Fixing the mirror to the wall: mounting methods, types of fasteners

Sometimes even seemingly simple tasks are confusing. For example: hang a mirror on the wall of the bathroom, hallway, dressing room, on the closet door. How if there is no frame or any other fasteners? In fact, attaching a mirror to a wall is a simple task. If you know the ways and methods. 

Methods for attaching mirrors to the wall

During the repair or arrangement of an apartment, at home, sometimes it is necessary to fix a mirror on which there is no frame. Recently, this is the most popular design method. In general, there are five ways of fastening. They are selected depending on the type of base on which the installation will be carried out, and the area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe mirror surface. You can hang a mirror in the following ways:

• Glue to the surface using special glue or adhesive-sealant.
• Install special holders on the wall.
• Drill holes in the mirror, fix through them to the wall or furniture door. You can use ordinary self-tapping screws, but there are special fasteners with plastic compensators that prevent the fasteners from being “tightened” and prevent cracks from appearing.

• Install a decorative profile on the wall, lower the lower edge of the mirror into it, fix the upper one using one of the methods described above.
• Hanging on a special adhesive tape (mounting tape 3M).
• Fixing the mirror to the wall without drilling is possible only with glue or special double-sided tape. This may be required when mounting on a plasterboard wall, foam block partitions, and other materials with low bearing capacity. This method will also come in handy if you don’t want to spoil the tile, furniture door, etc. All other methods involve drilling holes.

At what height

The installation height of the mirrors depends on the place of installation and its purpose. In the bathroom, it is hung so that the middle of the mirror surface is at eye level. The growth of residents may be different, but on average the center is at a height of 160-165 cm from the floor.

When hanging in the hallway, dressing room mirrors are usually installed long and narrow. In them, a person should be displayed in full growth. To do this, its upper edge should be slightly above the head – 3-5 cm. When hanging on cabinet doors, its upper edge is used as a guide. If the cabinet is high, the mirror is also fixed a few centimeters above the head.

Mirror holders and installation methods

If after some time the mirror has to be removed/replaced, it is more convenient to install it on the holders. They are of two types:

• through;
• non-through (ordinary).

Non-through mirror holders are mounted on a wall or a door. Then the edge of the mirror is inserted into them. They can be attached almost close to the plane of the wall / door, or they can be carried out. In the second option, a gap from 5 mm to several centimeters remains between the wall and the mirror. This saves, if necessary, mounting on uneven walls.

When using ordinary holders, they are placed two at the bottom (if the mirror is small, you can put one at the bottom – in the center), two on the sides. When installing, carefully measure and set aside the dimensions. The lower holders are located strictly horizontally at an equal distance from the edge, and the side ones are placed on so that the edge of the mirror passes easily into their grooves. At the same time, it should not fall out even with a maximum shift to one of the sides. Usually the mounting distance of the holders should be 2-3 mm wider than the mirror, but there may be options – depending on the design of the holders.

Another option is two at the top and two at the bottom. In this case, the distance between the fasteners is also a couple of millimeters greater than the height of the mirror.

Through holders are used if there are holes for fasteners in the mirror surface. They can be made in a glass workshop. The holders themselves are ordinary self-tapping screws or dowel-nails with plastic lining and decorative caps of various shapes and diameters.

They are installed like ordinary dowels. First, holes for installation are marked (attach a mirror to the wall, make marks with a pencil or marker), holes are drilled, plastic plugs are installed for the dowels. Then fasteners with a plastic plug put on are threaded through a hole in the mirror surface and installed in place. The final stage is the installation of decorative overlays.

Mounting the mirror to the wall with glue

Not every wall is easy to install fasteners. For example, to hang something on plasterboard partitions or walls, you must either install fasteners in the place where the profile passes, or use special butterfly dowels. Each such mount can withstand about 20 kg. This is enough to mount a mirror, but not everyone wants to make holes in the wall. If the walls are even or the mirror needs to be installed on the door of a cabinet or other piece of furniture, it can be glued.

Which glue to choose

For installation, a special glue is used, which is called “glue for mirrors”. They differ from conventional ones in that they do not damage the amalgam coating. The important point is that the composition must have good adhesion (adhesion) to the surface on which you are going to glue the mirror.

Here are some popular formulations:

• Moment Installation Liquid Nails. Made on the basis of synthetic rubber, after drying it does not harden, remains elastic. Suitable for application on wood, plaster, painted surfaces, metals. A cartridge for a 310 ml construction pistol costs 160 rubles.
• SOUDAL 47A. Composition – synthetic rubber, suitable for gluing on concrete, brick, ceramic, plastered substrates. It features a short curing time, has a good adhesive ability. Contains a weak solvent which may damage poor quality amalgam. If in doubt about the quality of the coating, a test should be carried out before use. A 310 ml tube costs 190 rubles.
  

