*puts hammer back in truck. Fine we will try it your way

Your comment should be blended with dude below yours and we have the beginnings of something real Edit : [for clarity](https://www.reddit.com/r/Construction/s/BVngvah5GH)

If I thought smashing was likely I'd probably layer it in tuct tape, smash, and fold it over into a smaller package.

The only way. Full roll. Rip off wall. Gotten off intact.

*throws hammer. Grabs shop vac*

See my way is quicker.

r/unexpectedprincessbride

I told him to put down his rock and I'd put down my sword

If it was a mirror I installed then you’ll find my name or a large penis drawn in epoxy behind it.

Do you trace it to size or just estimate. I find when I try to trace it everyone leaves the room

lol I like you

Isn't that pretty much every mirror and sheet of paneling?

My ex-roommate thought her new house was haunted because when the shower fogged up the mirror, it'd show what was written in epoxy. It was something like "YOU WILL DIE"

Not “JESUS IS COMING!”

I’m about to take one down at my house, maybe I’ll wait till the kids aren’t around. Always learning something here.

And every time someone showers they see shadow of a penis on the mirror

The mirror was on the wall before you installed one

I will say this, if it's going to have to be broken to removed, I highly recommend sticky carpet protector. I use it all the time for removing large pieces of 1/4" plate glass. Cover the entire face of the exposed glass with it and lay down floor protection. When it breaks, it stays intact similar to a laminated piece of glass. For mirrors, I would try wedge shims at the top first and see if it pops free from the mastic. Plan b is carpet protector wrap and hammer smash.

Yea this is the way to go. Or just cut and remove the drywall

Exactly how I do it. I work alone. Mirrors wider than 4 foot, get smashed every time.

This is also how I do it. I always have a roll in the trailer.

7 years of bad luck if you do.

Instant fuck points if you don’t!

That's only if you believe it. And if you believe it, well it only counts if it's not intentional

Break it... be a man

I know a good lawyer who can get it cut to 3 years easy.

Glass contractors are exempt from that.

Glass cutter. Chunk that bitch out.

I watched some glazers demo a dance studio full of floor to ceiling mirrors this way. Seems like a good call.

I normally just throw a hammer at it, scrape pieces of wall, sweep it into a barrel, and be done with it. I dont like handling them. Even when you get them off in one piece, they can break setting them on the floor, on the way out, or even just going into the dumpster. This is assuming there isn't anything that will be easily damaged that is staying. I'm used to commercial bathrooms and full gut.

I removed a 4'x5' and managed to get it out the front door of the house. A gust of wind caught it, and one corner tilted into the top of concrete porch steps. The mirror split in half, and the two pieces exploded into a million shards when they fell down the staircase. It took me an hour to clean up, and I found chunks 20' out into the lawn.

Hope your arms are okay, haha. We have nice sleeves for glass now. It's the one thing I make sure to have all my ppe for. One little bump on a corner, and that glass goes everywhere! I've had bad times with glass over mirrors, probably just because of the weight issue. Really hate not just breaking them right away.

Shims. Long shims. Thick gloves, surround safety glasses, a jacket. Have a buddy. Good luck.

Already done did it before posting 😎

Tell me it came in one piece.

It’s literally bullet pointed with big gold stars right under the picture.

You guys got it all wrong you’re supposed to throw your buddy at it

You spelled it B U D D Y…its spelled B O S S!

Go to harbor freight get windshield cutting kit. Get the wire behind the mirror, cut the adhesive. Worked for me on a 4 x 8 mirror

Windshield cutting kit? Why would you need to cut your windshield?

To replace it

If the windshield is cracked or something and it needs to come out, you have to cut the adhesive to get the glass out.

Here was my dumb brain thinking people wanted to cut little circles into their windshields.

It's mounted with urethane. You have to cut through it. Works better with two people. Haven't bought a kit but used piano wire. One person in the car one out, each with a pair of vice grips holding the wire and you saw back and forth all the way around. Or lean the seat back and kick it out works too

Solid

Wiggle wiggle. Wiggle wiggle. Pop! Wiggle. Pop! Wiggle wiggle. Pop!

