Highlights
Custom mirror cutting usually costs around $30 to $75.
Thick mirrors cost more than thin mirrors.
There are three primary mirror edge types: Seamed, beveled, and polished.
You can save money by customizing a mirror yourself.
Mirrors can make your home look larger and brighter while reflecting your unique style sensibility, so they're a great addition to any interior design. If your home has unique space constraints or there's a very specific mirror style you're after, you can have a custom mirror created.
Custom mirror prices vary by several factors, but a 36-inch square custom mirror usually costs around $150 to $350, depending on the customizations. Find out how much custom mirrors cost based on factors like size, customization type, and whether you hire a pro to do it.
How Much Do Custom Mirrors Cost?
Base Mirror Costs
A basic 36-inch square mirror with a seamed edge usually costs around $80 to $100. However, a seamed edge is essentially an unfinished edge, so the mirror will need to be beveled or framed to be safe in your home. Adding beveling, framing, or other customizations will drive up costs.
Minor Customizations
A 36-inch square mirror with minor customizations, such as framing or beveling, usually costs around $150 to $200.
Major Customizations
Adding multiple customizations to a 36-inch square mirror, such as framing, custom cuts, and increased thickness can cost around $250 to $350 or more.
Factors That Affect Custom Mirror Costs
From adding a custom frame to incorporating beveled edges, there are many types of mirror customizations. And the customizations you choose will affect the cost.
Custom Mirror Cutting
It usually costs $30 to $75 to custom cut a mirror into a standard shape, like a circle, oval, or rectangle. Circles and ovals are trickier to cut than rectangles, so they'll cost closer to the higher end of that range. You’re not limited to these basic shapes, but more complex designs that require multiple edges and cuts can cost $100 or more.
If you don't want to hire someone to cut the glass for you, then you can purchase a glass cutter for $10 to $20 and cut the glass yourself—if you have the skills and feel comfortable doing so.
Custom Mirror Framing
Mirror framing can cost anywhere from $80 to $250 or more depending on the mirror's size and shape. A 36-inch square mirror usually costs around $150 to $200 to professionally frame.
You can save some money by framing the mirror yourself with a DIY kit. Mirror framing kits are available at many home improvement stores and usually cost around $50 to $100, depending on the size and materials you choose.
Custom Mirror Thickness
Most mirrors are made with glass that's 1/4-, 3/16-, or 1/8-inch thick. Square wall mirrors larger than 36 inches should be at least 1/4-inch thick for safety reasons. Square mirrors less than 36 inches are typically safe to use in any of the three standard thicknesses.
Typically, the thicker the glass, the more expensive (and durable) the mirror. For instance, a 36-inch square mirror with a seamed edge and 1/4-inch thickness usually costs around $80 to $100, while the same mirror with 1/8-inch thickness ranges from $50 to $70.
Custom Mirror Edges
Mirrors typically feature one of three edge types: Seamed, beveled, or polished. Seamed edges are usually the least expensive, while beveled edges are the most expensive.
Seamed: Seamed edges, also called "broken" edges, are sanded down with an aluminum oxide-based sanding tool to remove sharp edges. But this edge type is still quite sharp, so it's typically only used when the mirror's edge will be covered by a frame. A 36-inch square mirror with a seamed edge and 1/4-inch thickness usually costs around $80 to $100.
Beveled: Beveled edges are cut and polished to create an angular border, usually around one inch wide. These are commonly used on frameless mirrors to add some texture and visual interest while softening the sharp edges. A 36-inch square mirror with a one-inch beveled edge and 1/4-inch thickness ranges from $160 to $200.
Polished: Polished edges are typically used on glass-top tables, but some very large mirrors, like those found in fitness studios, often use this edge type in lieu of bevels since beveled edges can reduce the durability of very large mirrors. A 36-inch square mirror with a machine-polished edge and 1/4-inch thickness costs around $85 to $120.
Custom Mirror Extras
Depending on your mirror's shape and where you plan to install it, you might need special holes, notches, angle cuts, and/or cutouts. These features generally add anywhere from $10 to $50 each to the cost of the mirror.
Hole: $10–$20
Notch: $20–$30
Angle Cut: $35–$45
Cutout: $30–$50
Custom Mirror Cost Breakdown
What you’ll pay depends largely on three things: materials, labor, and the mirror’s size and thickness.
Materials
The base mirror you buy will likely be your biggest expense. Mirror prices range anywhere from $10 to $3,000 or more, but you can find a basic 36-inch square mirror with a seamed edge for around $80 to $100. You'll then need to pay for any customizations you want, such as custom cuts, framing, or beveling. The more customizations, the higher your costs.
Labor
Unless you customize the mirror yourself, you'll need to pay a pro to customize it for you. Prices vary by customization.
Once you customize your mirror, you can hire a local mirror installer to put it up for you. This is a particularly helpful option if you need to hang a heavy mirror or a mirror that's otherwise challenging to install. It usually costs around $50 to $150 in labor to install a mirror, depending on the mirror's size and the job's complexity.
Size and Thickness
Mirrors come in nearly infinite sizes and shapes, which impact costs. Generally, the larger and thicker your mirror, the more you can expect to pay. For instance, an 18-by-18-inch square mirror with 1/4-inch thickness and a beveled edge costs around $65 to $85, while the same mirror in a 36-inch size costs around $160 to $200.
Cost to Customize a Mirror Yourself
You can save money by customizing a mirror yourself, but some customizations are trickier to DIY than others. Basic customizations, like simple cuts, are fairly straightforward to DIY with a good glass cutter.
Cost to Customize a Mirror Yourself vs. Hiring a Contractor
Glass cutters only cost about $10 to $20, but pros usually charge around $30 to $75 for mirror cuts, so cutting it yourself will save you money. However, more complex customizations, such as beveling, are best tackled by a professional or someone with glass fabrication experience since one wrong move can shatter the mirror.
Custom Mirror Questions and Answers
Should I buy a custom mirror?
Standard mirrors come in many different shapes, sizes, and thicknesses, so you can often find a great fit for your space without needing to add customizations. Custom mirrors are ideal if your space has very specific constraints. For instance, maybe you need a mirror that's much longer or wider than you can find in a standard mirror. You might also want a custom mirror if you have particular styling preferences, such as a frame with a specific finish or a unique edge.
What are the drawbacks of custom mirrors?
Since custom mirror prices are typically higher than standard mirrors, you might consider their higher cost a drawback. Additionally, many customizations result in a mirror that falls outside of a standard shape, so you might have to pay a higher price for additional customizations if you plan to change it.
For example, reframing a square mirror is fairly straightforward since standard frames already come in square shapes. However, reframing a mirror with an abstract shape will likely be pricier since you'll need to hire a professional to build a mirror frame that fits the mirror's unique shape.
What's the biggest custom mirror I can buy?
According to HomeAdvisor, you can purchase standard mirrors up to 98 by 80 inches, but you can also purchase custom mirrors that are larger. However, larger mirrors often need to comprise more than one piece of glass.
