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How to Cut a Mirror or Glass

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After removing the mirror from my master bathroom, I wanted to repurpose it into some cool projects.  No idea what cool projects I was going to make with that large mirror but I’m too much of a treasure hunter NOT to do something with it. My first attempt was a complete failure.  My straight edge moved so my scored line wasn’t straight.  That resulted in a …well, not a clean break.  In addition to not having clamped down my straight edge, my scoring tool sucked.  I bought a new one and tried again — with great success.  Here are some important things I learned about how to cut a mirror.
How to Cut a Mirror

Mirror cutting Tools

1.  All scoring tools are not equal.  I first used one that I bought at the local home improvement store.  They only had 1 to choose from.  It did not work worth a lick.  Don’t buy that one. 9It had 6 tiny scoring blades on a wheel.)
Glass and mirror cutting tool and oil
The new glass cutter I bought has one cutting wheel and a cavity in the handle for oil.
I bought mine on Amazon.  The tool was $20, which is high compared to some. But I tried the $5 option the first time and it sucked so I spent a bit more and got one that had a chance of actually working!  (It had good reviews.)

2.  You need oil.  Either on the mirror or on the scoring wheel or both.  I think you can use any kind of oil, sewing machine, cooking…not sure.  I just bought the oil that was in the, “often purchased with…” area when I put the scoring tool in my Amazon shopping cart.

Glass and Mirror Cutting…I mean Breaking

You don’t actually cut glass and mirrors. Mirrors break. I am now going to give you a pathetic attempt at a sciency explanation of why. Glass is a solid liquid. When you score the glass it disturbs the surface allowing you to separate the two sides of that line.  After you score, can make a clean break right down that score line.

We’re just going to keep calling it “cutting” because that’s easier than saying, “scoring and breaking”.

How to cut a mirror

Wear safety glasses.  When the mirror breaks, you don’t want little pieces of glass flying into your eyes.  I don’t suggest gloves for the scoring part because it’s difficult to hold the scoring tool when wearing gloves.  You can put gloves on before you snap the mirror.

Score

  1. Clean the mirror.  If there’s specks of dirt or sand, it can mess up the score line.
  2. Clamp your straight edge down on the mirror.
  3. Hold the scoring tool straight.  Don’t let it tilt to the left or right.
  4. Use even pressure all the way through the score.
  5. Start on the very edge and score all the way to the other edge.
  6. Make your score line in ONE attempt.
    1. DO NOT GO BACK OVER YOUR SCORE!   You might be tempted to go back and forth to make sure you got it.  Don’t do it!
  7. You should hear a scratching sound while you’re scoring the mirror.  The kind of sound that makes you cringe.  Like fingernails on a chalkboard. But that’s a good thing.  That awful sound means your disturbing those molecules!How to Cut a Mirror

Snap

After scoring the mirror you’re going to run the score line.  That means you’re going to apply opposing pressure to both sides of the score line — further separating those particles until the snap away from each other. There are a couple ways you can do this:

  1. Pull the mirror so the half of the score line is off the edge of the surface you’re cutting on. Hold the side that is still on the table firmly and then apply quick downward pressure to the edge that is OFF the table.  It should break cleanly right down the score line.
  2. You can use running pliers to pull and gently wiggle the “off cut”.  Work your way down the score line and keep pulling and wiggling until the two sides break apart.
 I personally like the quick snapping technique.  Especially with a large mirror. The most important thing to remember is to use ONE CONTINUOUS, evenly pressured score all the way from the beginning of your mirror OFF the opposite end!

That is all there is to knowing how to cut a mirror.

cut builder mirror

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Comments

  1. LOVE this! I have a HUGE builders mirror in my bathroom that I'll be taking down when we re-do that room, and I'm glad to know I can cut it. I already have one in my garage from the downstairs bath make-over that I've been saving. Yay! Hope you're packing is coming along. I really don't think I can do the 30 day challenge…I would go bonkers! lolHugsmissy

  2. Love it! I love the glass/liquid explanation. My husband (an engineer) loves to explain things to me that way. My eyes gloss over and I usually go into daydreamland and dream about escaping to do something more exciting….like scrubbing the toilets. Ha ha ha What do you have planned for your mirrors?

  3. I saw the coolest mirror this weekend (I'll try to find the site) that reminded me of you and builder mirrors. It was just a completely plain piece of mirror with an awesome modern lattice-type pattern build out of small strips of wood over the top of it (and the same small strips as a frame around it). If I were more confident in my carpentry skills, I'd totally try to build one with one of the pieces of my mirror – once I bread it into pieces, that is.

  6. That is a great tip. When we took down our two horrid builders mirrors from the bathrooms, we envisioned cutting them and hanging at least one over the fireplace. But then we chickened out and sold them on Craigslist (or maybe gave away, can't remember…). Perhaps next time I will woman up and just cut them! 🙂

  8. Oooooh. I have like three of these puppies that I'm dying to cut up. Thanks for the info. Now can you post about how to build a cool frame for said cut mirrors? Thanks for your know how!

  9. that was A M A Z I N G!! you have some mad skills. thanks for the tips of does and donts too.

  11. Girl, this is awesome! I have THREE builder mirrors in my garage right now. Hubs wanted to throw them out last week and I said nooooo b/c I knew I could cut them down somehow & use them!! You rock. Great video by the way. I’m impressed!

  12. Good video. I like the look of trepidation and surprise when it actually worked. lol. Please use safety glasses though. It is not uncommon for little chips to come flying at you and it would be a real shame to get a little piece of glass in your eye.

    • Yes, good point. I am usually a sucker for safety but everything I read is that these mirrors wouldn’t chip and fly into your eyes. I did however, put on my goggles for subsequent cuts because I was nervous about that very thing. I thought I edited out all the trepidation though. LOL

  13. I love Sawdust and Paper Scraps. She gives real life useful home improvement tutorials for ladies who arent afraid to get their hands dirty.

  14. while mirrors do not intimidate me, your tutorial is phenomenal, and the video is a great visual!!! Nicely done!

  15. I saw your post a few months ago, and was totally inspired. I went out and bought a glass cutter/scorer but then chickened out. 🙁 Today I did it! I made my first cut, for practice, and am so excited about how easy it really is. Now I just need to get some clamps and a straight edge (I used duct tape but didn’t get close enough for a good straight cut). I am not going to frame the mirror when finished, any suggestions for finishing the cut edges?
    Thanks for the great ideas!

  17. We cut our mirrors for our master bathroom. We also broke a few but finally got it. Good tip about the oil.

  18. I have a mirror and I am not afraid to cut it! 🙂 Thanks for the video … I am going to do this for a project I am working on. Your the best!
    Hugs,
    Bj

    PS I really like where you are headed with your blog. You certainly found a unique nitch!

  19. This is a great video! I have an old sliding mirrored wardrope door which I don’t want to throw out ( the frame from around it has came of) iv kept it cause I wanted to cut it and frame it, I have googled it loads of times to see if anyone has done anything with a large mirror like this and your video is perfect, I did what you said and it turned out perfect! I now have 2 beautiful and very large framed mirrors tht everyone who sees them comments on thanxs so much for posting your vid it gave the the push I needed to get started.

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