Hanging a heavy-ish mirror that wasn't made to be hung: How to?

12 years ago

Last summer I went thrifting with a friend and bought a largish old mirror. It looks like it belongs on the back of a vintage dresser. It has a wood frame but nothing to use in hanging it on the wall--no wire or loops or anything.

Naturally, I want to do something the hard way and hang it on the wall. It's pretty heavy-- I'd say around 35 lbs.

Anyone have any instructions for what kind of hanging hardware I should put on the back, and how to get it on with the least chance of damaging the frame?

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Comments (6)

erinsean
12 years ago
You could get two screw eyes (screw thingys with a round top) and put one on each side of the frame...probably about 1/3 of the way from the top...and put picture wire between the screw eyes. Then be sure whatever you put in the wall will hold the weight of the mirror.
lindac
12 years ago
Put screw eyes in the sides of the frame and string a wire. When you buy the wire, pay attention to the load it will hold.
I have several mirrors bigger and heavier than that hung on my walls. You will want to put the hangers you hang it from into a stud.....and use 2 hangers in different studs if possible.
Linda C
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ThatÂs what I was afraid of. I didnÂt want to put ideas in peopleÂs headsÂbut that is the reservation I have. I think having to use it on one side of the wall, asymmetrically, doesnÂt work. I was SO sure it would look great, and be really like the finishing touch in this room. Darn! The thickness, bulkiness, of it bothers me too, in that place. Too much mass. I thought, before I tried it, that it would balance the weight of the solid looking vanity. Instead it just makes it look like too much weight on the left side of the room and nothing on the right. Having to one side bothers me with the light fixture too, and I love that light. It doesnÂt show well in the photos, but is a stained glass repro I ordered from a craftsman lighting company, in a custom size. The mirror is discontinued, so I canÂt get another to balance it better. It doesnÂt look right centered on the big mirror either. Too odd when you are standing in front of the vanity. Sigh. I love this mirror. Buying this one when it went on clearance was what made me decide to have a craftsman bathroom in the first place! (Well, that and it opens off a craftsman family room.) I have one open wall on that room, where I used to have a framed picture. IÂll try propping it up there. The craftsman family room already has a mirror.
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No I think molly's are like these http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/inffastener/i/molly1.jpg The ones in your picture are toggle bolts, one draw back is that they are not as precise, and seem to require tightening down for it to work, so there won't be a bolt stick out for you to hang with, unless you use that to secure a cleat or bracket. I used 2 hollow wall anchors (molly) like above picture, but as a fail safe, I also strung a 100 lb rated wire between the two, onto a earth quake proof hook in the center (it's got a maze for the wire so it's hard to come off), the wire is not under tension, it's just incase an anchor fails it will not fall into the ground. That hook is fastened into a stud with a 3" screw and rated for 100 lbs. Of course everything is still at the mercy of the hook on the back of the mirror though. Where I live, at home depot they have a earth quake area that sells the hooks and muesum wax, cabinet brackets etc, that's where I get the hook with the maze in it.
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franksmom_2010
12 years ago
Rather than use wire, I would use D-rings, at least one on each side and maybe one in the middle. Make sure to buy them rated to hold that kind of weight. Make sure your hangers are rated for something that heavy as well.
antiquesilver
12 years ago
I've had screw eyes pull out of a mirror before so now I use strap hangers with appropriately sized wire & hooks.

Here is a link that might be useful: Strap Hangers
suero
12 years ago
You can use a cleat hanger. Fasten one cleat to the wall, making sure that the fastener goes into studs, and the other cleat is fastened to the mirror. The weight of the mirror is distributed across the cleat, not concentrated at two points.

Here is a link that might be useful: Google search on
leafy02
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks, all. I am embarrassed to say that when I completely unpacked the mirror I found that it did in fact have D-rings and wire on it already. I thought that the reason it was packed up was that it had no way to hang--isn't that why I didn't hang it when I bought it last August? Isn't that why it was still covered in cardboard and tape 14 months later? Jiminy.

So, the wire is taken care of, but I don't have a stud finder, so I am going to borrow my neighbor's tomorrow(if he can find it).

Meanwhile, I'm faced with the challenge of deciding where I want to hang it. I planned to hang it in the dining room, but when I had my daughters hold it up there tonight, it was a disaster--I don't know why I didn't think through what it would be reflecting. An extra view of the pile of recycling stacked on the counter next to the back door? No, thanks.

Hanging a heavy-ish mirror that wasn't made to be hung: How to?

Comments (6)

erinsean

lindac

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Hanging a heavy-ish mirror that wasn't made to be hung: How to?

Comments (6)

erinsean

lindac

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franksmom_2010

antiquesilver

suero

leafy02Original Author

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