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I would like to safely secure a mirror to the drywall. The mirror itself is pretty light (probably under 5kg), the weight is not an issue. However, its back surface does not have any hooks or anything that can be used to secure it. I was going to use a string and some nails, but I am not sure it will work, the wooden part is really thin. Any ideas? Perhaps, some adhesive tape?

UPDATE

Thanks everyone for your answers. All of them are great, it's hard (perhaps, impossible) to pick the best one. Because the mirror is light, I decided to use a wire and small eye bolts attached to the sides of my mirror.

Photo

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10 Answers 10

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Mirror clips are made for exactly this purpose. Plain or fancy as fits your decor and/or budget.

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  • 8
    mirror clips are for bare glass, that mirror appears to have been framed
    – Jasen
    Commented Sep 18, 2019 at 8:32
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    Make sure the clips are large enough. It's a fairly large mirror after all.
    – Mast
    Commented Sep 18, 2019 at 9:16
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    I've seen people try to use mirror hanging clips on frames this thick, and not only is it ugly, it's not a very solid fastening. It becomes a screw sticking out of a wall with a bit of plastic on the end attempting to hold things together, and eventually failing, due to the screw being levered out of the wall, leaving a large gash that needs to be fixed. I've yet to find mirror clips that are designed for a frame.
    – computercarguy
    Commented Sep 18, 2019 at 17:54
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If that mirror has a wooden frame you can attach picture hanging brackets.

the frame looks to be about 10mm thick which is plenty.

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    Your ability to measure the frame thickness (described by the OP as "really thin") from that picture is incredible. In the dictionary sense of what incredible means...
    – Ecnerwal
    Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 13:23
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    That's a very accurate estimate. It's indeed roughly 10 mm thick.
    – slava-kohut
    Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 14:45
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    If @slava feels that 10mm is too thin for the weight of the glass (requiring very short screws) I'd glue additional strips of wood to the frame (about 100mm long, 25mm wide and 10mm thick) and screw through both. Use pilot holes and check screw length carefully.
    – Robin Bennett
    Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 15:06
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If the mirror doesn't weigh much more than 15 pounds, you could use some Command picture hanging strips (such as these or these). They're easy to install and relatively inexpensive.

enter image description here

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I mounted a similar mirror to a wall by drilling symmetrically-spaced holes through the frame (about one per six inches of frame perimeter) and screwing the mirror directly to the drywall using appropriate-length black phosphate coarse thread drywall screws.

In my case the the holes in the frame were acceptable, and due to the dark red-brown color of the frame the black screw heads were all but invisible. (Spacing them carefully also helped reduce the visual impact, and I believe I placed them in a valley in the molding profile to further hide them.)

When doing it this way you gain the opportunity to align either the center or one side of the mirror over a stud, and use appropriate-length longer screws to get extra holding strength at the stud.

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Another option is a french cleat. You really, really, don't want mirrors to fall off the wall. They shatter and explode and if there is any biological unit in the area they are likely to get cut (not to mention any heart attacks from the explosion or the seven years bad luck).

You can buy one (e.g.: https://www.amazon.com/Hangman-Z-Hanger-Mirror-Picture-Aluminum/dp/B002NEFF7Y/ref=asc_df_B002NEFF7Y/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198097826602&hvpos=1o3&hvnetw=g&hvrand=16069312577621920230&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031347&hvtargid=aud-801381245258:pla-321036497668&psc=1)

Or make one from a piece of wood: https://www.instructables.com/id/French-Cleat/

If you do make one from wood, you'll probably need either two (top and bottom of mirror) or a bolster at the bottom if you want the mirror to hang parallel with the wall. Sometimes having the mirror angled slightly down is desired.

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  • The mirror frame is only 10 mm thick, I don't think that's enough to use it
    – slava-kohut
    Commented Sep 18, 2019 at 20:24
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    @slava: You could glue a wooden cleat to the back of the mirror frame. There's loads of area for a glue joint - it would be strong enough to take a persons weight. Most wood glues will stick to paper, and you could add small screws if you really wanted.
    – Robin Bennett
    Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 15:02
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    @RobinBennett, I'd avoid attaching anything to the paper backing. Those become detached all too easily. Also, the frame is painted, so the glue isn't likely to stick to that as well as bare wood, and even if it does, the paint won't stick to the wood as well as the wood glue.
    – computercarguy
    Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 15:54
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Screws

You might consider double headed nails or screws. I like screws, since nails can work out of the wall.

The link below would be a good style, and the last pic shows exactly how it would work with your mirror. This style also allows for adding D-rings, wire, or sawtooth hangers (even though the "artist" is wrong about the orientation of the sawtooth hanger as well as what a keyhole looks like). With your mirror, you can even use this style bare, although it would have a tendency to walk off the head and it would damage the paper backing.

