Thirty-Minute Remodel Doubles Space and Light
In as little as 30 minutes, you can visually double the space of a room, transform drab into dramatic, and add a sparkle of light to dark corners. The magic is in a mirror and this is a slight of hand trick that anyone can do. Here are a few tips:
- Position a mirror to reflect a gorgeous outside view, double its impact, and create the illusion of a second window.
- Add warmth and drama with a mirror over the fireplace or in a dining room.
- Expand and brighten up a dark hallway with a mirror that brings in light from the surrounding rooms.
- For maximum effect, choose a large mirror with a substantial frame. Consider a bronze tint that add richness and warmth to the view and give people a youthful, healthy glow.
Installing your mirror is quite simple if you keep just a few important points in mind. It's really not much different than hanging a picture, but because a large, high-quality mirror with frame can easily weigh close to a hundred pounds, there are some special safety considerations. Weigh your mirror and check packaging on hooks or other hardware to make sure it will safely support the weight. Place your mirror at eye level and, most importantly, always anchor it to a stud to ensure safety. If the mirror is more than two feet wide, take the time to anchor to two studs.
In standard wallboard construction, a stud finder such as Zircon's StudSensor™ i65 OneStep® can quickly and easily locate the stud center with just one pass – the safest and most secure place for anchoring.
For lath and plaster construction, finding a stud is even more critical because one mistake can mean disaster for both the wall and the mirror. Traditional stud finders won't work due to the varying density of lath and plaster walls, but Zircon's new MetalliScanner® m40 is built to meet the challenge. It's the only metal finder on the market with the sensitivity to do that. The key is its patent-pending wide and pinpoint scanning capability that can accurately identify the pattern of nails that attach the lath to the studs.