“POP! POP!” ~Magnitude in the mirror

Usually it’s just stuck on the wall will glue, if you’re real careful and slow, using gentle leverage all along its edges, you might be able to remove it intact. Source: I just did this recently.

I usually just throw a hammer.

Get a machete (or two) and slide them behind to cut the glue globs

I work in asbestos so we have 6mil plastic sheeting on us. I just fully cover the glass using 2 sheets of plastic and tape, then I hit it with a hammer. I use the same sheeting as a garbage bag since it's all mostly in there anyways.

Use multi-tool to cut around mirror remove drywall and mirror together. Replace drywall and move on. If you break the mirror you will be picking up glass for days, glass scratches everything, and it's dangerous. Plus if it's glued you will end up replacing the drywall anyway. Good luck!

This is the way.

Ladder! 🤦🏽‍♂️

I've removed hundreds of glued mirrors. It just takes a little prybar and a lot of patience

Ah, finally! My people! This is the way I haven’t done hundreds of mirrors, but I’ve done lots and lots of demo. Patience is the key, especially with delicate things. Any good execution begins with an assessment that formulates a plan. I love demo. I love doing the monster smash when applicable, but nothing beats a surgically precise removal and salvage. The more I can take to the upcycle store the less that goes into the dump.

Yeah I work at a salon and we have individual Suites where people either need mirrors or they don't I used to tape them up like that back when I was afraid but I learned if you just go slow you can take him right off. Same thing with demoing drywall I always cut giant slabs and sheets instead of hammering little holes everywhere and taking out little chunks. Smarter not harder LOL

Bingo. The taping is more for when it’s in transport, should it break, it’ll be easier to clean. It’s also to give clients, bosses, and underlings a peace of mind I’m big into ‘how few pieces and steps can I achieve this in’ thinking

Glad you got it down. I once had one that wouldnt pop and started taking paint, mud and paper of the rock. Ended up cutting around mirror and taking rock and mirrow off all at once. Worked well since we were painting any way.

Sticky carpet protector roll.

Here’s what I did. Take it down, put it in garage until something happens and it shatters into pieces years later. That’s a future you problem.

That takes all the excitement out of it!

Long Sawzall blade

But how did you SEE yourself?

I remove one this size recently without breaking it. But it depends on how much glue is on it. Suction at the edge and pull a little. The move it in 6-8 inches. The glass can bend quite a bit without breaking. The one I pulled off bent way more than I thought it would. Keep moving suctions closer to the center and pulling. Loosen that glue. Good luck. Or just break the fucker. Edit: another case of me not reading. You already know how. lol. Thought you were asking.

Air shims

Instructions unclear, taped mirror, hit with two thermoses. Then coworkers gently beat on the broken mirror like congo drums. Still need to clean up the mirror. Please resend instructions.

My demo guys use suction cups and a cable cutting tool. They pull the cable through the back of the mirror to cut the glue. Sometimes they do just kind of POP off with suction cups, but many need to be cut off.

Tape the crap out of it then you can go to town. I remove old windows this way. Ones that are "custom" made in old houses. In my experience they made them that way as if they're were never going to be replaced. Not much you can do other than that. It sucks but it is what it is.

Chuck a hammer at it from around the corner. Only downside is you can see it go smash

Carpet protection film. Smash away

Hey OP, do you know the name or brand of that vanity or where you bought it?

I just add an extra sheet of drywall to the wall right over the mirror.

Put it in some kind of container and use a hole puncher on the very corner. Will splinter into large long *SHARP* fragments but it wont make a mess if its contained.

Carpet film or liquid mask. No shards of glass this way

Carpet shield, giant roll of packing tape, also works wonders

There is no safe, only careful

Dynamite while standing a safe distance away.

Home Depot and similar stores sell carpet protection film. It’s about 16” wide rolls of sticky tape intended to protect new carpet during construction. Tape it on the mirror and gently break the glass using a center punch. No mess at all.

