So you’ve found the perfect wall mirror for your living room, bedroom, or bathroom. Now all you have to do is hang it up, but that’s a little bit more involved than you might have thought. Fortunately, with this easy, step-by-step guide, you’ll have your mirror hung in the perfect place in no time at all. Let’s get started!
How to Find the Right Spot to Hang a Mirror?
If you’re installing your mirror in a small room, you can create the illusion of more space and light by placing it in just the right spot. In the right place, in a small or narrow room, a mirror can also double the amount of light in the room and make it feel more open.
If the mirror is too large to hold by yourself, enlist the help of a friend or two. Hold it up against the wall in a few different places. The right placement will be pretty obvious once you see it. It will make the room look and feel larger and lighter.
If you’re not worried about making the room look any bigger, you can choose a number of other means for deciding where to place your mirror. If it’s a decorative mirror in the living room, consider putting it over the couch or above the TV. If it’s in your bedroom, you could put it adjacent to the foot of your bed or on the wall in line with the area in your room with the most floor space, so you have room to pose for yourself.
Does a Mirror Need to be Anchored Into a Stud?
Why do you need to put your anchor screw or nail into a stud? Well, if you put your anchor screw into drywall, it might hold a very, very lightweight mirror, but it’s very likely to pull out, if the mirror has any weight to it at all. You’re also more likely to hit electrical wiring or plumbing if you drive a screw or nail into a spot on the wall that isn’t backed up by a stud.
You can find the studs in your walls one of two ways. If you have good ears, just tap your knuckle against the wall, repeatedly, in a horizontal line. When you’re not on a stud, the sound will be hollow. It will change pitch and sound more solid when you get to a stud. The studs should then be either 12 or 18 inches apart. If you aren’t sure about this, you can also find the stud by purchasing and using a stud finder.
Once you’ve found the stud that you want to align the center of the mirror with, drive your anchor screw into it. Now you’re ready to start hanging.
How to Install D-Rings to Hang a Mirror?
If the mirror already has D-rings and wire installed, you can go ahead and hang it from the anchor screw now and skip to the Create Contact Points section of this article. If not, check the hardware that came with your mirror. You’ll also want to make sure that there aren’t any special instructions included. Your mirror’s manufacturer may have included a hook or other means of hanging the mirror from the anchor screw. If not, keep reading to find out how to install your D-rings and wire.
Along the top side of the frame, measure 6 inches from the outside edge on each side. You’ll install your D-rings at these points. Then, run enough 18-gauge wire between them to create some slack, but not enough that the mirror will hang too low. You’ll know it’s hanging too low if the anchor screw can be seen above the frame.
Now hang the mirror from that wire on the anchor screw. You’ll notice that it’s angled downward, now, which creates an odd reflection and isn’t terribly aesthetically appealing. Now we’re going to straighten that out. Go ahead and make a small mark, under the mirror, at some point along the center of the frame on the bottom side. Then, take the mirror off the wall.
Create Contact Points
Find the studs on either side of the one holding your anchor screw. Using a level, find where the bottom of the mirror will fall on these studs. Remember that mark you made that showed the center of the frame along the bottom? Find where the lines of the anchor studs and the studs on either side of it intersect the center of the bottom side of the frame.
Now, drill a screw into this point on each stud, but do not screw them all the way in. Hang the mirror again. These screws will be your contact points. Now, hang the mirror again. If the bottom sticks out farther than the top, screw those contact points in farther. If the top sticks out farther than the bottom, back the contact points out a little bit. Do this until the mirror hangs evenly.
Now you’ve hung your mirror! If any part of this process seems confusing or makes you nervous, don’t hesitate to call a professional to do the job for you.