I'm only suggesting these specific screws because they have a nice long shank between the heads. I'm sure the OP can find similar ones at a different retailers. Also, the variety of images in this listing are useful.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RQWQP5Q/ref=sspa_dk_detail_8?psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEyVUtYNlVLODFLOEw0JmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzI1NDAxQU1CWk9aNk1HNjRRJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0NjA2NTMxV1JMM1dFRFlOTEs0JndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsMiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=

You can add D-rings without too much trouble and, with a pilot hole, without splitting the frame. Using screws will prevent damaging the frame and the mirror from shattering that a hammer and nails would almost guarantee. Adding a wire is almost a guarantee it won't be straight, and adding sawtooth hangers is definitely a guarantee of it being crooked, unless you add two of them. Usually sawtooth hangers are attached by nails, as I've already warned against.

Hooks

You can also try hooks like these, but they might also allow the mirror to walk off the end and would damage the paper backing. These can also be used with D-rings and wires, but generally not with sawtooth hangers.

Wall hook

Gorilla hooks

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Mirror clips come in many thickness sizes. Choose one with adequate gap to mirror and use _|— to fasten with exposed screw, but allow mirror to be flush. Use a small < 1cm square double sided tape in middle if it bulges out but permits removal.

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  • If the mirror is bulging in the middle, that means they need more fasteners, not tape. As small a piece of tape as you're suggesting, it's not going to do much good. Also, a bulging mirror is likely to slip out of the top clips and come crashing down.
    – computercarguy
    Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 15:52
  • mirrors are not that thin that they require side fasteners, just bottom and top.
    – Tony Stewart EE75
    Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 18:51
  • I've seen mirrors like this bow because of their length and cheap construction, and you are the one that mentions bulging.
    – computercarguy
    Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 19:24
  • I have used this method on tall narrow mirrors with centre tape to make it more rigid to the wall, but more side fasteners is certainly an option if that secures the middle.
    – Tony Stewart EE75
    Commented Sep 19, 2019 at 19:50
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Mirrors are often mounted simply using double-sided adhesive tape. Just google "adhesive tape mirror", and you'll find a lot of products from all brands. You'll find those in your local depot, too.

Just be aware that there are two kind of double-sided tape: one that is very thin, and one that is thicker (~2mm), with a core made of foam. If the wall surface isn't perfectly smooth (e.g. a drywall painted with a roller typically isn't smooth enough), you need to use the foam type.

Also, be aware that, if you ever plan to remove the mirror, the tape may be strong enough that you can't just unstick it without risking breaking it.

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    command velcro strips may be a solution if you want to be able to remove it.
    – Jasen
    Commented Sep 18, 2019 at 8:26
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    Store decorators love to do it in an even more drastic way: Glue it on, whole area. Remove with hammer when you no longer want the mirror.
    – rackandboneman
    Commented Sep 18, 2019 at 8:26
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    It might also be worth noting that doing this will attach the mirror to the top layer of paint (or wallpaper etc.) on the wall. Depending on the type of paint / wallpaper and what's under it (e.g. if the wall has been repainted many times without the old paint being removed) there's a risk that, even if the wall and the tape are both strong enough to support the mirror, the paint isn't and will come off the wall.
    – Ilmari Karonen
    Commented Sep 18, 2019 at 8:36
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    @J... I guess it depends on your situation: I have a mirror like that in a toilet room. I know that if I ever have to remove it, that could only be for two reasons: 1) it is broken and needs to be replaced (and I don't really care breaking it more in the process, and I don't care sratching the wall behind either), or 2) I want to put the whole wall down because I'm reorganizing the room distributions. As for the tape lifetime, I'm not worried at all. These products are made to last. I had to remove some which was there since decades on a piece of furniture, and it wasn't easy.
    – dim
    Commented Sep 18, 2019 at 12:39
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    This looks to be paper backed, so you'd risk the paper ripping at any time. Using tape would be a nightmare to remove, probably damaging the wall and the mirror.
    – computercarguy
    Commented Sep 18, 2019 at 16:50
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You could use a shelf with a ledge on the end like this:

moulding

or possibly amazon moulding

amazon link

to secure the mirror.

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    But what secures the top of the mirror?
    – einpoklum
    Commented Sep 24, 2019 at 13:39
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You can get mirror brackets/clips intended specifically for this use. Here are two examples:

enter image description here

enter image description here

(of course, you need to get ones in a matching color and texture or color them yourself etc.)

As for placing them, you have multiple options:

  1. One bracket at the center of each of the four sides of the mirror (top, bottom, left, right)
  2. Two brackets at 1/5 and 4/5 of the bottom and the top (or even closer to the left and right edges)
  3. Two brackets at the bottom and the top + two brackets at 1/2 of the left and right sides.
  4. Some brackets are intended for corners; in that case it's one at each of the four corners.
  5. etc. etc.

Here's an example of option 2:

enter image description here

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