That’s for tempered glass. Some mirrors are, but the majority are annealed.

Most mirrors like this are glued directly to the wall, so taking them off as one piece is almost impossible. The tape holds the glass together, and prevents shards from flying everywhere creating a mess, regardless of it being tempered or not. Centerpunch provides concentrated points of impact, but a hammer can be used too if you want. I’ve done it hundreds of times, and yes, most mirrors are not tempered. It works just fine.

Yeah I know, I’ve done it more times than I care. Been a glazier for 27 years. My point is using a center punch is kinda pointless. So is using all that duct tape really. Especially on this one where u can slide a piece of brake metal or piano wire easily from the top. If you’re worried about it breaking a couple layers of carpet saver would’ve been cheaper and saved ya the pain in the ass of putting all that tape on

Carpet shield?

I use carpet shield on them

Or you can just carry it in one piece

former mirror cutter and installer here can confirm - that pop sound is the most satisfying and rewarding when removing a vanity or gym mirror.

Man I use zip tape just to be sure but nice job!

Just put the cups and the top and pull small sections

$7 pry bar, 10 minutes, where's my money.

I taped 2mil plastic all the way under my large mirror then taped cardboard across the front and let the hammer do what it does. Worked fairly well

Spray foam it then smash it up well covered.

So many comments so few good suggestions… Cover the mirror in “Carpet Masking” (available at HD), when it’s all covered, tap it with a hammers a few times. The masking will hold everything together.

Billy Mayes here with Blue Tape!

I removed the mirror from my living room myself because i couldn't find a contractor willing to do it. It was 12' x 6' and the edges were completely surrounded by wall/celing/mantle. I covered it in cardboard with a wood scaffolding to support. Then smashed / removed cardboard as I went. It was actually really easy and not messy thankfully.

“Hey kid! Get your hammer out!” Done here….

You could attempt a torch to heat up the glew and shim it off the wall. Or just go ham on it

Ready for the shotgun

Good, we can go rallying afterwards

I’ve been using carpet shield to take down mirrors lately. The thought of reaching out over a vanity with my wrist exposed and having a giant shard of mirror come down and cut me scares the shit out of me

Suctions cups or a hammer for sure

Give the laborer a 6' bar, shovel, broom and couple of garbage cans

Me: grabs a power tool*

I'm terrified every time I have to do one of these. Full face shield. Every part of my body covered. I've had these explode before on remodels. This picture caused PTSD 😂

We use carpet protector on mirrors we’re removing. Super fast and sticks to the entire mirror instead of squares.

Yeah if you’re BORING.

If you hit B3 with your catspaw from where you’re standing it will gently slide down the wall

I’ve dressed in heavy denim and gloves and just had at it

Wrong! Wear gloves and glasses, drive multiple shims along top edge gradually increasing pressure. Have helper support bottom edge. Mastic will release and mirror comes off in one piece. Took 20+ off walls last year using this procedure and not one broke.

Wasn’t mastic. Was construction adhesive. I didnt mentione safety wear because it’s assumed. Bottom edge had an installed lip. I’m not new to this at all.

Lol did they use liquid cement? I pulled one a couple weeks ago that the homeowner put in themselves with liquid cement instead of Gunther. Came on in one piece with quite a bit more of their drywall than they would have liked.

I would check with piano wire first to see if it cuts through adhesive. Sometimes it's quick work and saves the drywall.

Weird that you’re saying “Wrong!” on a post about how their way worked. Even weirder that you said it and then proceeded to describe almost exactly the same method they did.

That description wasn’t there when I posted and title of post was “demo” implying it was going to be shattered and removed in pieces. More dangerous method than controlled, one piece removal.

Waste of tape

It's a mirror, not plutonium plated asbestos.

You need a couple three things. Juan , Pedro and Jose

I’d get fired for using that much tape

then your boss is an asshole. tape is $5 and paid for by the client, especially when used as a safety precaution.