On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 01:28:51 GMT, "James Dean"
wrote:

I was wondering if anyone has run into having to take off a large bathroom
glued on mirror.

I'm getting ready to put some bead board in my bathroom but can't figure out
how to remove the mirror from the wall without breaking the mirror or
cutting out the drywall with it.

The builder just went thru and either caulked (I hope) or glued them to the
wall.

If anyone's successfully done this I'd love to hear from ya.

thanks.

I've not done it, but I'd bet you a beer that the mirrors are attached
with construction adhesive, not caulking.

My first choice would be to try to remove the drywall and the mirror
as a unit, so you can get it to the shop where it's easier to work on.
The drawback to this is that there's probably nails or screws in the
drywall behind the mirror, making this method impossible.

My next choice would be messy but should work; Get a squirt bottle,
of the type that glue comes in, at least a pint in size. Fill it with
lacquer thinner, and use the squirt spout to dribble the thinner in
behind the mirror and gently, gently, oh so gently, apply a little
pressure at the top edge to start pulling the mirror free. Keep
dribbling the thinner and eventually it should turn loose.

This will likely result in you having to remove, or, at the least,
repaint a large section of the drywall, but should get the mirror down
in one piece. It would be nice to have some help on hand too because
this is at least a 3-armed job. Don't forget adequate ventilation and
something to protect the floor/baseboard.

In retrospect, unless this is expensive, beveled edge glass, I think
I'd most likely just suit up with proper protection and make a few
strategic taps with a hammer. 1/8" mirror glass isnt all that
expensive and replacing it would be a lot less hassle than trying to
remove what you have in one piece.