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Indoor Mirror Outdoors?

februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
in The potting shed
I'm wanting a mirror for my garden but am having trouble finding something I like that isn't extortionately priced. Does anyone have experience of using indoor mirrors outside? I'm intending to paint the frame with Rustoleum so the frame won't be an issue.

As an aside, the mirror is going to be going in a corner on the ground so unlikely any birds will be flying into it and it'll be facing north west so won't be getting any direct sunlight and setting fire to anything. 

Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    I have a mirror outside where I replaced the wooden backing with marine plywood. Seems to work fine.
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    @Fire Good tip 🙂
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Years ago I bought a Moroccan style rusty metal frame for an outdoor mirror.  I went to a normal mirror cutting shop for the size I needed to fill it.  It was then hung on the north facing wall of our house where, in summer, it reflected the low setting sun at us o the terrace.

    It stayed out all year and winters could get to -25C; on one occasion -32C.  The mirror didn't notice.  The frame is going to be more fragile than the mirror.




    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • K67K67 Posts: 2,506
    We have 2 frameless mirrors designed to fit on wardrobe doors which we have screwed directly onto a brick wall and sealed the top edge with silicon, been up 2 or more years.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    From a basic safety point of view, make sure the mirror itself has a backing that holds the pieces together in the case it breaks. You can buy film made for that job, but many come already fitted at the point of manufacture. The true benefit of outdoor mirrors is they are acrylic and thus shatterproof. But as they others have said, glass would work just be reasonable with this small precaution. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Good point @amancalledgeorge ... broken glass in a garden bed is difficult to clear up and can cause problems a long while after the mirror has gone. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • WonkyWombleWonkyWomble Posts: 4,541
    It's a pretty effect but the number of birds I've seen dead at the base of one because they tried to fly into it is very sad,  needs to be positioned correctly
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Acrylic mirror sheet can be cut to any shape, is suitable for outdoors and isn't expensive.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    Obelixx said:
    Years ago I bought a Moroccan style rusty metal frame for an outdoor mirror.  I went to a normal mirror cutting shop for the size I needed to fill it.  It was then hung on the north facing wall of our house where, in summer, it reflected the low setting sun at us o the terrace.

    It stayed out all year and winters could get to -25C; on one occasion -32C.  The mirror didn't notice.  The frame is going to be more fragile than the mirror.




    That's good to know. A metal frame would be preferable but I'm not fussy if it's the right design.
  • februarysgirlfebruarysgirl Posts: 835
    amancalledgeorge said:
    From a basic safety point of view, make sure the mirror itself has a backing that holds the pieces together in the case it breaks. You can buy film made for that job, but many come already fitted at the point of manufacture. The true benefit of outdoor mirrors is they are acrylic and thus shatterproof. But as they others have said, glass would work just be reasonable with this small precaution. 
    I bought a mirror that was acrylic a few weeks ago but foolishly left it outside when the winds were up last week. It fell over and now has a big crack right across it. I can still use the frame and have plants grow through it but it leaves me needing to find another mirror. I don't want to have the same style and trying to find another that is reasonably priced AND acrylic is not easy!

    WonkyWomble said:
    It's a pretty effect but the number of birds I've seen dead at the base of one because they tried to fly into it is very sad,  needs to be positioned correctly
    I don't want anything bigger than 60cm high (anything taller would block the plants behind it) and where I'm positioning it is on the ground, barely angled and in a corner. I'm after a design that isn't just a reflective sheet, something that broken up like a window. I'm also intending to have some plants either side (something like low growing ferns or sedges) which would marginally cover the bottom. From where I had the mirror that's just broken, you couldn't see anything much other than gravel unless you were already on the ground.
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