Is there any way to fix a crack in a mirror?

Not so that it disappears. The resins used on chipped windshields don't work on mirror, because the silver backing is damaged along the crack too. A corner chip can be ground smooth so it's safe. For a crack, the fix is a new piece cut to the same size, often set back into the same frame.

When is it worth paying to resilver a mirror rather than replace it?

When the old glass itself matters: a genuine antique, wavy period glass, or a family mirror whose value is in being original. For a modern mirror, or when only the frame is special, new mirror costs less and looks better. The pro will tell you whether they arrange resilvering or who to ask.

How do I safely dispose of a broken mirror?

Wear gloves and eye protection. Tape loose pieces together, wrap the glass in cardboard or thick layers of newspaper, tape the bundle shut and mark it as broken glass so nobody handling it gets cut. Check your municipality's waste guidance for large mirrors, or ask the pro fitting the replacement mirror to take the old one away.

What makes a mirror replacement quote go up or down?

Size, thickness, edge finish and any frame work. A glued-on vanity mirror that comes off in sections adds labour. Resilvering an antique is a different job with its own price. Cut mirror is priced much like custom-cut glass, and photos of the front and back speed the quote up.

Damaged mirrors

Replacing or restoring a damaged mirror

Black creeping in from the edges, a cracked corner, a haze that won't clean off. Usually the straight answer is a new piece of mirror cut to fit the frame you already have. Resilvering, where a specialist silvers the original glass again, is worth it for fewer mirrors than people think. We connect you with a local glass professional who can tell you which yours is and quote the work, or point you to a restorer.

New mirror in your existing frame
Straight advice on resilvering
Vanity, dresser, hall and cabinet mirrors

Get a free quote 905-470-3454

Dark patches spreading from the edges: the silver behind the glass is corroding.

What you're seeing

Black edges, spots and cracks: what each one means

Black edges

Moisture and cleaning sprays get past the edge or the protective paint and corrode the silver. It works inward from the edges, most often in bathrooms, and it doesn't reverse.

Spots and clouding across the face

The backing has broken down in patches, often from age or the wrong adhesive. No cleaner reaches it.

Cracks and chips

A small corner chip can be ground smooth so it's safe. A crack means a new piece, one of the smaller home glass jobs we pass on.

The usual fix

Keeping the frame, changing the glass

For most framed mirrors, dresser and hall mirrors included, the frame is the part worth keeping. The old mirror comes out the back, a new piece is cut to the same size and thickness, and it goes back with fresh backing. It's usually the quickest, least costly fix. A loose frame or soft backing board can be sorted at the same time, or the pro will say it needs a furniture refinisher.

Everyday mirrors

Vanity, cabinet and closet door mirrors

Frameless vanity mirrors are usually glued and clipped up, so the pro plans for the old one to come down safely in sections, then mounts a new one on proper supports. A new one can have the edge and mounting you choose. Medicine cabinet doors and closet panels can usually take new mirror too. If a slider also jumps its track, see mirrored closet doors.

Same place, new mirror

Black edges out, clear mirror in

The most common version: a corroded bathroom mirror replaced with a new cut piece, its bottom edge kept clear of standing water.

See custom mirror options

Resilver or replace

When resilvering an old mirror makes sense

Resilvering keeps the original glass: often thinner, slightly wavy, with a tone new glass doesn't match. That matters on a true antique or a family piece whose value is partly in the glass. It's specialist work, often arranged through a restorer, and it costs more than new mirror. If the frame is the heirloom and not the glass, new mirror is the sensible fix.

Oshawa has plenty of pre-1960 homes, many in the older core around downtown, and some of their hall mirrors deserve that care. The city's own reference point is Parkwood on Simcoe Street North, a National Historic Site valued because its interiors survive largely as built. Original is worth keeping when original is the point.

What affects the quote

What the price of a mirror replacement turns on

Mirror size and thickness
Edge finish on the new piece
Work on the frame: new backing, fixings or repairs
Resilvering the original glass versus cutting new
Removing a glued-on mirror and disposing of the old one
Installation height and access

Photos of the front and back, with the frame and glass sizes, are enough to start.

Get a mirror replacement quote

Free quotes from independent local pros.

Broken mirror

Taking down and getting rid of a broken mirror

If a mirror has cracked on the wall, leave it there until you're ready. Run wide tape across the face in a grid, wear gloves and eye protection, and keep kids and pets out of the room. A large glued-on mirror is best left to the pro, who removes it as part of the job; ask whether taking the old one away is in the quote. Wrapping and disposal are covered in the questions below.

Common questions

Before you replace or restore a mirror

Explore your options

Pros replace and restore mirrors across Oshawa and nearby towns, including Downtown Oshawa, Whitby, Bowmanville and Port Perry.

Send a photo of the mirror and its frame

Photos of the front and back, with the sizes, are all we need. We pass them to a local glass pro who handles mirror jobs, and they get back to you with a quote, or a straight answer on whether resilvering is worth it.