Will it Fail, or Will it Hold?

House Repair Talk

Help Support House Repair Talk:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Msupsic

Marc S.
Joined
Jun 24, 2010
Messages
80
Reaction score
1
Last year, we remodeled our master bath. The job took longer than the contractor anticipated, and he started to get antsy and cut corners so he could finish the job. When he installed our medicine cabinet (see attached photos), he simply put the metal brackets aside and decided to glue the unit to the tile wall.

20180322_130844.jpg 20180322_130854.jpg

I caught him in the act, and had a conversation with him about using the proper hangers that came with the mirror. His answer was, that he didn't have a tile bit for his drill, and that the construction adhesive would hold every bit as well. In his words, "That's not going anywhere."

Will this be OK? I don't necessarily trust that some mastic is going to hold a 50-lb mirror to the wall for the rest of my life. Especially with my wife and I, pulling on the doors day in and day out. In a bathroom that gets humid and hot in the summer, and cold and dry in the winter.

Should I wait for this thing to fall off the wall, smash the faucet to pieces, and flood the bathroom, and then call back the contractor to do it all again? Or should I just go buy some brackets and fix it before it fails?
 
Will he come back if it fails, I highly doubt it. If he didn't have time to install it correctly in the beginning, what makes you think he'll have time, and bits to fix it later. Do a proper install before someone gets hurt when they least expect it...just my 2 cents.
 
May or may not hold.
If you read the instructions on mirror adhesive, they all say not to use it without mechanical support to hold up the mirror. I bet you can't find any manufacturer of the adhesive that will guarantee that it will hold. Given that it is a safety issue - I would want it mechanically fastened, even if I had to do it myself.

(My guess is you will never see this guy again anyways.)
 
The plumbing vent stack not being reworked is probably why it wasn't let into the wall.

"Should I wait for this thing to fall off the wall, smash the faucet to pieces, and flood the bathroom, and then call back the contractor to do it all again? Or should I just go buy some brackets and fix it before it fails?"

Your state lic. board web site should have information about what the contractors responsibility for warrant is, which will give you an Idea where you stand.
 
May or may not hold.
If you read the instructions on mirror adhesive, they all say not to use it without mechanical support to hold up the mirror. I bet you can't find any manufacturer of the adhesive that will guarantee that it will hold. Given that it is a safety issue - I would want it mechanically fastened, even if I had to do it myself.

(My guess is you will never see this guy again anyways.)

Well, considering the mirror came with the brackets, one would assume they were essential... I expressed my concern as he was doing this. He said, "I guarantee all of my work." It was a pretty passive way of saying, "call me if/when if fails, until then, this is how I'm doing it."

Not sure if I want to call him back and see him again, personally. I may be better off just doing it myself.
 
The plumbing vent stack not being reworked is probably why it wasn't let into the wall.

"Should I wait for this thing to fall off the wall, smash the faucet to pieces, and flood the bathroom, and then call back the contractor to do it all again? Or should I just go buy some brackets and fix it before it fails?"

Your state lic. board web site should have information about what the contractors responsibility for warrant is, which will give you an Idea where you stand.

The wall cavity isn't deep enough to sink it fully. We decided to hang it instead. For what it's worth, the stack is not behind the mirror, it's off to the right of the mirror. But, no matter, he still should have used the brackets.
 
The wall cavity isn't deep enough to sink it fully. We decided to hang it instead. For what it's worth, the stack is not behind the mirror, it's off to the right of the mirror. But, no matter, he still should have used the brackets.

I understand that, however the option increase for securing the cabinet as well as an architectural element of balancing the wall.
 
This is why you hold final payment on any contractor until the work is completed correctly.
There are some amazing adhesives out there today. Who knows if he used a good one:eek:? And who knows if it will pull the tiles off the wall?:eek: The problem you will face is securing it without making it look bad with exposed brackets or something like that.
 
The trouble with things like this is they are like the parable “Sword of Damocles”


This glue might be the best thing in the world, the tiles may be bonded better than any tiles ever set. But none of that means anything because of the unknown factor of are they? No one here can answer that question and because the OP asking the question means there is a concern in his mind and that will never go away until it is redone.


If you bought a house and it had the cabinet attached to the wall and you didn’t know how it was attached but assumed it to be done correctly, then you would happily go thru life not caring. But because you know it and cant resolve the question it will always be a concern.


What would I do? I would assume it is strong enough to hold but not trust it. I would look for a belt and suspenders method of holding it. Maybe find a stud in the wall and above it add an eye screw and a safety cable attached to the top of the cabinet. That or drill a hole thru the back and thru the tile at the intersection of a grout line and a stud and put a single deck screw in.


Anything to give me peace of mind if the glue let loose it maybe would tilt but not fall.
 
That should work well, and be minimally visible --- but only if he finds the studs on his first attempt :).
 
...That or drill a hole thru the back and thru the tile at the intersection of a grout line and a stud and put a single deck screw in.

Good idea... but unfortunately the inside of the cabinet is a mirror, too. DOH!!

I thought about maybe some hangars from the top and bolts through the top of the medicine cabinet. I took photos of the job when I was doing the demo, so I can probably use some simple calculations to locate where the studs are?bathroom1.jpgbathroom3.jpg bathroom2.jpg
 
There are specific adhesives for mirror mounting and anything else is iffy. But this is a metal box, so all bets on adhesives are off. I wouldn't leave it alone. Maybe small 'L' brackets bolted on top and fastened into the studs or with toggles, but doing nothing is not an option. What if it falls in use, with a person getting sliced up with broken mirror shards when it hits the countertop? No guarantees will cover that- safety first with glass and mirrors.

Phil
 
But can you find us even one mirror adhesive that instructions do not specifically say not to use without mechanical support ?

I'll have to admit a lack of knowledge on that specific. What I do know is that I've seen many true pros do it, and I've demo-ed bathrooms where only that kind of glue was holding the mirror. The sheetrock behind it comes off in chunks with the mirror even 20+ years after the install. I do know that you have to support the mirror until the adhesive sets. And I do know that I prefer permanent mechanical support too, just in case....

A couple years back I was asked to do 'picture frames' for 2 bath mirrors, Glued and nailed my wood to the drywall and studs. The "pros" come in later and smear dabs of roofing cement (black-jack) on the wall then press the mirror into it inside my frames. They were young and tried to get me to believe this was the correct way. The contractor wasn't interested in hearing my concerns and I knew the homeowner wouldn't believe me over them. All I could do is pray that nobody got hurt when it fell because that was a certainty. These were fools, not the "pros" they thought they were and not like the real pros I mention above. Sometimes I'm ashamed to be in this industry anymore with people like those clowns becoming more prevalent :(

Phil
 
Exactly. If you follow the instructions, nobody will get hurt, and the adhesive manufacturer will not get sued.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top