• Tytan for mirrors. Based on synthetic rubber and resins. Suitable for gluing on porous surfaces (concrete, plaster, brick, wood and wood-based materials, drywall). Seizes in 10-20 minutes, the color is beige. A 300 ml cartridge costs 170 rubles.
• Penosil MirrorFix H1296. Base – synthetic rubber, can stick to stone, wood, glass, metal, concrete, painted surfaces, gypsum. Suitable for mounting mirrors up to 6 mm thick (except those coated with epoxy powder). The color is beige, the setting time is 10-15 minutes. A 310 ml tube costs 260 rubles.

There can still be many compositions, the most common ones have been described. They quickly “seize”, but the final drying occurs only after 72 hours or more.

What else can you stick to?

Neutral silicone sealant is suitable for gluing mirrors. It has excellent adhesive power and does not damage the amalgam. The cost of mirror glue and silicone sealant is about the same, the setting time is also about the same. When choosing, be careful: acidic (acetic) silicone sealants destroy the amalgam. Therefore, carefully read the composition and scope.

Any composition will do, but for attaching the mirror to the bathroom wall, it is better to take it with antifungal additives. This will prevent the development of fungi and mold. Also in wet areas, you can use silicone for aquariums. It is always made on the basis of silicone, neutral, fungi and mold do not appear on it. The cost may be slightly more expensive than conventional sanitary silicone.

Gluing technology

Attaching a mirror to a wall with glue is a simple procedure, but there are some things you need to know. Before gluing, the surface on which the mirror will be glued and its back side are cleaned of dirt, dust, degreased (wipe with alcohol, wash with soapy water and dry). A strip of glue is applied to the mirror with a “snake”, pressed against the wall at the installation site. The adhesive composition can also be applied pointwise – in a checkerboard pattern on all surfaces. Such a fastening of the mirror to the wall is reliable, but if replacement is necessary, it will have to be broken, the glue removed with a spatula, and a new one installed.

To hang it evenly, you can first draw a line on the wall along which to level the bottom or side edge.

When gluing mirrors of a large area, the technology changes slightly. Glue is applied to the leveled, primed and dried wall, distributed over the entire surface with a spatula with a very fine tooth. These spatulas are used for gluing cork. Do not confuse them with those that apply glue to the tile. They have too much tooth spacing. A mirror is glued to the prepared surface. It is carried and held with the help of special handles with suction cups.

Gluing order

Mounting the mirror to the wall with glue is considered reliable. This method is used in the bathroom if it is necessary that the entire finish be in the same plane. In this case, first lay out the tiles, then install the mirror. In this case, when installing the lower edge on the tile, it is necessary to put a gasket a few millimeters thick. The same gap remains on the sides and below. After the glue dries, it is filled with silicone sealant or grout, which was used for jointing. This gap will compensate for the difference in thermal expansion of materials – it is different for ceramics and glass. Also, this gap will prevent the appearance of cracks during shrinkage and movement of the house.

Since the glue does not dry immediately, the mirror may begin to slide down the wall. I don’t really want to keep it all 15-20 minutes, so measures are being taken to pre-fix it. To do this, before applying glue to the back side, glue several pieces of double-sided tape. It will hold the mirror until the glue dries.

The second option

The second option is to stick a bar on the wall, which will serve as an emphasis. Glue to choose one that is well peeled off the surface. If possible, you can tighten a few screws, etc. In general, any stop that will hold a non-lightweight piece of glass (1 square meter 4 mm thick weighs 10 kg) in place.

How to stick a mirror on double-sided tape

Mirrors that are small in size and weight can be glued on a special 3M double-sided adhesive tape. An adhesive composition is applied to the foamed polyethylene or polyurethane on both sides. The foam base compensates for some of the unevenness of the base, and also serves to cushion the base movements. The thickness of the base (adhesive tape) can be from 0,8 mm to 1,6 mm, the width of the tape is 6-25 mm.

Pieces of tape are glued onto a clean, fat-free base. It is distributed evenly over the entire surface. It is not worth sticking around the perimeter, it is better to glue all the pieces vertically in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of about 10-12 cm from each other. The tape consumption depends on the area of ​​the mirror; the experimental data are given in the table.

Consumption of double-sided foam tape for gluing mirrors

The final touch is to remove the protective film from the glued pieces and install the mirror in the place intended for it. Manufacturers of this type of tape give a guarantee for 10000 gluing, so if it is installed incorrectly, you can fix it.

The fastening of the mirror to the wall with the help of 40M adhesive tape is reliable – this material is used in industry for gluing smooth fragments. This compound is not afraid of ultraviolet radiation, has a wide temperature range of use (from -90°C to +XNUMX°C). The adhesive composition perfectly resists the effects of water. The only limitation is that this adhesive tape sticks much worse on porous surfaces. But with ceramic tiles, laminated MDF or chipboard, the adhesion is excellent. If in doubt, you can experiment – stick something heavy, then try to tear it off. Draw your own conclusion based on the results.