Mounting huge frame around mirror

jsuth

CGF II, Certified Grumble Framer Level 2
Joined
Jan 23, 2005
Posts
233
Loc
voorhees, new jersey
I'm fishing for suggestions. A designer client is having a huge, sectional mirror fabricated for a dining room. The overall size will be about 60 x 90 inches, with each section roughly 18-20 inches. The mirror will be mounted to the wall and she wants a frame put around it. Because the frame must go around a mirror which has already been affixed to the wall, we will need to bond the frame to the wall - we can't use a z-bar or cleats. My initial thought was to bond the mirror to the wall with a heavy duty adhesive like liquid nails - I don't want to do anything that would require drilling or nailing through the frame. Any suggestions?
 
What about Velcro? Put it all the way around and you will probably never get it off the wall again. Seriously! It can work.
 
By the way, I went to your website and when I clicked on the thumbnails in your galley, none of them work.
You might want to check that out.

I notice you are in Gibbsboro. Before I moved to Maine, I worked at Scotko Design Group at the Paintworks. Samll world, eh?
Nice to meet you all.
 
I will be doing something similar (one piece though) soon.

My proje4ct might be even tougher as the mirror's edge meets the wall in a corner...

And no, Velcro won't work with the heavy frame they have selected!
 
Liquid Nails is fine... Volkem is FOREVER!

Use a spreader.. stick the frame on then pull away about an inch.. slowly count to 20 then press back on...It's DONE.
 
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Are you going to mill the back of the frame so that the rabbet depth is the same as the thickness of the mirror?

That could be tricky since there will be no leeway - it's going to have to be a very precise cut. Or maybe you've chosen a profile where this won't be a problem?

Glueing the frame to the wall should work - providing no one ever wants to take it down.

And to rain even more on your parade - I can't imagine many things less appetizing than a big mirror in the dining room. Oh yeah - I really want to watch myself chew!

Kit
 
Paul, why do you think Velcro won't hold the frame? ... and how do you know what frame they are using as they never said what frame it was? The surface of a frame that is 60x90 inches gives you alot of area for velcro to attach. Plus, it would have to be put all the way around with special emphasis on the vertical surfaces. After seeing how velcro will hold an adult male on a wall, I would feel quite confident it would hold this frame which will probably weigh well under 100 pounds.

The only drawback to velcro as well as any glue is that if the wall is painted sheetrock, the glues will be only sticking to the paint and the paper and not a sound base.

The wall should be made ready for this by putting a plywood skin over the existing wall. This will give any glues a proper surface to which to adhere. The velcro can be stapled to the wood wall as well as the back of the frame as an added attaching measure along with the adhesive on the back.

The glues out there will work but then the frame will not be removable if needed.
 
When I do this kind of project I send a sample of the frame to the mirror installer. They will build out the substrate behind the mirror to match the depth of the rabbet.

Paul, we did a fairly heavy frame over and inside 45 degree corner mirror. Worked out fine because the mirror installation crew were real pros.

The Velcro should work on most applications since the weight of the frame will be supported by the upper edge of the mirror. A channel can be cut in the base of the frame to accommodate the Velcro so it doesn't hold the frame too far off the wall.
 
I did one of these that was 72" x 108" where the glass company glued the frame to the wall, supported by a J-bar on the bottom. I ripped a 1" black frame to the rabbet depth to match the mirror with an additional cut in the top of the rabbet for the J-bar on the bottom leg. This black frame served as a small liner for the main frame. I used counter-sunk screws diagonally into studs on the top leg of the main frame and filled to match. I put nails into studs (with filled nail holes) in the bottom leg to keep the frame from swinging out. You would have to climb up on a ladder to see where the upper screws were covered. Why would you worry about that? It was simple.

Pat :D
 
Originally posted by jsuth:
...Because the frame must go around a mirror which has already been affixed to the wall, we will need to bond the frame to the wall - we can't use a z-bar or cleats...
Unles you are using a frame only 1/4" deep, how are you dealing with the frame's rabbet depth?

You could use Z-bar by routing away the bottom surface of the frame on the top & bottom rails, so that the Z-Bar would be recessed.

You could use D-rings by routing or drilling shallow holes on the bottom of the side rails, so the D-rings and wall-screw heads are recessed.
 
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