Fixing large mirror to hinged doors and hanging them

[benson124]

Hi,

I have two large mirrors which I would like to attached to some built-in cupboards I'm altering.
The mirrors are 2200mm high, 750mm wide and 4mm thick. The mirrors are planned to be attached via mirror adhesive (no screws or brackets) to hinged cupboard doors (not sliding doors). I have been let down by numerous carpenters so have given up and decided to do this myself. I have a couple of questions:

1) Assuming these mirrors are attached to the right material, will the adhesive on its own hold the mirrors?

2) Any recommendations on what material to attach the mirrors to? I thought of 3/4" ply but this is quite heavy, then I thought of MDF but was concerned this might either flex or the top layer become detached. What about chip board? To match the rest of the cupboard, I'm looking to try and keep the thickness of the door about 3/4" (not including mirror)

3) I've got some standard 4" skirting board for the frame which I'll screw to the existing surround. The hinges will be attached to this. Will ten screws per panel be OK to attach this to the surround?

4) Finally, any recommendation on hinges? I thought I'd need at least 4, maybe 5 hinges per door. The hinges on the rest of the cupboards are the the standard ones you'd see on kitchen cupboard which sit embedded into the door. They can't be 'front door' hinges as the doors need to cover the surround. Can anyone recommend any (or any links/pictures of what I should get).

Any help with any of the above questions would be greatly appreciated. Alternatively if you know a good carpenter in the Birmingham/Solihull area, that would be appreciated!

Thanks!

 

[foxhole]

18mm mdf is fine [most large mirror doors in ikea range use mdf for a backing]. Mirror adhesive and I would also add some foam double sided mirror tape, helps dampen impact as well as providing excellent adhesion.
Very large for doors so I would go with at least 6 hinges [kitchen type].
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Adh...sive/Mirror Adhesive 310ml/d180/sd3199/p14262
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Iro...Concealed Hinge Trade Pack/d170/sd2674/p16253
http://www.esska-tech.co.uk/esska_eng_s/double_sided_mirror_tape_rk_886_color_wh.html

 

[benson124]

Thanks for the response - really appreciated it!

I was thinking of going with plywood as from my research this is lighter, stronger and will be much easier to screw nails in to. I don't mind the extra cost and the mirror covers the entire front of the door so the finish is fine. Any comments on this? I know there is a risk of it bowing but do I have the same risk with MDF? could I used some planks in a frame on the rear of the door to help prevent any bowing?

I also found these hinges on ebay - would these be a better choice than the standard concealed hinges? I'd still go for 6 hinges per door:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CH1360-SC...arden_Door_Accessories_LE&hash=item25744251a2

Thanks again

 

[foxhole]

Ply is only slightly less weight and more likely to warp when used as a door, you don't screw nails? and at 18mm mdf is far more suitable for recessed kitchen hinge, those in link are mortice hinges and required high degree of skill to fit having no adjustment and your doors are too thin to use them.

 

[benson124]

Thanks Foxhole. We'll go with MDF then. The weight of the MDF will be 23.5KG, over Ply which is 11KG. The mirror is 16.5KG. Therefore, with MDF each door will be 40KG - is it worth going for 8 hinges per door to be safe?

Quick question on the mirror tape - I assume I have one go to get the mirrors on the door with adhesive tape? With mirror adhesive I can move around to get in to the right position - can I do this with the tape adhesive? I'll have to make sure I have help to ge it right first time otherwise.

I'll also need to re-secure the whole cupboards to the wall just in case the whole cupboard comes forward when the doors are open.

In regards to screws - I was probably going to go with director type screws into the cabinet frame. Any recommendations on screw type to use into the 18mm MDF door? I assume I should also use glue on the cup?

Appreciate your help mate! [/url]

 

[foxhole]

can,t have too many hinges.
Woodscrews are ok, keep at least 80mm from edge of timber to avoid splitting and pilot hole all screws.
You could use nylon blocks or metal bracket to reinforce joints.
Tape grabs instantly so get it wrong and you are instantly f**ked.

 

[benson124]

80mm from the edge could be a problem as I'm fitting cupbaord doors or have I misunderstood? Looking at the hinges and where they'd need to be placed they will all be between 30mm and 40mm from the edge of the MDF or the wood frame. Is this going to be OK?

Would the mirror hold the MDF together?

Thanks

 

[foxhole]

I think you misunderstood, the doors don't require any screws if you use clip in hinges.
http://www.ikea.com/gb/en/catalog/products/70132375/

 

[benson124]

OK - so just to confirm; don't use the hinges on the earlier link:
http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Iro...Concealed Hinge Trade Pack/d170/sd2674/p16253

but use the clip-in hinges?

Will those clip-in hinges really hold a 40KG door?

Am I not safer with the hinges with screws on MDF?

Cheers

 

[foxhole]

The screws used with the standard hinges are only 15mm and offer little in the way of strength.