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Leaning Floor Mirror Frame[8/4 · 4ft · 5-Pack]
One pack. One build. All 5 boards used. • Makes 1 floor mirror and 1 wall mirror
Shop Black Walnut 8/4 · 4ft Pack Shop All Speciesselect 4' Lengths / 4-6"
How it goes together
Black Walnut
Hard Maple
Cherry
White Oak
Red Oak
Ash
Hickory
Ambrosia Maple
Sapele*
Padauk*
Purpleheart*
*Exotic — not available for shipment to US customers.
A chunky 1¾"-thick hardwood frame for a full-length leaning mirror, plus a matching wall mirror from the rest of the pack. The frames are simple: four parts each, doweled at the corners, with a rabbet routed in the back for the glass. A local glass shop cuts the mirrors to fit. One 4ft pack makes both.
Quick Build — for experienced woodworkers
| Part | Qty | From | S4S size | S2S size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floor frame stiles | 2 | Boards 1–2 | 47" × 4" × 1¾" | 47" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Floor frame rails | 2 | Board 3 | 14" × 4" × 1¾" | 15" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Wall frame stiles | 2 | Board 4 | 20" × 4" × 1¾" | 20" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Wall frame rails | 2 | Board 5 | 8" × 4" × 1¾" | 9" × 3½" × 1¾" |
| Mirror glass, floor (glass shop) | 1 | ⅛" or 3/16" mirror | 14⅝" × 39⅝" | 15⅝" × 40⅝" |
| Mirror glass, wall (glass shop) | 1 | ⅛" or 3/16" mirror | 8⅝" × 12⅝" | 9⅝" × 13⅝" |
Frames: rails fit between full-length stiles. Two ⅜" × 2" dowels per corner, glued in the holes.
Rabbet: ⅜" wide × ½" deep on the inside back edge, routed after glue-up, corners squared with a chisel.
Glass: ⅛" or 3/16" mirror cut ⅛" under the rabbet opening, held with mirror clips over a hardboard back.
Safety: floor mirror leans about 10° and is strapped to a stud. Wall mirror hangs on 2 D-rings into studs or 30 lb anchors.
Finished size: Floor frame 47" × 22" × 1¾", wall frame 20" × 16" × 1¾" (both packs). Mirror opening S4S 14" × 39" and 8" × 12" · S2S 15" × 40" and 9" × 13".
Before You Start
Shopping List
- 1 lumber pack — 8/4 · 4ft (S4S or S2S)
- Wood glue (Titebond II or III)
- 16 × ⅜" × 2" fluted dowel pins
- 2 mirrors, ⅛" or 3/16", cut by a glass shop (sizes in the cut list)
- 2 hardboard backs, ⅛", cut to the glass size
- 12–16 mirror clips or glazier points with #6 screws
- Anti-tip furniture strap kit (with screws for a stud)
- 2 heavy D-rings + #8 screws, and 2 screws or 30 lb anchors for the wall
- Sandpaper 120 / 180 / 220
- Finish: wipe-on oil, hardwax oil or water-based poly
Tools
- Saw for crosscuts (mitre saw or circular saw with a speed square)
- Dowel jig with ⅜" bit and depth stop
- 4 bar clamps, 30" or longer
- Router with ⅜" bearing-guided rabbeting bit
- Sharp ¾" chisel
- Drill/driver, countersink bit, pilot bits
- Stud finder
- Random-orbit sander or sanding block
- S2S only: jointer, straight-line rip jig or hand plane
S4S or S2S? S4S boards arrive flat and square on all four sides — cut and build. S2S boards have rough edges you straighten first. No jointer? Choose S4S.
Our sizing assumptions: ⅛" per saw cut · S4S boards 1¾" × 4", ¼" to square an end · S2S boards trimmed ½" each end and ¼" off each rough edge (3½" clean); we plan S2S at 1¾" thick · sizes drawn for the narrowest board in the pack. Wider boards give you a bigger offcut or a wider part — never a shortage.
Step-by-Step
S4S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 4 sides — no jointing
- 1 Pick the faces. Boards 1–2 are the long stiles, so give them the best grain. Mark the show face and the outside edge of every part.
- 2 Cut the parts. Square one end and cut the floor stiles at 47" and two floor rails at 14" from board 3. Cut two wall stiles at 20" from board 4 and two wall rails at 8" from board 5. Use a stop block so pairs match exactly.
- 3 Drill the dowel holes. Dry-fit each frame with the rails between the stiles. Mark two dowel locations across every joint, about 1" in from each edge. With a dowel jig, drill ⅜" holes 1⅛" deep into the rail ends and the matching stile edges.
- 4 Glue up the frames. Put glue in the holes and on the ⅜" × 2" dowels, tap them into the rails, then clamp the stiles on. Measure both diagonals — when they match, the frame is square. Leave overnight.
- 5 Rout the rabbet. Lay each frame face down. Rout a ⅜" wide × ½" deep rabbet around the inside back edge with a bearing-guided rabbeting bit, in two or three passes. Square the round corners with a chisel.
- 6 Order the glass. Measure the rabbet openings and take ⅛" off each way. For this plan that is about 14⅝" × 39⅝" for the floor mirror and 8⅝" × 12⅝" for the wall mirror. Ask a glass shop for ⅛" or 3/16" mirror with polished or seamed edges, plus hardboard backs the same size.
