[Easy Gibson]

A woman called me a couple weeks ago and asked if I could install a mirror and do some other odds and ends around the house. I said of course. When I inquired as to the size of the mirror she said "it's really big. It could even be 100 pounds". Not that I didn't trust her, but typically when a customer says something is heavy, it's about half the weight they described it as being.
Not this time. This mirror was every bit of 200 pounds. Probably more. Worse, it was being stored in the garage of an early 1900's mansion, which meant we had to move it 50 yards, around a corner, up some stairs, through doorways, under chandeliers, etc to even get it into position.
To make things more interesting the entire mirror was covered in plaster-over-wire filigree which was already chipping and flaking off, which made turning it over onto a set of horses an impossibility. It also made clamping to it impossible. It also made moving it in any capacity impossible except for a straight up dead lift from the bottom.
To add an extra touch of insanity/liability, they wanted it put over their father's bed. Great.
I was thiiiiiiis close from walking away from it, as I didn't want that drama on me, but we regrouped, did some math, and worked out a cleat solution that I was comfortable with. At 72" wide I was able to get a full 5 studs worth of grab on the wall, which made me very happy.

Here's my cousin/helper standing next to the heaviest mirror I've ever installed.

 

[Inner10]

I was expecting a far bigger mirror....

 

[Easy Gibson]

Dimension wise it wasn't the biggest(6'x5'), but it was a monster weight wise.

Sorry to disappoint. I'll title my threads more appropriately from now on.

 

[slowsol]

If you had to hang it on the ceiling, there'd be a lot more interest.

 

[Easy Gibson]

I always wondered who got those jobs and what the conversations were like leading up to the installation.
I mean, chances are the homeowner isn't going to hang one of those mirrors themselves. Surely a contractor was called. How does that get brought up? Do you think they try to disguise the job with a bunch of other work being done that they don't really need? I'm thinking like the shy guy who buys a newspaper and bunch of other groceries when he picks up condoms.

 

[steex]

I think the kind of people who have mirrors on their ceilings aren't the kind who are real shy about that sort of thing.

 

[VinylHanger]

I'd never put real mirrors over my bed. Nothing like a small earthquake and your willy gets chopped off. Or even a bit of head board bangin'.

As for that mirror, that would be a pain. If you bend it, the frame cracks. Most of those types of mirrors are a homemade thing that has no real way of attaching them.

Did you use cups to move it? That makes it much easier.

 

[steex]

My dad had a mirror up at the top of his hallway wall pointed down and into his bedroom at a kind of funny angle. I always thought it was some kind of kinky thing, but when I finally asked him he told me it was so he could watch tv while he was on the john. My old man was a genius.