How to Hang a Heavy Mirror Without Nails

Do you want to hang a mirror in your home but don't know what fasteners to use? If you're renting your apartment or house from a landlord or property management company, they might not let you drill into the wall to use fasteners like screws and anchors for installing the mirror. This is how to hang a heavy mirror without nails or wall damage.

Most tenants can't make alterations to the property because the landlord must deal with the expense of putting their property back in order after the tenant vacates the home. Covering up the unsightly bolt and nail holes in the wall detract from the room's aesthetic, lowering the property value.

So, most tenants are stuck with the fittings available in the house or apartment, and they can't make any alterations to suit their needs. That means drilling or nailing into the wall to hang your mirror isn't an option.

Fortunately, you have alternatives for hanging the mirror that doesn't involve conventional fasteners like nails and drills. This post explores your options. You can also explore some mirror alternatives that are lighter weight or hang in an easier manner to deal with.

Can I Hang a Heavy Mirror Without Using Fasteners?

If you can't drill into the wall or nail in your fasteners, you're not completely out of luck. Try these hacks for a fastener-free fitment of your heavy mirror. For hanging a mirror on masonry, you'll need to drill and insert concrete anchors as normal adhesives won't stick to brick.

Use an Adhesive Mirror

Before we start, consider if hanging a heavy mirror is worth the hassle. There's no guarantee the fixes we have for you will work. Consider purchasing a lightweight adhesive mirror if that's the case.

These mirrors feature an adhesive backing that sticks to the wall. Since the mirror has a plastic frame, it won't tear away from the adhesive on the wall. The bond usually isn't strong enough to create any lasting damage to the wall.

If that's not an option, read on and see if one of these hacks works for how to hang a mirror without nails. We have multiple options for you to choose from.

Plastic Wall Anchors

If you can't drill or nail into the wall, try using plastic wall anchors. These fixtures have a plastic design and look like small clothes hooks mounted on a plastic back around a square inch in size. They're plastic molded items and can hang heavy weights in most cases.

The backplate of the anchor features an adhesive strip that sticks to the wall. You can double-up or triple-up the anchors to distribute the weight across three failure points and give the fixtures enough strength to hang a heavy mirror.

Plastic wall anchors are a good idea for hanging the mirror. Still, the adhesive might fail on you after a few months or a year, especially if the wall experiences wild temperature changes between summer and winter. If that's the case, you can always add a strong adhesive to the plastic hook and stick it to the wall for additional strength and load-bearing support.

If you add more adhesive to the back plate of the hook, remove the strip before smearing the industrial glue onto the back. Let the compound dry for 24 hours before placing any weight on it. Follow the instructions later in this article when you want to remove the hooks.

Velcro 3M Command Strips

3M Command Strips are another great idea for hanging a heavy mirror. Command Strips give you the best of both worlds of using double-sided tape and Velcro. These strips come in various lengths and feature two plastic strips with Velcro-like materials on each side.

When you press the Velcro side of the Command Strips against each other, they form a powerful bond, like Velcro, but with more strength for carrying heavier loads. Command Strips are ideal for smooth surfaces like tile, glass, varnished wood, painted wallboards, and stained wood.

Before mounting the Command Strips, you'll need to ensure the wall doesn't have any cracks, bumps, or rough patches. They won't work on surfaces like bricks or other porous materials.

The Command Strips have a sticky adhesive backing, similar to what we discussed with the plastic wall anchors. However, the extra length of the Command Strips distributes the weight more evenly across a longer distance, making them capable of hanging heavier objects.

If you're mounting a large, heavy, full-length mirror, it's a good idea to go with the longer three-foot command strips. Using three of these strips side-by-side gives you more than enough strength to carry the weight of any full-length mirror.

Another option, such as those pictured above, are less long and you can use more of them (especially on round mirrors). Four pairs will hold 16 pounds of weight, so you can use 8 pairs, 12 pairs, or even 16 pairs if needed to allow them all to redistribute the weight around.

The "Friction Mount" strips are a great choice out of the Command Strips lineup. They have hard plastic backing and the most powerful adhesive in the range. You mount one side of the strip to the wall and the other to the back of the mirror, line them up and stick them together like Velcro pads.

