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I have a plain ugly mirror left over from building my own medicine cabinet.
So... I bought some polyurethane molding and corner blocks to zazz it up a bit, for hanging in the nursery!
I painted all the molding with Kona Brown spray paint. It's just easier to get it shiny and in all the crannies with spray paint. Don't forget to paint the other side where the mirror will reflect the molding!!
I used general caulk adhesive to attach the molding and corner blocks. Now this polyurethane molding happens to only have level parts in narrow sections on either side. See where I'm putting the glue in the pic...
I only glued on the inside edge of the molding, letting the other edge hang off. OOps! It wasn't enough contact area for the molding to stick! :( Booo!! Hisss! (Cry a little)
Plan B. Use Gorilla Glue. I also moved the molding in so both edges of the molding are now contacting the mirror (I actually think this made the bigger difference!)
OK, Gorilla glue EXPANDS... like alot. So I scraped those parts off. No one will ever know!
However, were I to do this again (heaven forbid), I would probably use clear silicone caulk instead. Clear because it won't reflect white in the mirror.
Just make sure to paint before caulking since paint will not adhere to silicone.
I used mirror mastic (mirror adhesive) to attach a large piece of plywood to the back of the mirror.
Then I screwed on a pair of heavy-duty picture hanging D-rings. (Use the screw on kind, not the nail on kind!)
I tied some pretty ribbon with a bow in it to each D-ring. Tie on with a double knot. This ribbon isn't going anywhere.
Last of all, I put a decorative knob in the wall to hang the mirror from. (It was bought as part of a mirror hanging kit)
This hanger came with a screw and (cheapo) plastic anchor. Uhhh, what? No way!
Heavy mirror hanging over my baby's changing table is staying put and never falling down. I would have preferred to put a long screw into stud, but there wasn't one nearby.
Soooo... Enter the Lexus of wall anchors.... the toggle bolt. A large one like this can hold over 100 pounds (edit: hanging down from a wall)!
It just so happened that the size of the bolt fit the decorative wall knob (the knob is solid metal and very sturdy). I believe 8-32 is the standard sizes for knobs and (some) hanging hardware alike.
Yay! Lots of work and mistakes and fixes (and learning), and it sure was heavy to lift so high up (OK I caved and asked hubby to help), but it looks fantastic!
(read with sarcasm) I also love how it reflects our dark and messy bedroom in this pic.
No really. I like this mirror. It's not centered on the wall, but it will be centered over the changing table once that is refinished.
It's all coming together!!! I hope I finish the room in time!
So... I bought some polyurethane molding and corner blocks to zazz it up a bit, for hanging in the nursery!
I painted all the molding with Kona Brown spray paint. It's just easier to get it shiny and in all the crannies with spray paint. Don't forget to paint the other side where the mirror will reflect the molding!!
I used general caulk adhesive to attach the molding and corner blocks. Now this polyurethane molding happens to only have level parts in narrow sections on either side. See where I'm putting the glue in the pic...
I only glued on the inside edge of the molding, letting the other edge hang off. OOps! It wasn't enough contact area for the molding to stick! :( Booo!! Hisss! (Cry a little)
Plan B. Use Gorilla Glue. I also moved the molding in so both edges of the molding are now contacting the mirror (I actually think this made the bigger difference!)
OK, Gorilla glue EXPANDS... like alot. So I scraped those parts off. No one will ever know!
However, were I to do this again (heaven forbid), I would probably use clear silicone caulk instead. Clear because it won't reflect white in the mirror.
Just make sure to paint before caulking since paint will not adhere to silicone.
I used mirror mastic (mirror adhesive) to attach a large piece of plywood to the back of the mirror.
Then I screwed on a pair of heavy-duty picture hanging D-rings. (Use the screw on kind, not the nail on kind!)
I tied some pretty ribbon with a bow in it to each D-ring. Tie on with a double knot. This ribbon isn't going anywhere.
Last of all, I put a decorative knob in the wall to hang the mirror from. (It was bought as part of a mirror hanging kit)
This hanger came with a screw and (cheapo) plastic anchor. Uhhh, what? No way!
Heavy mirror hanging over my baby's changing table is staying put and never falling down. I would have preferred to put a long screw into stud, but there wasn't one nearby.
Soooo... Enter the Lexus of wall anchors.... the toggle bolt. A large one like this can hold over 100 pounds (edit: hanging down from a wall)!
It just so happened that the size of the bolt fit the decorative wall knob (the knob is solid metal and very sturdy). I believe 8-32 is the standard sizes for knobs and (some) hanging hardware alike.
Yay! Lots of work and mistakes and fixes (and learning), and it sure was heavy to lift so high up (OK I caved and asked hubby to help), but it looks fantastic!
(read with sarcasm) I also love how it reflects our dark and messy bedroom in this pic.
No really. I like this mirror. It's not centered on the wall, but it will be centered over the changing table once that is refinished.
It's all coming together!!! I hope I finish the room in time!
Sorry about the problem with the pics - blogger is working to fix it!
I don't see any problems with the pics on this post so blogger must have corrected the problem. Great job on all of your last three projects. I love how careful you are being in your new nursery but I did notice something that made me uncomfortable. You used the right type of anchor for the wall but my concern is the ribbon you have used to hang the mirror. Ribbon weakens from stress, age, and sunlight and I am not sure it is strong enough to hold that heavy mirror to begin with. You have two options that would work in this situation. Use picture hanging wire strong enough for the weight of the mirror and cover it with the ribbon or hang the mirror directly to the wall and use the ribbon as decoration only.
Every time I visit your site I remember a time when I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and was hanging curtains in the nursery. I finished up and promptly through up my legs and bounced on the bed like it was a trampoline. I then bounced to a standing position worthy of an Olympic gymnast's finish. I finally realized what a foolish thing I had just done and started shaking so bad I had to sit down for an hour. But the curtains looked great.
I am very excited that you decided to follow my adventures in decorating here at Three Dogs At Home. Thanks for joining up.
Wow! I can understand freaking out after gymnastics like that even when not pregnant! I am NOT athletic like that.
I think you are right about the ribbon! I will definitely be adding wire underneath it!
Thanks for the heads-up. Maybe you could tell from the post that I am trying to be SUPER careful.
Thanks!!
- Christin
Great post! I have a mirror that needs framing and will be coming back to this.
And thanks for the tidbit on the toggle bolt! I've been trying to convince my husband that YES, that bolt WILL support our chandelier and YES we can use a swag hook with our plaster ceiling... Good to know it can support 100 lbs, maybe now it'll get done, haha!
-Ann Marie
Hi Ann Marie!
You'll want to double check the type of anchor you use!
Sheer force (the weight of something perpendicular to the hanger - like when you hang on a wall) is a lot less than downward force (the type you get when hanging from the ceiling). The 100 lbs was for hanging on a wall.
However! I have hung my chandelier from the ceiling (and not directly in a stud neither!) I used this funny thing that had two arms that came out from the sides. You twist and twist and those arms get longer and longer until they grab into the stud wood on either side. There are other versions that are easier to find but you may need attic access.
The other option if you have attic access... just nail in a short piece of 2x4 between your studs over where the chandy will hang.
Also, (sorry for all the advice!) If the chandy is only 5-10 lbs, I bet a toggle bolt will work just fine by itself!
I would LOVE to hear what you decide to do... and feel free to ask if you have any questions. Next time I'm at HD I'll look up the name of the product I used - can't find it on the nets...
- Christin