- 7 Shape, sand and finish. Ease or chamfer the outside edges. Sand 120 → 180 → 220 and apply oil or water-based poly. Let it cure before the glass goes in.
- 8 Fit the mirrors. Lay the glass in the rabbet, then the hardboard back. Hold them with mirror clips or glazier points every 8–10". Pre-drill every clip screw.
- 9 Hang and secure. The wall mirror weighs about 12 lb: screw two D-rings to the back of the stiles and hang them on screws into studs, or on anchors rated for 30 lb or more. Lean the floor mirror about 10° and fasten an anti-tip strap from the top rail to a stud before you let go of it.
S2S Lumber Pack
Surfaced 2 sides — straighten edges first
- 1 Prep the boards. Trim ½" off each end to remove any end checks. Joint one edge straight, then rip the other edge parallel (¼" off each rough edge is our planning allowance). S2S boards finish 1¾" thick, so screws and some sizes change — use the sizes in this column.
- 2 Pick the faces. Boards 1–2 are the long stiles, so give them the best grain. Mark the show face and the outside edge of every part.
- 3 Cut the parts. Square one end and cut the floor stiles at 47" and two floor rails at 15" from board 3. Cut two wall stiles at 20" from board 4 and two wall rails at 9" from board 5. Use a stop block so pairs match exactly.
- 4 Drill the dowel holes. Dry-fit each frame with the rails between the stiles. Mark two dowel locations across every joint, about ⅞" in from each edge. With a dowel jig, drill ⅜" holes 1⅛" deep into the rail ends and the matching stile edges.
- 5 Glue up the frames. Put glue in the holes and on the ⅜" × 2" dowels, tap them into the rails, then clamp the stiles on. Measure both diagonals — when they match, the frame is square. Leave overnight.
- 6 Rout the rabbet. Lay each frame face down. Rout a ⅜" wide × ½" deep rabbet around the inside back edge with a bearing-guided rabbeting bit, in two or three passes. Square the round corners with a chisel.
- 7 Order the glass. Measure the rabbet openings and take ⅛" off each way. For this plan that is about 15⅝" × 40⅝" for the floor mirror and 9⅝" × 13⅝" for the wall mirror. Ask a glass shop for ⅛" or 3/16" mirror with polished or seamed edges, plus hardboard backs the same size.
- 8 Shape, sand and finish. Ease or chamfer the outside edges. Sand 120 → 180 → 220 and apply oil or water-based poly. Let it cure before the glass goes in.
- 9 Fit the mirrors. Lay the glass in the rabbet, then the hardboard back. Hold them with mirror clips or glazier points every 8–10". Pre-drill every clip screw.
- 10 Hang and secure. The wall mirror weighs about 12 lb: screw two D-rings to the back of the stiles and hang them on screws into studs, or on anchors rated for 30 lb or more. Lean the floor mirror about 10° and fasten an anti-tip strap from the top rail to a stud before you let go of it.
Why dowels? The rail ends are end grain, and glue alone will not hold end grain. The dowels are long grain glued into their holes, so they carry the joint. Two per corner also stop the rail from twisting.
Why rout the rabbet after glue-up? One pass around the inside of the finished frame gives a rabbet that lines up at every corner. Cut before glue-up, the rabbets never quite meet.
Why an anti-tip strap? A leaning mirror with glass weighs about 30 lb and can slide or be pulled over by a child or a dog. A strap to a stud keeps it where you put it.
Why pre-drill? Maple, oak and hickory split if you drive a screw without a pilot hole. Pre-drill every screw and countersink so the heads sit flush.
Make It Yours
- Two-tone: walnut stiles with maple rails make the corners stand out.
- Shelf ledge: screw a short 4/4 ledge under the wall mirror for keys and sunglasses.
- Mirror pair: build two floor frames from two packs and use the wall frames as a matched pair.
Safety and Care
- Wear eye and hearing protection. Use a push stick for every rip under 4" wide.
- Always fasten the floor mirror to a stud with an anti-tip strap. Never leave it leaning unsecured, especially with kids or pets in the house.
- Wear gloves when handling mirror glass and order it with seamed or polished edges.
- Mount into wall studs (or rated anchors sized for the load). Check for wires and pipes before drilling.
- Pre-drill every screw — hardwoods split without a pilot hole.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for S4S boards — they arrive flat and square on all four sides. S2S boards need their edges straightened: a jointer, a table saw with a straight-line jig, or a hand plane all work. No jointer? Choose the S4S pack.
Any local glass or framing shop will cut mirror to size, often the same day. Bring your rabbet measurements and ask for ⅛" or 3/16" mirror with seamed edges. 3/16" is stiffer and shows less wobble in the reflection.
The floor mirror is about 30 lb with glass, depending on the species. The wall mirror is about 12 lb. Hang the wall mirror on two studs, or anchors rated for at least 30 lb.
Yes. Screw two heavy D-rings to the stiles about a third of the way down and hang it on two screws into studs. Rated for 50 lb or more.
Planned offcuts: about 17–19" off board 3, 7" off board 4 and 29–31" off board 5. Use them for a matching shelf ledge or a small picture frame. All 5 boards go into the two frames.
Not for the floor mirror — it needs full 47" stiles. A 2ft pack builds the 20" × 16" wall mirror the same way, with boards to spare.
