Glass and Mirrors - Interesting mirror restoration idea

So, I have a 4x3 bathroom mirror, with some chips on the corners, and decay of the silver around the edges. I could frame it, but I had an interesting alternative idea, and I wanted to see if anyone has tried something similar, or knows whether it would work. The easy bit is trimming the corners off to take care of the chipping (this is not what I'm here to ask about).

Here's the interesting part: what if I scraped off about 1"-2" of the silver backing around the edges of the mirror with a utility razor, and then used a waterproof paint around the now-clear glass border, which will both seal the silver against further damage, and frame the mirror from _behind_ the glass? You could even apply some sort of a pattern to the clear glass boundary before sealing (I am not that artistic though). Would this work? Is removing the silver going to be unreasonably tricky to get right?

Yes, removing the silver is going to be unreasonably tricky to get it right. What you see on the back is paint over electro copper plating which protects the silver that is actually adhered to the glass. You will never keep a straight line, the single edge blade will have to changed often to remove the paint and copper and the silver will actually have to be completely removed by buffing with a pumice compound. Find some trim that you like and apply it to the face of the mirror.

Ah, that's too bad, that would have looked neat. But, this is why I ask! I am doing some re-flooring with bamboo, and am sure to have some left over. I expect that will make nice trim.