When it's time to vacate the property, these strips remove easily from the wall, and you don't risk pulling away paint or leaving any annoying adhesive on the wall. Follow our guide for removing adhesive from walls to get the best results for the task. Regarding how to hang a heavy mirror without nails, these are probably the best choice.

Is Double-Sided Tape Safe for Hanging Heavy Mirrors?

There are dozens of double-sided tape products for hanging heavy objects on walls. If you're having difficulty identifying the right product to use in your home, visit a hardware store. A home improvement store will have plenty of product ideas on the shelf to hopefully resolve your issue.

Double-sided tape might make it seem like there are better choices for hanging a heavy types of mirrors, but with the correct product, you can take care of the fitment with lasting results. Poster tape and painter's tape are examples of double-sided tape that are suitable for the task of hanging an extremely light poster or frameless photograph.

However, these options will likely have little strength to support anything over a pound, if even that. Other double-sided tape solutions are better, but they cost more. If you want the best results for fitting your heavy mirror, we recommend using Command Strips.

How Do I Remove Adhesive Without Damaging the Walls?

If you're dealing with stubborn adhesives that won't come away from the wall, try heating up the mirror or behind the wall using your hair dryer. A heat gun is the best commercial choice for completing the task. It delivers high heat to the applied area, loosening the adhesive, which makes it easy to pull the mirror away from the wall.

Turn on the heat gun and let it warm up. Place it against the sides of the plastic wall anchors or the Command Strips and move it up and down the contact area of the rear of the anchor or strip. Work the gun on the adhesive for around 20 to thirty seconds, put it down, and see if you can remove the hook or strip.

The adhesive should pull away easily and make it effortless to remove any excess adhesive remaining on the wall. Ripping the mirror off the wall is a bad idea. We'll talk about that in detail later. Just remember, when you ask how to hang a mirror on the wall without nails, you're signing up for using patience later when taking it back down and removing the adhesive.

Tips for Mounting Heavy Mirrors on Walls

Read these tips before mounting your mirror to the wall in your new apartment or home. They might stop you from making a big mistake that wastes your time and effort on the project.

Get Your Tools

Gather your tools before you get to work on the project. If you don't have the right types of tools for the task, you're not going to finish in the same session.

That might mean you have other things that arise, diverting your attention from completing the work. So, the mirror ends up sitting on the floor for weeks or months before you eventually finish the project.

Everyone pretends they have enough discipline for this to not happen, but we all know, life goes on. We all have unfinished projects. Don't let this one fall between the cracks.

Measure Twice – Hang Once

When working with materials that feature powerful adhesives, you only get one shot at setting it up. If you mess it up, it means you're going to have to potentially remove the mirror and start again. You'll have to use new adhesive, which will waste your resources and time.

Mark where you want to hang the mirror and ensure you're happy with its height and level. You can use a spirit level to ensure it's straight. It's challenging to tell if you have the right position, so get a friend to help you with the task if you can.

Mounting Your Mirror

Use the adhesive or tape strips sparingly when mounting the mirror. If you overdo it, you might cause the paint to rip away from the wall when you remove the mirror after your lease expires. The landlord will take the costs of repairing the wall out of your security deposit, leaving you with less money for your new place. Use only the amount needed to support the weight of the mirror, but not so little you're asking how to fix a cracked mirror..

That's How to Hang a Heavy Mirror Without Nails

Moving into a new home as a tenant is exciting, but it's frustrating if you want to make alterations to personalize your living space. The inability to drill and nail into the wall means you can't make changes to the property to suit your lifestyle. You must make do with what's already available.

Fortunately, you have alternatives to help you hang that heavy mirror. Follow the tips in this post, and you'll find one or two offering you a pragmatic solution to your problem. And that's how to hang a heavy mirror without nails. Good luck with hanging your mirrror, and enjoy your new home!

You'll Also Enjoy:

• How High to Mount a TV in Your Bedroom (& 7 Tips)
• How to Keep Birds Off Your Porch With 15 Tricks
• A Kitchen Without Windows Can Still Satisfy & Here's How
• 11 Alternatives to Shutters to Spruce Up Exterior Windows
• 32 Types of Safes to Keep Your Valuables Secure