Any ideas on mirrors?

[peequi]

I need to setup some mirrors in my garage(workout room). Do you guys just scrap together rather mirror pieces or get one custom made? The walls around my weight equipment is not used and is flat enough to mount just mirrors.

Pics would be great!

[FaintReality]

Closet door mirrors. Large and cheap, if not free on Craigslist.

Dave

[ProtienandIron]

Excellent idea.^

I bought a large 6x4 gym mirror of ebay for a very good price and tried glueing it to the wall as recommended by most. Long story short, the glue didnt hold up and I ended up with a lot of smashed glass in my gym! Beware.

[matrix563]

thats why i lean mine up against the wall. maybe if you had some 12x12 inch squares gluing would work hehe

[ProtienandIron]

In hindsight I would have screwed a wooden batten at the top and bottom to take the bulk of the weight. You live and learn though.

[Cleveland33]

For some reason mirrors are really expensive in stores and yet end up in the free section of CL quite often.

[swimmer32]

Check for any businesses (especially clothing stores) going out of business, or any hotels doing remodeling. It's a good way to get some large mirrors for cheap (or free).

[Wukillabeez78]

I had mine custom made by a company called Binswanger Glass. I had actually started to just collect mirrors off of craigslist (actually still have 2 nice sized ones) but then decided to get a professional to do it. My weight room is inside my house (in a room that is actually supposed to be a downstairs office) in a prominent, high traffic area and because of this I wanted something that was cleanly installed and was professionally done. If I had used my garage as my gym space I wouldn't have cared as much how it looked. You can see my mirrors here http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...52376&page=130
The glass is bolted to the wall at the top and bottom by mirrored U channels that run the entire length of each mirror. They also used some kind of adhesive on the back of each mirror to ensure they stay in place. Mirrors aren't important to some people but I like having them to observe my form. They also make my workout space appear to be larger than it really is (my weight room is only about 11'x11').

[Skidmarx]

For some reason mirrors are really expensive in stores and yet end up in the free section of CL quite often.

I've got a bunch of mirrors in my gym and I collected them over a year free off CL. They were all vanity mirrors from renovations. You have to act quick to an ad though, usually gone in hours.

[matrix563]

I've got a bunch of mirrors in my gym and I collected them over a year free off CL. They were all vanity mirrors from renovations. You have to act quick to an ad though, usually gone in hours.

i've had ads near me up for weeks at a time. the super big ones though i have no way to get them. the biggest i can do is 36x72 . wukilla how much did it cost to have your mirrors done?

[deadpool9]

I got 2 4x6 mirrors off CL for $50 each, I thought it was a good deal as new ones cost $185 each.

[Wukillabeez78]

i've had ads near me up for weeks at a time. the super big ones though i have no way to get them. the biggest i can do is 36x72 . wukilla how much did it cost to have your mirrors done?

I had my mirrors done in 2008 and the total cost (installation included) was $2250. Pretty expensive (I'm thinking about all the nice equipment I could have spent that money on!!!) but since the weight room is inside my home (not in basement/garage) it was worth it to my wife and I to have it professionally done.

[DoesntLift]

I work for a glass company so here are a few specifics about mirrors that might help you guys:

1)The sticky glue people were mentioning earlier for mounting mirrors is called Mastic. I would recommend CRL Gunther Mirror Mastic(check amazon or homedepot). You would need a caulking gun and make sure the wall surface is semi clean. Apply the mastic in blobs NOT lines like you would normal caulking.
2)Mirrors are almost always annealed not tempered so they can be cut/trimmed with a glass cutter. A small handheld glass cutter is very cheap($5) and as long as it is sharp/new will cut fine. Cut the Mirror side NOT the painted side and make sure to use a flat straight edge to guide the blade.
3) You will want a piece of J-mold on the bottom of the glass to screw into the wall. This piece of mold will support the actual weight of the glass. Mastic is very strong, but it is not really intended to support the weight rather the potential to tip away from the wall. Someone already mentioned their glass falling down the wall although it seemed fine. This will happen over time without support on the bottom.
4) The mirror needs to sit on small pieces of wood or rubber(aka setting block) within the channel. One on each end about 3" from the edge for smaller pieces, put more throughout the middle for wider pieces.
5) My company does commercial installations not residential, but our 1/4" mirror costs about $2.50 sq ft from our supplier.

Sorry for the long post, but I think this might help some of you guys. If you wanted to install a piece and did it as mentioned it would be fine. Full walls or even 2 pieces would be a little different because of the joint. If you don't understand any of this or aren't confident just hire someone....Check for Glaziers willing to do sidejobs on the cheap rather than contractors if you are trying to save some $$$

[boxertim]

i got 3 huge (4x10) mirrors for free. i loaded them into my truck and drove home. When i started to unload them I noticed that there were only 2. I can only imagine the horror of a huge sheet of mirror flying through the air and shattering on the road. I was actually worried that I may have hurt somebody ...but no stories about it on the news.

