# Removing a large mirror



## Mr. Michael (Jan 10, 2007)

What's the best way to remove one of those large, 80's style frameless bathroom mirrors? I'm planning a light remodel of my bathroom, and am curious how to get it off. Thanks, Mike


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## Handyman50 (Sep 28, 2007)

Mr. Michael said:


> What's the best way to remove one of those large, 80's style frameless bathroom mirrors? I'm planning a light remodel of my bathroom, and am curious how to get it off. Thanks, Mike


The first thing that I would do is put 2" or larger tape diagonally and vertically across the mirror. Good ole 200 mph duct tape will work great. This will help keep it stable while handling it. Also, there are suction cups that they use to handle large plate glass windows. You can find them at rental facilities. These can be very helpful.

There should be fasteners on each corner and in the middle of the top, bottom and sides. Remove these and the mirror should come down easily. I would recommend using no less than two people.

Caution: Broken mirror is very dangerous. Please be extremely careful.


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## Mr. Michael (Jan 10, 2007)

sorry, should have mentioned, no brackets or fasteners. it's probably just glued up. any other hints?


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## Handyman50 (Sep 28, 2007)

Mr. Michael said:


> sorry, should have mentioned, no brackets or fasteners. it's probably just glued up. any other hints?


In this case, I would say that a good glass cutter would be your favorite tool. It would be easier and safer to free small pieces from the wall than one large one. It is likely that the surface of the drywall under the mirror will be breached. Therefore, you may have to replace it, also. This, of course, will be determined by what your plans are for the wall.


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## steve1234 (Sep 13, 2007)

I just took one out. I tried to stare it down for a couple weeks prior to going after it....that didn't work. I thought it was going to be a fight with even odds. It turns out mine (about 5' x 4') was sitting in a channel along the bottom of the mirror with some adhesive to hold it against the wall. I did the tape across the mirror, and gently used a wonder bar to get behind the mirror. The adhesive spots came loose relatively easy and then I just lifted it out of the channel. I built it up to be a major PITA, and it turned out it took about 5 minutes to get it out.


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## Handyman50 (Sep 28, 2007)

Steve1234, good job. The staring didn't intimidate you.:whistling2:


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## Mr. Michael (Jan 10, 2007)

steve1234 said:


> I just took one out. I tried to stare it down for a couple weeks prior to going after it....that didn't work. I thought it was going to be a fight with even odds. It turns out mine (about 5' x 4') was sitting in a channel along the bottom of the mirror with some adhesive to hold it against the wall. I did the tape across the mirror, and gently used a wonder bar to get behind the mirror. The adhesive spots came loose relatively easy and then I just lifted it out of the channel. I built it up to be a major PITA, and it turned out it took about 5 minutes to get it out.


that sounds like the exact same situation as mine. channel along the bottom, glue on the back. hopefully, my adhesive will come loose as forgiving as yours. i agree with the staring...that's one ugly mofo' staring back at ya.:laughing:


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## DIYtestdummy (Jan 16, 2008)

I'm still staring at mine and it's not working either. That guy keeps giving me the finger! :laughing:

You can get the suction cups cheap at Harbor Freight.


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## steve1234 (Sep 13, 2007)

yea, the staring part scared me way more than it scared the mirror.....


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## willingtotry (Mar 27, 2008)

*Handyman50 Explain Yourself!!!*



Handyman50 said:


> In this case, I would say that a good glass cutter would be your favorite tool. It would be easier and safer to free small pieces from the wall than one large one. It is likely that the surface of the drywall under the mirror will be breached. Therefore, you may have to replace it, also. This, of course, will be determined by what your plans are for the wall.


Ok, so before reading this thread, I thought "remove the mirror, apply paint, hang new mirror" No prob!! I can do this during the muchkins naptime!! Now you have me worried!  What is "breached drywall?" why do I have to replace it!! and how much is this going to cost!! I am a woman who loves to try and do my own home remodels (major word here is try):whistling2: and I try very hard to not bring my husband or the checkbook into play as much as possible!! (except for heavy lifting and cute shoes) Can someone please explain just how big of an undertaking it really is going to be for me to remove two mirrors (one is 4x5 and the other 6x5) that are glued to a bathroom wall?
Thank you kindly!!


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## Handyman50 (Sep 28, 2007)

willingtotry said:


> Ok, so before reading this thread, I thought "remove the mirror, apply paint, hang new mirror" No prob!! I can do this during the muchkins naptime!! Now you have me worried!  What is "breached drywall?" why do I have to replace it!! and how much is this going to cost!! I am a woman who loves to try and do my own home remodels (major word here is try):whistling2: and I try very hard to not bring my husband or the checkbook into play as much as possible!! (except for heavy lifting and cute shoes) Can someone please explain just how big of an undertaking it really is going to be for me to remove two mirrors (one is 4x5 and the other 6x5) that are glued to a bathroom wall?
> Thank you kindly!!


