Bathroom and hallway
How to measure for a mirror
Measure the space, not the mirror that is in it. A mirror is also the one panel where how it gets into the room is a real question, because it cannot be flexed round a corner.
Before you start
What you are measuring
The dimensions that decide the job
- The wall space the mirror will occupy, at three widths and two heights.
- Everything in the way: lights, cabinets, sockets, tile edges, a cistern.
- The fixing positions, if it is screwed rather than glued or hung.
- The route from the front door to the wall.
What to have in your hand
- A steel tape measure
- A spirit level
- Masking tape to mark the outline on the wall
The printable measuring pack carries the record sheet these steps fill in, plus a tracing grid for shapes a tape cannot describe.
In this order
The steps, in the order the workshop takes them
Mark the space on the wall
Masking tape at the four edges. It takes two minutes and it is the only way to see the size properly before it is cut. Measure inside the tape.
Measure the width at three heights
Top, middle and bottom. If the mirror fits between two fixed things, a cabinet and a wall for instance, use the smallest. If it hangs free on an open wall, use the size you marked out.
Measure the height at both sides
Left and right. Tiled splashbacks and skirting rarely run level, and the smaller figure is the one that fits.
Note the lights, cabinets and sockets
A wall light above, a shaver socket beside, a cistern behind. Measure each one from the same two edges you used for the mirror, and say whether you want the mirror to clear it or to be cut around it.
Specify the holes and the edge before it is cut
Screw holes with caps, a polished edge, a bevel: all of them are done at the cutting stage. A finished mirror cannot be drilled afterwards without cracking it or lifting the silvering.
Check how it gets into the room
A large mirror is rigid, heavy and awkward. Measure the narrowest point of the route, the turn at the top of the stairs or the swing of the bathroom door, before you order a piece that cannot reach the wall.
What we work to
The tolerance, and where to start
We cut to plus or minus 2mm, and every order is confirmed with a dimensioned drawing before anything is made. A mirror hung on an open wall has no opening to fit, so the tolerance never shows. A mirror dropped between two cabinets does, so leave 3mm at each side.
The usual specification
4mm
4mm silvered mirror is the standard for bathroom and wardrobe mirrors up to about a metre.
The configurator link below opens with a bathroom mirror at 600 x 800mm in that specification. It is a starting point the workshop cuts often, not a guess at your opening: change the numbers to the ones you have just measured and the price and the drawing follow.
What costs people a panel
The common mistakes
Tracing the old mirror
The old one may have been cut to fit a bathroom that has since been retiled. Measure the wall as it is now.
Forgetting the light above
A mirror sized to the wall and a light fitting sized to the same wall meet in the middle. Measure the clear space between them.
Asking for holes afterwards
Holes are drilled before the edges are worked. Once the mirror is finished, a new hole means a new mirror.
Measuring the wall but not the stairs
The mirror has to get to the wall in one piece, and it does not bend.
When you order
What to send us
- The three widths and the two heights, in millimetres.
- The position of any light, socket or cabinet you want cleared or cut around.
- The edge you want, and the number and position of any holes.
- How you plan to fix it: screws and caps, adhesive, or a hanging system.
Write them on the record sheet as you go: download the three-page measuring pack PDF, or read the same sheets on the measuring pack page.
Next
Settle the rest before you order
- What size mirror for the basin
- What thickness a mirror needs
- See a mirror on your own wall
- What the mirror will weigh
Measuring something else? Every product we cut to size has its own guide on the measuring pack page.