Can you put a mirror on a mantelpiece

[SlinkySienna]

Without making holes in the wall? I'm not allowed to put anything other than picture nails in the wall but really want a mirror above my mantelpiece. I thought I could maybe just put a couple of picture nails in front of the mirror on the actual mantelpiece to stop it slipping. Mumsnet is this a terrible idea?!

I've got a huge mirror resting on my mantlepiece with nothing holding it in place and never had any issues so I say go for it!

Command strips?

Command strips, lots of them!

Just lean it against the wall - no problem!

Command strips will only hold a certain weight so I wouldn't push it if its a heavy mirror, it will fall and break! Take it from someone who has rented for 12 years and has a lot of command strip experience. But yes to answer your question of course you could just stand it on the mantlepiece, I did it for years.

Thanks everyone. I have a 4yo so have major anxieties about it falling and hurting him!

I would put it on the mantle but secure it with command strips, just to make sure it didn’t tip forward or slid off. We’ve had our bathroom mirror held on to tiles with command strips for 6 years ge I didn’t want to risk cracking a tile by drilling. They can hold quite a bit of weight.

Oh I'm not allowed to use command strips either. It's in my contract!

I've had one leaning against the wall for decades with nothing fixing it

Use a couple of blobs of Blutak on the mantle shelf and rest the mirror on that. Standard practice in our house and no children have ever been injured by mirror/picture slippage!

Personally I wouldn't risk it with a younger child

Please don’t use any of the methods recommended above. Unless the mirror is correctly hung, there’s a possibility of it falling and killing someone.

You might think it’s secured properly but all it takes is vibrations from jumping on the floor or whatever, the adhesive not being strong enough etc for it to fall.

We have done this but don’t risk it with a young child.

Stand it on the mantelpiece with some rolled out thin sausage lengths of blue tac under it. First fix it to the shelf, then press the mirror firmly into it then tilt back against the wall at a slight angle.

I really wouldn’t risk it with a small child.

If you don't like the idea of blue tac then have a look at the product SUGRU.

Don’t use blu tak it leaves greasy marks.

mirrors, depending on the frame are normally fine being stood up leaning against a wall but I’d not be doing it with a little kid around.

Onto a papered or painted wall? Painted is easier.
I'm not sure how they would ever know you'd had command strips used?
Check the weight of the mirror, and see if there is a command strip that will work.

They take the paint off the wall when removed and leave a little groove often

Interesting.
We've never had damage on removal of command strips on painted walls.

Hang it properly with strong picture hooks and make good the wall by filling in the holes and repainting the chimney breast when you leave.
Do NOT use command strips or blu-tack, it's too dangerous.

I hung some pictures in my office (IKEA frames, not heavy) on command strips and after 3 months they both crashed to the ground breaking the frames etc.

do NOT trust command strips with a mirror.

if you can lean the mirror against the wall and secure the bottom with a couple of nails, that is probably OK.

Could you ask your landlord for permission to put in the proper fittings?

I assume these clauses are in to stop tenants mounting random shelves, fastening furniture, and generally making holes/damaging paint on most vertical surfaces.

If you're staying there a while, asking permission for a small bit of damage is probably less hassle than bring perpetually worried of mirror-related injury. Or causing bigger damage to mantle through nails, blu tack marks or the mirror crashing to floor scratching whatever (or if there's laminate or tile - gouging or cracking).

Or crack on with the proper fittings, without permission and make good on exit. If they come into the property, they'd have to take it off the wall to know you've used more than picture nails.

Do you have a picture rail above it?