safe removal of wall mirror

[daniel2229]

I would like to know of a safe way of removing an 82" x 42" mirror that is glued to the wall above my bathroom counter.

I thought of using a glass cutter and dividing it into thirds or quarters, covering the cuts with duct tape, and removing the mirror in smaller pieces.

Any thoughts?

Daniel

[HayZee518]

take some duct tape and tape all over the mirror - then take a 5 lb sledge and hit the mirror. using a glass cutter won't be of any help because to snap the glass you need to bend on the side opposite the scribe mark with the cutter.
Use a full suit, gloves, full face goggles and a respirator. vacuum the entire room after you're done

[daniel2229]

HayZee,

I can already get to one corner of the mirror where I had to add adhesive a couple of years ago. The plan I had in mind was to score the glass, and and slide a dowel rod behind the mirror from above. Then push from the front to break the mirror along the scribe.

I figured I would repeat the process until the whole thing is down.

I contacted a company that put in a shower door for me last year, and they quoted $120 to take it down. He said it would take two men with suction cups, and they would "start yanking it away from the wall" to put it in his words. Wow!

Daniel

[HayZee518]

ok, I wasn't aware that you had enough play from behind it to snap it off. The silver coating will produce shards when it cracks be careful.

[daniel2229]

Update on mirror.

It came down well. They only sent one guy. He used the same method I was going to use. He attached suction cups and started to pull it away from the wall starting at the end that was already loose. Then he used some long cylindrical object, my wife wasn't sure what it was, to break the mirror into four sections.

No mess, no fuss, $100 well spent, with no mirror sitting at the curb over night for the trash guys to make a royal mess of!

There were eight fist-sized dollups of adhesive to remove. I put a really stiff putty knife behind them and separated them from the wall, paper and all. The area around the adhesive had been stained by the compound, and I didn't want it leaking into the paint like some chemicals will. I was able to patch the wall and paint the next day.

Everything looks great, and my wife is pleased with the results!

Daniel