Tom Zorro

Got a 73" x 35" wood framed mirror, 60 lbs. Want to hang on drywall, where the pre-cut slots on mirror are for hanging, no stud (of course) available. My question: should I use a heavy duty, (60+ lb) hanger with the standard 45 degree
nail, or use heavy duty toggle bolt? Thanks for advise.

inspectorD

At 50 lbs, you need a stud. Or wood attached to a stud or two.
They may sell certain hangers to spread out the weight. I would hate to see you damage a nice mirror.
A toggle or molly will rip out, sorry.

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Square Eye

The drywall itself should not be expected to hold 60lb.
It's hard for me to believe that in 35" width, you can't find a stud.

I did find a page that may be helpful to you here, but it seems to me that you need to start looking for a wall mounted bracket made for hanging heavy art. I've installed one before, they allow you to center the hanging hook anywhere between the studs. They look much like a mounting plate for a TV.

If you do decide to try to use a toggle bolt, use a back nut with a washer on the bolt before you spin the toggle nut on. This will keep the bolt solidly in place without falling flush to the wall. ALSO, do not overtighten the bolt! this will crush the drywall and lower the overall load bearing of the bolt. Drill carefully because punching a hole through usually knocks out a larger hole on the back, inside the wall. This makes a weak anchoring on the damaged drywall.

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Tom Zorro

Sorry for the mixup, it's 35" in height & the verticle rails have a pre-chiseled keyhole for hanging, so at 73" wide I can't align two studs. BTW if I decide to use another means of hanging, I have metal studs, not wood, does it make any difference ?

inspectorD

Yea, unfortunately it does. The metal will not give the same holding power as wood. The expandable mollies are going to have to go through the metal stud. You will need to catch at least two, or you may loose the mirror off the wall.
Another idea is to install a picture hanging rail. These are decorative and span a few studs for strength.
Or get some blocking in the wall from behind, and do some repairs to the sheetrock.

Good luck.

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