DIY Home Gym Mirror that is super affordable!
We took a builder grade mirror and gave it a super quick and affordable DIY update that fits perfectly in our home gym!
When we made over our home gym, one element that is a necessity is a mirror.
Whether you are wanting to monitor your form, watch your fitness goals take shape or create a dance studio space, a mirror is a great addition for your home and definitely one of many gym necessities.
But when I went to price a new mirror – yikes!
I instantly had major sticker shock. Gym wall mirrors are very pricey! Here’s how we created an affordable diy home gym mirror that works perfectly for our small space.
DIY Home Gym Mirror
(Some affiliate links are provided below. Full disclosure here.)
If you’ve ever been to commercial gyms or a fitness center, it’s guaranteed that you would find wall to wall mirrors.
While I didn’t want an entire mirrored wall in our gym, we did want a large-scale mirror, about 3 foot x 5 foot.
That way we could see our whole body while checking for proper form.
Typical full length mirrors are an inexpensive item, but they were too small and wouldn’t work for our home gym design.
I loved the look of the black framed mirror like this one from Wayfair.
But I wasn’t about to pay $300-$400!
I found another one that was cheaper at Bed Bath and Beyond, but anything over $100 was too much.
I checked out Home Depot and they had the most affordable option, but I knew I could get one even cheaper.
So I searched Facebook Marketplace and found this one!
It was a big mirror that was used in someone’s bathroom.
And they were selling it for $35 – which I was able to talk them down to a fair price of $25.
But it didn’t have that cool black edging that I had hoped for.
So here’s how we fixed that!
DIY Home Gym Mirror
Of all the DIY projects we’ve tackled, this one may be the easiest of all.
These are the supplies you’ll need for this project.
- Wall Mirror – check your marketplace or thrift store for a deal
- Mirror mounting materials – we used this J channel and these clips from Home Depot
- Stud Finder – this is one of my favorites
- Electrical Tape – ours is 3/4″ thick
Yup, you read that right.
Good ol’ fashioned electrical tape.
Instructions
The first thing you want to do before you hang your mirror on the wall is to measure your wall space.
Make sure you get a size that will work for your home. Our mirror is about 5 foot tall and 3 feet wide.
It’s important to note that large wall mirrors are heavy, so make sure you find the right hanging system for your mirror.
We used a J channel for the main support.
It’s a metal channel that attaches to the wall that and a single large mirror sits in.
And you may want to make sure you have help hanging the heavy mirror!
It’s also important to hang this into the wall studs, so you need to have a stud finder handy.
Now some people recommend using mirror adhesive to attach it to the wall.
But since we were turning an unused bedroom into our home gym setup, I didn’t want to use construction adhesive to attach the mirror to the wall.
So we opted to used these mirror clips to help hold the mirror in place.
Again, make sure you hang these in the studs!
How high should gym mirrors be off the floor?
The best height for gym mirrors that aren’t floor to ceiling is to be hung usually 16-22 inches from the floor.
That way you can still see below your foot and above your head. BTW – the mirror doesn’t have to be on the floor for you to see your feet!
For us, we had an electrical outlet that sat under the mirror so our main concern was making sure to hang the mirror above that.
Our other issue was the height of the people in our home. I have 2 really tall sons and a tall husband.
So we also wanted it to be high enough that our boys could see themselves when they worked out.
Trimming Out the Mirror
Once our mirror was hung, Trent got some electrical tape and brought it to our exercise room.
I had seen this idea used on windows on House Beautiful before, and thought – why not try it for our mirror?
Most electrical tape is 3/4 inch wide, but can get it in different sizes.
We simply ran the tape along all four edges of the mirror to create this framed look.
This took just a few bucks and not a lot of time to create the exact aesthetic we were hoping for!
Yeah, the tape goes over the mirror clips, but in the end, I hardly ever notice it unless I’m looking at these pictures! 🤪
Substitutions to hang the mirror
There are some other options for hanging a mirror on the market that you might want to check out.
- Mirror Mastic – This is heavy duty construction adhesive that you apply to the back of the mirror and attach it to the wall. It will help hold heavy mirrors to the wall. We opted not to use this since we wanted this to be hung temporarily.
- Frame the mirror – You could find a way to frame out the mirror with wood to secure it, but that will definitely add to the weight of the mirror.
- Size of the mirror – Depending on your space, you can possibly explore smaller mirrors for your own home gym.
Other Mirror Options
If you don’t want to mess with hanging a huge mirror, there is a great alternative you can explore. I have seen some creative ways to make custom wall mirrors out of creative items.
- Full-Length Mirrors – Simply pair 3 or 4 mirrors together to help create one large mirror. You could repurpose over the door mirrors or other long mirror types to make this work for your home workout space.
- Shatter-resistant mirrors – This is a safe way to add mirrors to your fitness room if you have a concern about broken glass. Any heavy weight that goes rogue and flies across the room can cause damage for sure.
- Mirror Tiles – You can create a wall of mirrors by combining these smaller square pieces together into one.
- Exercise Mirrors – Have you seen these cool workout mirrors? It’s latest craze with fitness enthusiasts. It’s basically a smart mirror with a built in screen that shows a video that you follow while working out. If money is not an issue, then you could purchase one for your home gym.
Click here to see our full
Small Home Gym Reveal!
So there you have it!
I hope this inspires you to create your own DIY Home Gym Mirror for your workout room.
We have had so much fun making over this small home gym for our house. If you missed the details of that makeover, head over to this post and read how we transformed a basement bedroom in a home gym for our family.
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