If you think that the mirror in the bathroom is needed only in order to brush your teeth or shave, you are deeply mistaken. In fact, it is a very important accessory that can emphasize the sophistication of design, and a modern bathroom is often a real work of art. Understanding the importance of this point, the experts of “Expertology” magazine will tell you how to hang a mirror in the bathroom correctly, and what points you should pay attention to, taking into account the peculiarities of different surfaces.
What to take into consideration while installing the mirror
In addition to the fact that the mirror surface allows a person to see his reflection, with the help of a mirror can visually change the area of the room, making the bathroom larger. Therefore, the first thing you should consider when installing an accessory in the bathroom is its area and geometry, and the right place will help to eliminate some of the shortcomings of the room, albeit visually. Not any place will be suitable for this, so a few useful tips before you know how to hang a mirror in the bathroom will not hurt:
First and foremost, it is important to choose the correct height to place the structure, and you should consider not only the height of your family members, but also your guests. The best solution is a mirror, the upper edge of which rises above the floor surface to 170 cm – the average height of a person.
If you do not want to get the effect of “laughing room”, observe the verticality of the surface, for which you will have to arm the construction level.
Select the height of the construction, taking into account your preferences and habits – if you want to see yourself full-length, buy an accessory with a height of 140-150 cm. If you prefer to see the reflection of the face and body parts up to the chest, the product height of 60 cm is sufficient., but to see only the face – 40 cm.
Take into account the location of heating devices, and installation at a small distance from the towel rail or radiator will cause damage to the mirror surface.
It is important to have some distance from the sink, if the mirror is placed over it. The distance to the sanitary appliance should be more than 20 cm.
There are other points, and simple, as it seems at first glance, mounting a mirror can turn into a real challenge. Each room has its own characteristics, and in some cases it is simply not possible to find a place for a design of large size because of the small size of the room. You will also have to take into account the finishing material and the stage of repair, at which you decided to hang the mirror – before finishing or after, which is much more difficult. Let’s move on to the consideration of the question: how to hang a mirror on the tiles, and what are the peculiarities of installation on other surfaces.
Peculiarities of installation on the tile
The most popular material used for finishing walls in the bathroom is ceramic tile. It looks perfect, can be selected in accordance with the chosen design, in addition, it glues easily and serves for a long time. There are several technologies of fixing, we will focus on the two most popular.
How to hang a mirror on the tile without fasteners
There are several types of mirrors designed for mounting in the bathroom. The mirror can be hung by means of special fasteners, usually included in the package, you can screw directly to the wall or stick it, but about all in order. Let’s start with the classic version – using two mounts located at the top of the product.
Prepare the tools, and every owner will have a tape measure for measurements, a pencil to make marks on the wall, a construction level to check the horizontals and verticals, a ruler, a drill, and a screwdriver.
Making a markup, And this is an important point, as the mirror must be placed strictly in the middle over the sink, the top and bottom of the structure must be at the same level, it is not desirable to allow also warping – it is ugly, at least.
Find the center of the sink, Draw a vertical line with a pencil.
Making simple measurements, determine the height of the location of the mounts. For this purpose find the top point of the mirror, and then measure the distance to the center of the fastener.
Draw a horizontal lineand mark the location of the mounting holes.
Making a single hole with a drill, Install a plastic or wooden dowel under the screw, screw in the first fastener.
Hanging the mirror, check the accuracy of the marking, and often, given the unevenness of the wall or mounting bar, the location of the second hole is shifted.
Removing the mirrorand similarly to the first one we make the second hole, screw in the second fastener at the same level.
During the drilling of tiles, if the installation of the reflective accessory is made after the completion of the wall lining, it is necessary to observe some precautions. If glossy tiles with a slippery surface were used for finishing, before drilling the hole, this place must be scored with a core or drill. In order not to damage the tiles, you can not put pressure on the drill during drilling, as there is a chance to hit the hollow brick, which can cause a blow to the tiles.
This is important! Beginning to drill the wall, find out if there are no plumbing and heating pipes under the tile, if the wiring does not pass. Damaged pipes can cause a lot of problems.
Difficulties of drilling mirror surfaces
Some mirror designs do not have a mount, but involves drilling the mirror itself. If you are faced with such a problem, do not get upset, as special difficulties, if you use our tips, should not arise. First, you need to choose the right drill, and for this you can use:
The product in the form of an arrow with a special coating. This shape allows you to scrape the material smoothly instead of punching it.
If there is no such drill, the brass round shape will do as well, but necessarily with a diamond dusting. In this case, it is important to drill slowly, periodically cooling the drill bit with water or turpentine.
If you have a large hole to drill, a diamond-coated tubular drill bit on each side is the ideal solution. Drilling should also be done by periodically cooling the surface.
Perhaps you know some other methods and know how to simply hang a mirror in the bathroom, making a hole in it, we will gladly use them. Each master has his own secrets, so there are many ways to drill holes in glass and mirror. Do not forget to make a correct marking, because the mirror must not only be accurately drilled, but also hung flat.
Can a mirror be glued to the tiles
Avoid the difficulties that arise in the first two cases, the mirror can be glued, having previously performed a certain preparation of the surface. It should not be dirty, as in this case there is a high probability that the mirror will not hold. For fixing directly to the wall use double-sided adhesive tape and special sealants, and the best result can be achieved with their simultaneous application.
First, in the center of the future mirror are glued tapes of tape (two are enough), while the surface of the accessory is smeared with adhesive sealant. The mirror is fastened to the wall and aligned, and you have to do it very quickly, before the sealant seals, and the tape is also fast-acting.
Remember!Applying sealant, be careful in the corners – it is not necessary to apply glue mass here, but if it happens, and the glue protruded beyond the structure, the excess should be removed immediately, using improvised means.
The subtleties of fixing to plastic and drywall
In addition to tiling the bathroom, specialists not infrequently have to deal with finishing with plasterboard and plastic. The mounting process in this case is slightly different. Let’s start with plasterboard, and its surface at the point of attachment must be pre-strengthened, that is, a solid base of thick plywood must be fixed on the inner surface. This is if the installation of the mirror was provided before fixing the plasterboard to the wall. Otherwise the reinforcement is made on the outer surface.
With regard to PVC boards, we insist on the need to make a metal or wooden crate, and it is necessary to provide for the installation of the mirror surface in advance. The mirror is attached to this trim, and the ideal solution is to mount it through the wall, especially if there is a small space between the tile and the supporting surface.
A few useful tips and tricks
In conclusion, we would like to give some useful tips, using which you will be able to hang a mirror in the bathroom without any problems.
Tip 1.Around the place of drilling the mirror you need to make a rim of plasticine or dough, and pour water inside to cool the surface. It will help to avoid overheating.
Tip 2.The hole after drilling to give roundness must be carefully processed, using fine-grained sandpaper.
Tip 3. To prevent the mirror in the bathroom during washing or taking water procedures from fogging up, you can use one folk remedy. The surface treated with a mixture of a teaspoon of gelatin and 50 ml of water does not sweat. The solution creates a protective film on the surface, preventing fogging.
