How do I get this mirror off the wall?
 

So I am painting my bathroom and I need to take this oval mirror off the wall so I can do that.

<img src="http://telusplanet.net/public/markus_e/images/three.jpg">

It only appears to be attached to the wall via these two hooks or buckles on each side at the bottom. The trouble is the thing won't budge an inch. I really hope the damn thing isn't glued to the wall, as that would make a damn mess. Does anyone have any ideas?

Close up of the buckles:

<img src="http://telusplanet.net/public/markus_e/images/two.jpg">
<img src="http://telusplanet.net/public/markus_e/images/four.jpg">

Having installed one of those types of mirrors recently, I'm thinking that your fears are true, it is probably glued down. To make things worse, the type of glue I used was made especially for mirrors. I used the brackets to hold the mirror in place while the glue dried. Now they are just decorations.

You should be able to find a glue solvent at most hardware stores which you could use if you can get anything behind the mirror. If not, you may have to cut your losses and break the mirror.

I have seen people use a thin yet strong metal wire to get the mirror off the wall. It will most likely make a mess, but if you MUST take it down, that is my suggestion. Why can't you just tape it off or just keep a wet sponge handy and quickly wipe off the paint off as you go. I have a mirror on my wall and It looks fine after repainting the bathroom recently. If you have doubts about taking it down, what makes you think anyone else will if you sell the place?

May I suggest that the above poster is only half right. Leave it up, but do not clean any paint off the mirror until after it dries. Its easy to remove paint from a mirror without scratching it.

If you MUST break the mirror, spray glue some plastic to it first.

or duct tape the whole thing.....way nicer clean up.....trust me....it works.

you can try stabbing through the glue with the paint scraper thing. since you're going to repaint the wall. no one should notice. plus you can just glue the mirror back on when you're done, so again, no one should notice. or better yet, try painting around the mirror with a small paint brush or something. no one can look behind the mirror anyway.

I had a mirror stuck to the back of my door in my dorm, my RA made me take it off at the end of the semester... I tried and tried to find good ways to do it... I ended up just smashing it in to a billion pieces... :thumbsup:

smashing sounds good too

Yeah I might have to smash it, tho I will try the solvent and "wire-cutter" route first.

The trouble is that I really don't want that mirror anymore. I want to put up a smaller square one in its place after I am done painting the room. I had hoped it would'nt come to this :(

Makes me wonder why someone would glue a mirror to the wall. Is there something behind it that they were trying to hide? There may be a hole in the wall.

Use a hammer, a really big hammer. :D

On a more serious note, use a wire stretched between two screwdrivers or some other objests to use as handles. Slide the wire behind the mirror, and pull it down. That should cut through the glue and let you pull the mirror off. Then you can scrape the glue off.

Others have said this but with any option you'll want to tape the mirror to keep it from breaking and sending pieces everywhere

Wow, I am surprised at the number of responses this question got...I only expected one or two. Granted a lot of the responses were: "Smash it" :)

But hey, at least it was entertaining.

I am going to try the "wire-between-two-screwdrivers" thing the next time my girlfriend isn't home. SHe tends to get a little nervous when I get medival on the house. Thanks everyone, I will let you know how it goes with more pics.

You can also try sliding a wide drywall taping knife in between the mirror and the wall and work it all the way around so you'll have less glue to work on with the wire. Don't have a wide drywall knife? Go buy one-you'll need it to fix the boogered wall after the mirror is removed. :D

Marq:

Heating the mirror might also help, as many glues soften when heated.

I bet there's thousands of dollars in treasure behind the mirror!

Al Capone's treasure? Somebody better call Heraldo.

I'll also vote for the wire method & warming the glass. Use a length that allows you to pull/saw side-to-side. Works well on automotive windshields.

It is probly stuck to the wall with black mastic. This usually hardens with time. You may be able to remove it with the wire sawing trick. I would tape up the mirror completely with duct tape or masking tape before trying in case it does crack. Then you don't end up having a piece fall if it does break. I have remove one of these before by the prying method, but it pulled off the wallboard covering as well as part of the sheetrock. Just take your time and good luck. You do know what happens if you break a mirror???

Yeah, mirrors installed correctly use a product called Mastic, and it is some heavy-duty shit. Something to consider if you plan on taking the mirror off the wall is that the drywall behind the wall is most likely screwed, and would either need replaced or resprayed if you have textured walls.

I'd tape it off and paint around it unless you're 100% sure you don't want it, cause it will be a bigger pain in the ass no matter what if you remove it.

OK. I meant to post some pics last night, but I got distracted by something shiney.

I got the mirror off, and in one piece! By using a combination of wire-cutting and slow prying, I was able to peel the mirror away from the glue and caulk holding it in place. Naturally, the glue left some spots on the wall that need to be patched with plaster, but so far they are looking pretty good. I will post the results here when I get home tonight.

As promised, here are the final pics (if anyone is still paying attention) :)

First I tapped it up (as suggested):

<img src="http://telusplanet.net/public/markus_e/images/PIC_0033.JPG">

Then I considered my saftey glasses:

<img src="http://telusplanet.net/public/markus_e/images/PIC_0034.JPG">

Then I sawed and pried, and was left with this; not bad all things considered.

<img src="http://telusplanet.net/public/markus_e/images/PIC_0036.JPG">

After I get the place painted I might share the final result. Thanks to everyone who helped in this thread. :thumbsup:

good job. I knew you would figure it out sooner or later. Looks pretty good. Now all you have to do is paint

Oh easy job after all!! Good one the_marq!

Wow lucky for you I have a mirror twice that size in my bathroom and it butts right up agaisnt a wall so no sawing tricks for me. If I have to take it down I am breaking it. Good work.