How to mount large gym mirrors to brick wall?

[Heath80]

Wanting some advice on fixing large mirrors to brick

Picked up these sliding wardrobe mirrors doors for a steal and going to use them as gym mirrors

Ideally I'd like to remove the frame but I think there's too much risk in the mirror breaking because it's quite thin.

I'd say they would weigh at least 30kg each

[MitchellMc]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community @Heath80. It's marvellous to have you join us, and many thanks for your question about mounting mirrors to a wall.

Were you going to have them sitting on the floor so their weight was supported, or were you planning on mounting them off the ground and on the wall? If their weight is born by the floor, I'd be reasonably happy will you pinning them back to the wall with Selleys 350g Heavy Duty Liquid Nails around the back of the aluminium frame. If you wanted to mount them off the floor, then I'd recommend installing a couple of angle brackets to the wall with countersunk Dynabolts and having them bear the weight instead of just the adhesive. 

Be advised that you cannot use the Liquid nails on the back of the glass as it will damage it. Instead, you'd need to use a neutral cure silicone.

You are correct that there will be some risk involved if you were to remove the frame as they offer considerable support to the glass. Remember your PPE, including gloves, safety glasses, a long-sleeved shirt and pants, and enclosed footwear. If in doubt about the installation, I recommend you enlist the services of a qualified professional that will be more familiar with installing large glass panels.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell

[Heath80]

Many thanks for your comprehensive response, I'm definitely going to have the mirrors off the floor. I've used dynabolts before with varying success, sometimes they don't grab due to the hollow spaces in the brick. Maybe I'll consider longer bolts to increase the chance of them grabbing.

[MitchellMc]

Hi @Heath80,

Oddly enough, it would be shorter bolts that will grip better in Besser blocks. They have cavities inside, and if you fix into one of those sections, a long bolt will expand in the cavity and not grip anything. What you want is a shorter bolt that will expand within the thickness of the wall of the block or right behind it. Something along the lines of these Ramset 6 x 34mm Flat Head Dynabolt Plus Bolts. Alternatively, you can try these masonry screws.

Mitchell

[Heath80]

Thanks again

Those angle brackets look great but do they come in U shape rather than just an L shape?. It would give me a bit more piece of mind and would prevent the bottom potentially slipping off the brackets

Many thanks

[EricL]

Hello @Heath80 

One way to secure your mirrors is to use another angle bracket and secure it in the opposite direction with a nut and bolt at the bottom. However, I suggest checking the thickness of your aluminium mirror frame to make sure you get a bracket big enough that can accommodate the frame and the Dynabolt in the same space.

I've sketched up a sample to give you an idea of how they can be joined together to give you that "U" shape that you're after. Please have a look and tell me what you think.  

If you have any other questions we can help with, please let us know.

Eric