Is there a specific type of mirror for bathrooms?
Do you have that one wall that needs something, but you’re not sure what? That may be the wall to consider having a beautiful framed professional mirror installation. A mirror can give any room added depth, increase the lighting, and provide an object of beauty. Maybe it’s the formal dining room or formal living room, or even an attic or basement dance room in your home.
For any of those areas, how to do know what kind of mirror, where to put the mirror, and how to hang it for a safe mirror installation? Whether you’re looking or a specific shape and style of mirror or you already have one. Perhaps you’re looking for a mirror with shelf, bathrooms can always use plenty of both, along with extra lighting.
A mirror is a mirror is a mirror, right? Nope, that is incorrect! We’re going to share with you a little lesson on the difference between a basic mirror and a bathroom mirror. Installation of the mirror is just one part of the mirror selection in your bathroom.
Federal law states that everything in the bathroom must meet specific safety guidelines. From the fittings to the furnishing, including the bathtub, shower, and shower door, sink, toilet seat, exterior window and yes, the mirror.
A mirror is transparent or translucent glass that is coated on the back with a reflective metallic material. A bathroom mirror must be made tempered glass, or aka, toughened glass. Which brings us to the question, “Can mirror be toughened and how? A mirror cannot be toughened once it becomes a mirror. The process must take place while it is still a piece of glass.
The glass where mirror made goes through a tempering process before it becomes a mirror. There are two steps done to temper or toughen the glass that will become a mirror:
- The process includes going through an oven at 600 degrees Celsius or higher.
- Next, it goes through a ‘quenching’ procedure for a few seconds. There, the surface is hit with blasts of high-pressure air from an several nozzles in from varying angles. The outer surface is cooled faster than the center and that is where ethe tempered process happens.
Another methods of tempering or toughening glass is chemically. An assortment of chemicals are exchange for ions on the glass surface, creating a compression. This is a more expensive process and not used as often.
What could have happened when mirror breaks by itself?
It could have come off what was holding it in place If you have it installed by a professional mirror installation company, that would be on them to replace the mirror. Otherwise, it would have been from an internal stress fracture that occurred right after it completed the manufacturing process and the mirror glass had cooled. That stress could be from the impact of the air blasting, or the framed could have been warped.
Can mirror be repaired?
A mirror is typically made with a thin aluminum or silver coating layered on one side of a smooth glass. Any small cracks or scratches can be repaired with a glass repair kit. For a mirror that is losing its silver backing, there is a re-silvering spray available.
To have a mirror professionally re-silvered, pricing can start around $100 and go as high as $330 or more. The condition and size of the mirror will determine the final cost. Why so much? Re-silvering a mirror is complex that requires repairing the damaged layer of aluminum or silver on the back. Just like a professional mirror installation, the team will take extra care and time to do the job right as not to break the mirror.
Do you know why mirror reflects?
We’re going to take a quick science lesson. As we stand in front of a mirror, we are seeing conservation of energy doing magic on light. Remember, light is energy that travels at speeds of 186,000 miles per second. When that light hits something, any object, the energy does one of three things:
- It pass through if it hit a transparent object
- It sinks in and disappears if hit an opaque or dark color object
- It reflect back if hit a light-colored, shiny, or reflective object
So, as we look into a mirror during day, light is reflecting in all directions off our body, which is why you can see you and anyone around you and the mirror can see you. Our clothes and skin reflect a diffused light with the light rays randomly bouncing off om a haphazard, no particular direction way.
If you know you want to place a mirror in a particular place of any room, seeking help from professionals that are trained is recommended. Yes, the small mirrors you can purchase online or in retail stores can be hung by you, but when it comes to antique, large, special, and unique mirrors, you want it hung right. Call 817-937-6267 today for your mirror installation in Fort Worth, TX.