[playaj]

I had mine custom made by a company called Binswanger Glass. I had actually started to just collect mirrors off of craigslist (actually still have 2 nice sized ones) but then decided to get a professional to do it. My weight room is inside my house (in a room that is actually supposed to be a downstairs office) in a prominent, high traffic area and because of this I wanted something that was cleanly installed and was professionally done. If I had used my garage as my gym space I wouldn't have cared as much how it looked. You can see my mirrors here http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...52376&page=130
The glass is bolted to the wall at the top and bottom by mirrored U channels that run the entire length of each mirror. They also used some kind of adhesive on the back of each mirror to ensure they stay in place. Mirrors aren't important to some people but I like having them to observe my form. They also make my workout space appear to be larger than it really is (my weight room is only about 11'x11').

Looks fantastic. The basketball court is sick

[JimInOC]

home depot has decent size no edge mirrors usually, in my old home gym I put a couple of those together.

[mtdman]

home depot has decent size no edge mirrors usually, in my old home gym I put a couple of those together.

I was going to do the Home Depot thing myself and use some t and g flooring to make a frame for it. The bigger mirrors at hd were about $80 each. Then I talked to my wife about it. She told me to try this place here called home goods. She shops there a lot, it's kind of a chick store for decorating. She said they have big full length mirrors there cheap. So I stopped in. I bought a big 36 by 60 mirror with a frame on it for $50. It's a nice mirror too, and was cheaper than the no frame glass pieces at hd. And I don't have to worry about handling it and making my own frame, and I can actually hang it from the ceiling pretty easy instead of sticking it on the wall with glue or trying to drill into concrete. I love that thing and I'm going back to get another to put on an opposite wall. I'm pretty sure that home goods place is a national chain, I think my wife said TJ maxx owns it. It's worth a look if you have one.

[JimInOC]

I was going to do the Home Depot thing myself and use some t and g flooring to make a frame for it. The bigger mirrors at hd were about $80 each. Then I talked to my wife about it. She told me to try this place here called home goods. She shops there a lot, it's kind of a chick store for decorating. She said they have big full length mirrors there cheap. So I stopped in. I bought a big 36 by 60 mirror with a frame on it for $50. It's a nice mirror too, and was cheaper than the no frame glass pieces at hd. And I don't have to worry about handling it and making my own frame, and I can actually hang it from the ceiling pretty easy instead of sticking it on the wall with glue or trying to drill into concrete. I love that thing and I'm going back to get another to put on an opposite wall. I'm pretty sure that home goods place is a national chain, I think my wife said TJ maxx owns it. It's worth a look if you have one.

good call mtdman! We have a home goods locally as well. I'll definitely check that place out before I go to Home Depot. I wasn't looking forward to doing my own frames.

[linkh71191]

the MAIN problem i have with mirrors is the potential of breaking them, especially if you are lifting with dumbbells. I use something similar to this sheet metal.

Its a shiny piece of metal that is just reflective enough for me to spot myself while lifting or to stare at while squatting. Throw some weights at it, you can still watch them bounce back through the reflection.

what do you guys think?

[tehnhoj]

Another store I've seen reasonably priced mirrors at is Ikea. I saw large ones, with and without frames.

The closest one to me is 2 hours away and we picked up so much, that I didn't have room for any mirrors in my truck. Next time we make the trip I'll be buying some.

For now I've got some cheapo closet mirrors.

[miker84]

I'll second the Ikea for mirrors idea. I bought a mirror for the front of my power rack. Nice thing about their mirrors is that most come with a protective film over them to prevent worst case scenario shattering.

[RayCamma]

I need to setup some mirrors in my garage(workout room). Do you guys just scrap together rather mirror pieces or get one custom made? The walls around my weight equipment is not used and is flat enough to mount just mirrors.

Pics would be great!

Most cities have businesses that are called Hotel Liquidators (or something like that). These places buy all the furnishings from hotels that are closed or renovated, store it in a warehouse and have times the public can come in, persue and buy stuff. I picked up four nice 4' x 6' mirrors for $5 each. The biggest trouble was transporting them home; I lost one

[vic84875]

i got 3 huge (4x10) mirrors for free. i loaded them into my truck and drove home. When i started to unload them I noticed that there were only 2. I can only imagine the horror of a huge sheet of mirror flying through the air and shattering on the road. I was actually worried that I may have hurt somebody ...but no stories about it on the news.

Hi,

You make me laugh hard....

Dude, what about the noise of the mirror dropping?... Or maybe someone steal it; during a red light. I am sorry, It is too funny.

Seriously. I hope that no person have been injured.

Take care.
Bye,bye.