My comment wasn't meant to worry you. The problem with using any kind of adhesive on drywall is, it may damage (breach) the surface. If the surface is damaged, it means that some repair may be necessary. The main thing is to be as careful as possible when freeing the mirror from the wall. This is why smaller pieces would be better and safer, IMHO.

Git'er done!:wink:


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## Mr. Michael (Jan 10, 2007)

well, I finally got mine off. didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked. I got to break out the hammer:thumbsup: and go nuts. basically, I used duct tape to hold it together, and just slammed one section at a time, then took off the broken pieces of glass. (use gloves here, obviously). I had about 8 sections of "breached drywall" where the adhesive took off the top paper layer. however, I was able to use some spackling compound and some paint and some patience and it looks great.:thumbup: 
I also got the new lights up, next up is the counters and floor. Will post pics...


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## Handyman50 (Sep 28, 2007)

Mr. Michael said:


> well, I finally got mine off. didn't go as smoothly as I would have liked. I got to break out the hammer:thumbsup: and go nuts. basically, I used duct tape to hold it together, and just slammed one section at a time, then took off the broken pieces of glass. (use gloves here, obviously). I had about 8 sections of "breached drywall" where the adhesive took off the top paper layer. however, I was able to use some spackling compound and some paint and some patience and it looks great.:thumbup:
> I also got the new lights up, next up is the counters and floor. Will post pics...


Glad to hear everything went well for you. As the saying goes, "All is well that ends well, I spose"!:wink:

Yes, spackle or drywall mud either one will patch any damage to the drywall surface.


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## Jeff DIY (Mar 30, 2009)

I was just about to ask the same thing. I will be trying to remove this mirror (in red box) which is about 5'x8' or so. I'm pretty sure it is all once piece also. There are a few vertical mirror strips on top of the big mirror. One of the 'strips' fell off while I was having roofing work done. It does look like there is a bottom channel on this one like some of you had as well.

Did you try to remove the bottom channel first? or just try to pry the mirror off the drywall first? I'm repainting that room so I don't mind if I have to do some drywall / spackle / sand repair work after it's off.

What was that 'wonder bar' that someone used behind the mirror? I'm thinking of cutting down the mirror into smaller parts for re-use after it's down, but I feel like it would be safer not to cut it while it's on the wall.

Thanks for any other tips on a mirror this size.

Jeff


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## Blondesense (Sep 23, 2008)

Safety first. Someone on another forum said a friend or family member died removing a mirror. It broke and cut an artery in their arm. Person died before rescue could respond. 

Don't know if this is true or an urban legend, but I would recommend safety glasses, heavy gloves, long sleeves, and to tape the heck out of it before beginning.

I have also read rather than prying it off a piano wire run behind it can be used to saw it off. 


No personal experience removing one here. The only one I've had to deal with jumped off on its own. A loud crash in the middle of the night and it was on the floor. 

.


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## Jeff DIY (Mar 30, 2009)

Thanks for the safety reminder. I'd rather waste a few bucks on extra tape than have my arm sliced open. I'll give it some more thought on how I want to go about this...


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## jadams68 (Jan 9, 2007)

I just did this tonight. A buddy and I taped the mirror up with duct tape and got lucky that it had no adhesive on the back. Came off in 60 seconds. We carried into the yard, placed it on a sheet, covered it and smashed it to pieces. It was 4' x 6' I believe. We rolled it up, duct taped the sheet and tossed it in the trash. Simple job.


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## ARI001 (Jun 26, 2009)

If the mirror is glued apply protective carpet tape (available in 24" wide rolls at home depot) over the surface. Strike the surface of the mirror with a hammer in several spots (use common sense on hammer size and power of swing). Then using a pry bar, pry off the mirror in pieces. The tape will hold the pieces together and prevent injury (within reason). You should wear long sleeves and pants as well as eye and hand protection. Once the mirror is removed point up the damaged drywall with light weight joint compound, sand, prime, and paint.


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## Jeff DIY (Mar 30, 2009)

Well I removed the mirror. I removed the mirror strips and it was one big mirror behind.

There was a channel bar at the bottom of the mirror and two clips at the top. The mirror was not stuck to the wall beyond that though.

I taped up the mirror, removed the top clips and then used a hammer to help get the bottom channel bar off the wall (it was nailed in). Then I leaned the mirror onto a 4x8 sheet of plywood and brought the entire board down to the floor. The mirror was then flipped so it was glass side up and I used a glass cutter to cut it in half. No issues or problems at any point. I did use leather gloves and safety glasses the whole time though to be safe.

Here are pics from the removal...


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## Jeff DIY (Mar 30, 2009)

ps... oh yeah. It was definitely a two person job. The mirror had to weight close to 150lbs!


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