It is not at all necessary to be a specialist in order to hang a mirror on a wall. You only need to responsibly approach this issue and get acquainted with some features of the installation.
Which mirror to choose
Not only for practical purposes are mirrors used in interior decoration. Today they often play the role of an effective design solution that allows you to increase visually space, add light and space to the room.
The choice depends on where the mirror will be installed. In the hallway, it should be large so that any member of the family can see themselves to their full height. They hang such a mirror on the wall or fix it on the cabinet door.
For a bathroom, it is better to purchase a mirror of elongated vertical shape - oval or rectangular. It is advisable to place two mirrors in this room - the primary and secondary. 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 consider the hairstyle from all sides. The frame of the mirror located in the bathroom should be made of stainless steel or resistant plastic, because in high humidity conditions other materials are quickly destroyed.
What to look for when choosing
A mirror is an interior item acquired 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 made of silver or aluminum. The first is more expensive, but has very high reflective qualities and a long service life. When purchasing a mirror on the wall, you must also 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 tint of the back wall of the mirror indicates its resistance to moisture. If the color of the coating is purple, then the product quality is poor. The reflective surface of the mirror should be clean, smooth, without dull spots and air bubbles. The quality of the mirror can be judged by a smooth edge. Chips and cracks are possible only on simply cut glass, in the absence of processing. Do not choose a large mirror on the wall made of thin glass - over time, it will begin to sag and distort the image.
Ways of mounting mirrors
There are several mounting options. The choice of the most suitable of them depends on the type of wall, structure, dimensions and weight of the mirror. It can be attached using special brackets, profiles, or simply glued to the wall with tape or glue. The latter method is quite simple and very popular. The exception for it is only huge mirrors - it is better to mount them on the wall with a more reliable method.
How to glue a mirror
The first step is to prepare the wall surface for gluing. To do this, free up space on it, equal in size to the size of the mirror, removing a layer of wallpaper, tile or other decorative material. If the thickness of this coating is greater than the thickness of the mirror, you will have to mount an additional base of plywood or drywall. The wall should be flat, so its surface must be puttied and treated with sandpaper.
Wall mirror sticker is made with special liquid nails. If glue 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 still happened, 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 already impossible to transfer the mirror to another place.
Adhesive mirror to tape
First of all, it is recommended to cover the back 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, strips of double-sided tape are glued vertically on it every 15 cm , 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 leveled in the necessary position, it is pressed tightly against the adhesive tape and fixed. In the bathroom, glue or tape can only be used waterproof. This type of mount is especially suitable when the question arises of how to hang a mirror without a frame on the wall. And also in cases where there is no way to perform drilling. This method is often used when installing mirrors on a drywall surface.
Mounting large mirrors
A special charm gives the room a large mirror. Place it at a certain distance from the floor so that there is room for installing the baseboard, as well as to avoid possible damage. Such a mirror is mounted using self-tapping screws and special decorative holders.
Before you hang the mirror on the wall, its surface must be leveled. Then 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. Then the mirror can be removed.
It is recommended to drill the holes a bit diagonally - from top to bottom. This will provide a more secure fit. If in the future even the fasteners become loose, it will be held by the wall itself.
After the holes are ready, a dowel is inserted into each of them. An ordinary wooden stick is suitable as it. For a drywall wall, it is better to use a special dowel called a “butterfly”.
When deciding how to fix a mirror to a wall, the use of self-tapping screws is a very reliable option. Before screwing them, you must once again attach the mirror to the wall and make sure that all the holes match. To hide the fasteners and give the mirror a more aesthetic appearance, use decorative metal hats, wound 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 tape or glue? In this situation, the screws will help out. But not all mirrors are sold with ready-made holes. In some cases, they have to be drilled independently. This task is rather difficult, therefore it is best to entrust such a matter to specialists. Almost everywhere there are workshops involved in cutting glass. The special equipment available there will allow you to make holes quickly and efficiently.
If you still decide to cope 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 drilling, it is necessary to periodically cool the drill. To do this, it is recommended to use a tub 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 fixing the mirror to the wall, the edges of the finished holes are thoroughly cleaned with fine-grained sandpaper. The whole process requires great care and accuracy.
Mounting mirrors with brackets
Today there are a huge number of different holder-brackets for mirrors. They differ in the material of which they are made, construction and design. These are very convenient devices that do not require drilling holes in the mirror.
You can attach a mirror with homemade staples. To do this, a thin substrate is cut from plexiglass or hardboard, to which galvanized steel plates are fastened, protruding slightly beyond the edges. “Ears” are made from above to hang the future design. Then the mirror is superimposed on this base, and the plates are bent on the mirror surface. It remains only to hang a mirror for the "ears" on the wall.
Installing a mirror on a 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 holds the mirror firmly against the wall, and 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 caps. At their expense, the mirror will hold firmly enough.
All work on installing mirrors, no matter which method is used, must be done very carefully so as not to damage the amalgam.