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Please forgive my ignorance on this as I'm new to this forum and had a question.
My question is: I have a large mirror that weighs I would say 50lbs. I purchased an ITW bracket that says it will hold up to 200lbs. The screws that came with it were small and looked pretty weak so I got some of the self drilling dry wall anchors that will hold up to 75lbs. There aren't any studs in the wall so I had to use the anchors on in all of the holes which installed fine. Now I'm terrified to hang the mirror as I'm scared it will crash down and destroy our floor and cause a disaster. It feels very solid but I still have a fear it will crash to the ground a few hours after it has been hung up. Does anyone have any thoughts on this as to if it will hold ok?
I use 2 each #8 drywall anchors for wall hangings up to 35 lbs and have never had a problem. Is your mirror bracket one that is about 18 inches long or longer and has several holes in it for mounting screws. If so then I'd play it safe and use 4 heavy duty drywall screws to mount it. Does the mirror have a matching bracket on it to slide into the wall bracket?
Without pictures to see the bracket and mirror mount it is hard to determine exactly what is needed.
Personally I would not hang anything that heavy in particular a mirror on 1/2 drywall.... 5/8 if you had some really good anchors that spread the load on the backside of the drywall... maybe. Doesn't matter what the anchors are rated for, it's the dry wall that is the issue.
At the very least get some good anchors like these, they spread the load on the backside of the dry wall and can't be pulled out unless a large part of the drywall breaks. Do not overtighten, all you need to do is firm them up.
5/8 drywall is stronger, as coalman points out. Large mirrors are commonly held with rather large dabs of mastic on the back as well as anchors or a support strip at the bottom.
Also, how is a mirror big enough to weigh that much not wide enough to cross at least one stud?
I would really try harder to locate another stud just for the principle of the thing, although the anchors should work fine.
I can remember a time or two that I had a 1000 test holes in a 4 inch section of wall before
hitting wood
The last time I packed a suitcase and was worried I had exceeded the airline's 50 lb weight limit, I was also chagrined to weigh it and find I hadn't hit 30 yet.
You have me real curious. What's the measurement of the mirror?
Studs are normally 16" oc, if you found one you should be able to find others 16" out. If necessary stud finder may work well for you too locate the studs.
the best strongest anchors for heavy stuff is toggler bolts. Don't confuse these with toggle bolts that spread out behind the drywall. I'm a contractor i use these all the time to hang heavy flat screen tv's etc.
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