How Do I Remove a Wall Mirror?

Removing a mirror from a wall can be a dangerous job. The larger the wall mirror, the harder it will be to remove. There are several ways to accomplish the task. They all do have some things in common for safety. Number one, you need some sort of eye protection. Even a cheap pair of safety goggles from the hardware store will do fine. Clear packing tape will be applied to the surface of the mirror. In case it breaks, the pieces remain intact and you have less of a chance that the pieces will come apart and possibly cause an injury. Gloves are recommended, but some people don’t like to use them because of a loss of dexterity. If the mirror is large you might need to have someone help you support it.

Pry Bar Method

First you will need a small pry bar, a light hammer, and some wooden shims. Start at the top of the mirror and lightly tap the pry bar in, but not all of the way. Always work from top to bottom. You want to go just enough to get the shim in about one-third of the way. Then start working your way around the mirror a little bit at a time. Eventually (depending on the size of the mirror) the shims will go all of the way in. When you start feeling the mirror come loose make sure the top stays supported. Then the mirror will be able to be just angled to pull right off of the wall. The only thing left to do is to patch the wall.

Wire Method

This method works better on smaller mirrors (like a bathroom mirror). The wire that you need has many different names. It can be called either cut out wire, windshield removal wire, or piano wire. You can find it at most auto parts stores. It can also be found in hardware stores. You will need to buy a length about one foot longer than the diagonal of the mirror. You will want to start at one corner of the mirror and slowly start to saw back and forth working towards the center of the mirror. Keep working your way around until the mirror comes off of the wall (remember to support the top of the mirror when you start to get close to the bottom).

Cutting out the Drywall

This is not my favorite method, but sometimes you have no other choice if whoever installed the mirror used too much glue. It is although probably the safest way to remove the mirror. What you want to do is mark around the outside of the mirror about one inch away from the edge. Take your drywall saw and just start cutting on the line that was drawn. The number of studs it will be screwed into will depend on the size of the mirror. Start at the side that is furthest from a stud. Pry it out slowly with your pry bar. After you have removed the mirror you will need some drywall to patch up the wall (this is why it’s not my favorite way). If you want to reuse the mirror take it outside and soak the drywall with water and eventually it will come right off with light scraping.

If you scrape too hard you can damage the coating on the mirror.These are the most common ways of removing a mirror but there are others. Feel free to share them with us as well! And always remember that if you have no experience with this and you’re not too confident on your ability to pull it off, it’s always best to contact a professional glass company to do the job.

This article has been contributed by Corey Wright of glassandmirrorpros.com

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Edited by: Rajesh Bihani ( Find me on Google+ )