The tile is uniform, and there are no visible gaps. This type of backlit, round mirror is perfect for lighting your face when looking at your reflection.
[PIN id="44050902596721497" description="hide" size="large"]
[/PIN]
This mirror uses the mosaic-tile frame we mentioned in the earlier section. Using lightweight mosaic tiles rather than ceramic ones are recommended, as the ceramic may be too heavy for your adhesive.
[PIN id="179369997651387492" description="hide" size="large"]
[/PIN]
Aside from tile, you can also spruce up the look of your mirror with DIY frames. This one uses a painted wooden frame to match the hardware and accent wall of the bathroom. There also does not seem to be any tile behind this bathroom mirror.
[PIN id="789396640953399410" description="hide" size="large"]
[/PIN]
Notice how only the back of this bathroom mirror is tiled. When it comes to bathroom mirrors, you can tile the wall behind it completely or tile only a portion, like in this example. This is in contrast to not tiling the wall or tiling behind the bathroom mirror.
Wrapping Things Up
You can tile behind a bathroom mirror, but this is not a rule. For the most part, tile is good for keeping your bathroom wall more uniform and easier to clean. Aside from these reasons, tiling behind your bathroom mirror is a design preference.
Did you find this post helpful? If you did, check out our other articles before you go!