You don't need to be an expert to hang a mirror on the wall. You just need to responsibly approach this issue and familiarize yourself with some of the installation features.
Which mirror to choose
Mirrors are not only used for practical purposes in interior design. Today, they often play the role of an effective design solution that allows you to visually increase the space, add light and space to the room.
The choice of mirror depends on where the mirror will be installed. In the hallway, it should be large so that any of the family members can see themselves in full growth. They hang such a mirror on the wall or fix it on the cabinet door.
For the bathroom, it is better to purchase a vertically elongated mirror - oval or rectangular. It is advisable to place two mirrors in this room - the main and additional. The second is mounted on the opposite wall from the main one on a special bracket that allows you to adjust the position. With it, you can see the hairstyle from all sides. The frame of the mirror located in the bathroom must be made of stainless steel or resistant plastic, asunder high humidity conditions, other materials are quickly degraded.
What to look for when choosing
A mirror is a piece of furniture purchased for more than one year. Therefore, it is important not to make a mistake and get a really high-quality thing. Particular attention should be paid to the coating. It can be silver or aluminium. The first is more expensive, but has very high reflective qualities and a long service life. When purchasing a mirror on the wall, be sure to familiarize yourself with the quality certificate in order to exclude the presence of harmful substances in the coating, for example, lead.
The blue or green shade of the reverse wall of the mirror indicates its resistance to moisture. If the color of the coating is purple, then the quality of the product is low. The reflective surface of the mirror must be clean, smooth, free of dull spots and air bubbles. The quality of the mirror can also be judged by the smooth edge. Chips and cracks are possible only on simply cut glass, in the absence of processing. You should not choose a large wall mirror made of thin glass - over time it will sag and distort the image.
Methods of attaching mirrors
There are several mounting options. The choice of the most suitable of them depends on the type of wall, design, dimensions and weight of the mirror. It can be attached using special brackets, holders, profiles, or simply glued to the wall with adhesive tape or glue. The last method is quite simple and very popular. Exception for himmake up only huge mirrors - it is better to mount them on the wall with a more reliable method.
How to stick a mirror
The first step is to prepare the surface of the wall for gluing. To do this, free up on it a place equal in area to the size of the mirror, removing a layer of wallpaper, tiles or other finishing material. If the thickness of this coating is greater than the thickness of the mirror, you will have to attach an additional base of plywood or drywall. The wall must be even, so its surface must be puttied and sanded.
The sticker of the mirror on the wall is made with special liquid nails. If an adhesive is used instead, it is important that it does not damage the amalgam in the future. Do not apply glue to the very edges of the mirror, otherwise it may come out. If this does happen, you must immediately remove excess glue with a soft cloth. The mirror is pressed quite tightly against the wall for 15 minutes, and the gluing process can be considered complete. The only drawback of this method is that it is no longer possible to move the mirror to another place.
Adhesive mirror tape
First of all, it is recommended to cover the reverse side of the mirror with a layer of water-based paint in order to protect the amalgam from possible destruction. The surface of the wall where the mirror will hang is cleaned and degreased with alcohol or acetone. Before hanging the mirror on the wall, on it vertically every 15 cmstrips of double-sided tape are glued, their length is 7–10 cm. The gap between them is filled with silicone sealant.
The mirror is applied to the wall so that it rests on the sealant. And only after it has been aligned in the desired position, it is pressed tightly against the adhesive tape and fixed. In the bathroom, glue or adhesive tape can only be used waterproof. This type of mounting is especially suitable when the question arises of how to hang a mirror without a frame on the wall. And also in cases where it is not possible to perform drilling. This method is often used when installing mirrors on a plasterboard surface.
Mounting large mirrors
Special charm gives the room a large mirror. It is placed at some distance from the floor so that there is room for installing the plinth, and also to avoid possible damage. Such a mirror is attached using self-tapping screws and special decorative holders.
Before you hang the mirror on the wall, its surface must be leveled. Then the markup is done. To do this, the mirror is pressed tightly against the wall and the places for drilling through the holes in it are marked with a pencil. The mirror can then be removed.
It is recommended to drill holes a little obliquely - from top to bottom. This will provide a more secure fit. If in the future even the fastener loosens, it will be held by the wall itself.
After the holes are ready, a dowel is inserted into each of them. Suitable as itordinary wooden stick. For a drywall wall, it is better to use a special dowel called a "butterfly".
When deciding how to attach a mirror to a wall, using self-tapping screws is a very reliable option. Before screwing them, you need to once again attach the mirror to the wall and make sure that all the holes match. To hide the attachment points and give the mirror a more aesthetic appearance, decorative metal caps are used, which are screwed on top of the base of the insert.
Drilling holes in the mirror
How to hang a mirror without a frame on the wall if there is no way to use adhesive tape or glue? In this situation, self-tapping screws will help out. But not all mirrors are sold with pre-drilled holes. In some cases, you have to drill them yourself. This task is quite difficult, so it is best to entrust such a thing to specialists. Almost everywhere today there are workshops that cut glass. The special equipment available there will allow you to make holes quickly and efficiently.
If you still decide to deal with this on your own, then a drill with a diamond drill will help out. First you need to determine the exact location of future holes and degrease the surface with alcohol. During the drilling process, it is necessary to periodically cool the drill bit. To do this, it is recommended to use a bath of water molded from plasticine, setting it in the place where the hole will be.
You need to drill through it, adding water if necessary. Before asfix the mirror on the wall, the edges of the finished holes are carefully cleaned with fine-grained sandpaper. The whole process requires great care and precision.
Mounting mirrors with brackets
Today there are a huge number of different brackets for mirrors. They differ in the material from which they are made, construction and design. These are very handy fixtures that do not require drilling holes in the mirror.
You can also attach a mirror using homemade staples. To do this, a thin substrate is cut out of plexiglass or hardboard, to which galvanized steel plates are attached, protruding slightly beyond the edges. From above, "ears" are made for hanging the future structure. Then the mirror is superimposed on this base, and the plates are bent onto the mirror surface. It remains only to hang the mirror by the "ears" on the wall.
Install the mirror on the wall without drilling
If the mirror is not very heavy, it can be fixed without drilling holes in it. It is necessary to do this together. One person firmly presses the mirror against the wall, while the other is engaged in screwing in the screws. They need to be screwed close to the upper and lower edges, and then put on them special decorative plugs. At their expense, the mirror will hold strong enough.
All work on the installation of mirrors, whatever method is used, must be done very carefully so as not to damage the amalgam.
