new guy with question

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alex121

Grumbler in Training
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Feb 24, 2008
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hello all, i'm new to this site(first post) i'm not a picture framer but a designer and maker of furniture and have been for going on forty years,
having said that i do make solid wood frames mostly for mirrors though
more and more pictures framers are buying the frames i make. so my question is -what are the differant ways of hanging very heavy framed
mirrors;my largest frame (i make four sizes) is six foot x four foot,seven inches wide and two inches thick the 1/4" mirror is 60"x36"; so they are very
heavy (two persons to move one) and i would like to hear some ideas on hanging.
thanks all--oh i may be new to the grumble but i've been coming here to look
for awhile.

alex
 
I suggest z-bar. I can't post the link for you at the moment but search for 'z-bar' on the internet or here, above. I have used it on several large pcs. One was a 4'x8' framed mirror above a vanity in a bathroom.

found an earlier thread titled 'the dilema of the giant mirror' that you may find helpful.
 
I usually think first of zbar on mirrors and heavy frames. But I don't think zbar is rated for the kind of weight that requires 2 people to lift.

There's been discussion on this before. If you search for "heavy mirror" I'd bet you'd have a page or more of results. I think the best idea I've heard for a mirror of that weight is to securely mount 3/4 plywood to the wall, then attach the mirror with mastic. The frame can be clipped or screwed to hang around the plywood, so that no weight is on the frame itself. Of course, I'm not sure that this process makes the mirror portable.

The other hanging method that comes to mind would be similar to zbar, but would use wood cleats top and bottom with matching receiver cleats on the wall. I would probably use lag screws into each stud. But I think your weak point in this kind of installation would be the attachment of the cleats to the frame. There would be a lot of weight on whatever you used to attach it.

For things like this, you have to also be concerned about the liability involved if a 200-300 lb. mirror falls off the wall.
 
I frame and hang MANY mirrors, especially large ones. If you like Z Bar, you will like hangman products even more. Their extrusion is much more user friendly and is easier to use. We are hanging 36" x 50" mirrors in a hotel right now, one over each bath vanity (ten per floor, 14 floors) and I am sure that we are saving a significant amount of time by using a hangman channel over z bar.

They also make a whole bunch of other hanging devices that are really well made and very useful.

I especially like a removable double sided adhesive that keeps pictures straight on the wall, and a double headed screw that is perfect for hanging "d" rings.

They also sell z bar.

www.hangmanproducts.com
 
I nice method I have used in the past for heavy mirrors.

Fix a length of wood, say 3/4x4" along the top rail of the frame so that about 1" overlaps the rabbet edge. Then an identical piece is fixed to the wall. The wall piece has a few mirror plates fixed to the top edge with the single hole part overlapping the edge. The mirror can then be lifted onto the wall piece and the mirror plates lock it in place. This way the weight is spread over a large area and you can use as many wall anchors as the job demands.
A couple of 3/4" blocks on the bottom edge will ensure the mirror is dead perpendicular and allow air circulation.
 
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