How Do I Attach A Mirror To A Dresser?

Through the many redesigns of bedroom furniture–from traditional to contemporary–the mirror and dresser combination remains a design standard. Though often viewed as one piece, the mirror is often attached to the dresser from behind. Attach the mirror to a dresser using hardware or wood supports. This ensures the mirror stays positioned center to the dresser and will not slip down from the weight of its glass and frame.

Hardware used to attach a mirror to the back of a dresser provides both support for its weight and stability for the mirror frame. Flat bracket plates are screwed into the mirror frame at one end and into the back of the dresser at the other end. Heavy-duty brackets will support the weight of the mirror more through their thickness and size. The shape of your mirror's frame determines whether a flat, straight, T-shape or L-shape bracket will work best to support your mirror.

Line up your mirror with the back edge of your dresser and position it at the center of your dresser's width. Check that your mirror is balanced and level, both side-to-side and front to back. The mirror should not be leaning backward or forward, and both sides should rest on the dresser. This is a two-person job to hold the mirror in place as it is screwed to the dresser.

An alternative to using metal brackets is to use wood strips to secure the mirror to the dresser. Cut two, 4-feet pieces of 1-by-2 inch wood strips. Half of the strips' vertical lengths will be attached to the mirror and the other half to the back of the dresser using wood screws.

Position the mirror in place on the dresser and measure the width of the mirror's frame. Mark the two vertical ends of the mirror's frame on the back of the dresser. This will mark the position to attach the wood supports. Line up 2 feet of the wood strip on the back of the dresser, with the other 2 feet of the wood support extending up. Screw the wood strip to the dresser using 1 ¼-inch or 1 ½-inch wood screws. Line up the mirror to the wood strips and attach the wood supports using screws.

Or, screw the wood supports to the back of the mirror first and then position the mirror with its support wood strips on the dresser. Once the mirror is centered onto the dresser, screw the lower half of supports into the back of dresser. With the mirror secured to the dresser, place it against or away from a wall without worrying about the mirror falling.