gardenshed
Well-Known Member
the 22 year old mirror in the heads of my boat need replaced. Does anyone have a suggested source of mirrored plastic that I could use for the replacement. Central Scotland/Glasgow area preferred.
thanks
thanks
Mirrored plastic
- Thread starter gardenshed
- Start date
VicS
Well-Known Member
Mail order:
DIY Plastics offer mirrored acrylic and polystyrene.
DIY Plastics offer mirrored acrylic and polystyrene.
afp
Active Member
We got some from our local signwriter, who also does replacement windows.
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ShipsWoofy
Well-Known Member
Do they look ok, I want to replace the mirror on the back of the heads door and wondered if plastic was an option.
I remember watching a documentary a while back about glass and they touched on mirrors, one point the manufacturer made was a good mirror needed to be perfectly flat and this meant cheapies were out if you wanted quality.
Now I am not after the sort of quality I have on the bathroom wall at home, but at the same time it must be usable. If I go with plastic I will be able to have a bigger mirror than is currently fitted.
Any honest views will be appreciated on this. Also, do they cost more than an equivalent glass mirror?
I remember watching a documentary a while back about glass and they touched on mirrors, one point the manufacturer made was a good mirror needed to be perfectly flat and this meant cheapies were out if you wanted quality.
Now I am not after the sort of quality I have on the bathroom wall at home, but at the same time it must be usable. If I go with plastic I will be able to have a bigger mirror than is currently fitted.
Any honest views will be appreciated on this. Also, do they cost more than an equivalent glass mirror?
BarryH
Well-Known Member
I've done this for people in the past. One of the things that I do in my day to day work is supply and apply window films. The solar reflective silver'd applyed to acrylic sheet makes a very good mirror. One tip is when fixing don't tighten the fixings too much which causes flexing. I've used double sided adhesive pads to fix them with good results.
afp
Active Member
We put a plastic mirror on RedBoat about two years ago. It's on a bulkhead, held in place by wooden battens that look like a frame.
Whilst the quality is not the same as a glass mirror, it is fine for putting the contact lenses in.
Other points to bear in mind are that the silvering is not as tough as on a real mirror. It's supplied with plastic coverings on both sides - don't remove them until you are ready to install it.
If you have to cut it to size yourself, use masking tape on the cut lines (on top of the protective plastic) and if using a jig saw, buy a special plastic cutting blade.
The edges will be quite sharp, that is why we put a frame round ours.
R
Whilst the quality is not the same as a glass mirror, it is fine for putting the contact lenses in.
Other points to bear in mind are that the silvering is not as tough as on a real mirror. It's supplied with plastic coverings on both sides - don't remove them until you are ready to install it.
If you have to cut it to size yourself, use masking tape on the cut lines (on top of the protective plastic) and if using a jig saw, buy a special plastic cutting blade.
The edges will be quite sharp, that is why we put a frame round ours.
R
ShipsWoofy
Well-Known Member
thank you for that, you have convinced me to replace with another glass one. She wants a bigger (longer) mirror, I am worried about flexing and the mirror cracking. I will just fit two mirrors one above the other, that should stop my worries.
This is a dressing mirror, I don't think an 'it's alright' quality will do it. Going on the prices in Wilkinson's and the like, the cost of a pair of glass mirrors will be pennies anyway.
This is a dressing mirror, I don't think an 'it's alright' quality will do it. Going on the prices in Wilkinson's and the like, the cost of a pair of glass mirrors will be pennies anyway.
