What Is Mirror Repair and Replacement?
Mirror repair and replacement covers cutting, installing and restoring mirrors in homes and businesses: bathroom vanity mirrors, wardrobe and closet doors, full-height wall mirrors, home gyms and studios, and antique mirrors in frames. Most of the time “repair” means replacing a broken or desilvered mirror, because the silver layer on a modern mirror cannot be patched. The exception is antique mirrors, which can be resilvered.
Mirror Types We Install
| Application | Glass | Mounting |
|---|---|---|
| Vanity mirror | 4-6mm silvered plate, polished edge | Mirror mastic and clips |
| Wall-to-wall bathroom mirror | 6mm, polished or bevelled | Mastic and J-channel |
| Wardrobe door | 4mm, safety backed | Door frame or adhesive |
| Gym or studio wall | 6mm, safety backed | J-channel and mastic |
| Heritage framed mirror | Original glass, resilvered | French cleat |
Gym and Studio Mirror Walls
Fitness mirrors take more abuse than any other mirror. Weights get dropped, people lean on them, and a broken mirror next to a workout floor is a real hazard. We install them like this:
- 6mm silvered plate, thick enough to stay flat over a full-height panel.
- Safety backing film on every panel, so broken glass stays stuck to the film.
- A continuous J-channel along the bottom, so the weight sits on the channel, not the adhesive.
- Mirror mastic that will not attack the silver back coat.
- Tight, aligned joints so the reflection reads as one wall.
Preventing Desilvering
Black edges on bathroom mirrors are caused by moisture and the wrong chemicals. A few things make a big difference:
- Use a mirror mastic that is made for silvered glass, not construction adhesive.
- Leave a small gap behind the mirror so it can breathe.
- Seal or edge-finish the bottom edge where water sits.
- Clean with a mild glass cleaner, not ammonia, and do not spray the edges.
Every bathroom mirror we install follows these rules.
Antique Mirrors
Heritage homes in Cabbagetown, the Annex, Rosedale and Unionville often have original mirrors in overmantels, hall stands and dressers. When the silver fails, the frame and glass are worth keeping. Resilvering strips the old silver and applies a new coating, so the piece keeps its age and character.
Send a photo with rough measurements and our glass repair team in Toronto will quote your mirror in writing.
Written by The Elite Glass Repair Toronto Crew. Last updated .