Wall Mirrors for home gyms and fitness centers

Wall-to-wall mirrors are one of the most important furniture pieces of any gym, fitness center or dance studio. They help the clients to keep an eye on their form while doing hardcore exercises and performing dance moves. In fact, clients have a love-hate relationship with such floor to ceiling mirror mounted over gym or dance studio walls. But of course it is very difficult to keep the right body form without these mirrors.

Why do you need a gym wall mirror?

A large mirror in your gym or dance studio can entirely change the working style of yours. They will help you to keep a check on your posture and form. Without a mirror it becomes very challenging to keep the right body form.

Here are some pros of having a large gym wall mirror:

• Gym mirrors help you and your clients to keep the right body form during movements. With incorrect form the effectiveness of your workout can greatly suffer.
• Gym mirrors also reduce the chances of injury during workout and dance movements.
• Gym mirrors can be used to measure the work progress. You can easily see yourself in the mirror while doing exercise. Mirrors help you to find the next target area of the body to work on. Moreover, Mirrors can also be a motivating factor.

Where can you place it?

You have to be very careful while deciding the location of your wall mirror. The place where you perform most of your workout or do dance practice is the best but you must not ignore the lighting effect too. Make sure there is enough lighting where you place the mirror. There should not be any direct lighting reflecting through the mirror because you won’t be able to see yourself clearly that is obviously very frustrating. What will you see through the mirror in your background is also considered because it can distract you badly and you will end up losing your focus. Gym mirrors can be used in places like:

• SPAS
• Dance studios
• Yoga studios
• Fitness studios
• Personal home gyms
• Ballet studio
• Salons
• Martial art studio etc.

Different types of Gym wall mirrors:

The fitness mirror is available in a variety of styles and designs. You can easily pick the one that best suits your needs. Gym mirrors are basically of two types as per their material Acrylic gym mirror and Glass gym mirror. Following are the few numbers of gym mirrors that you can try for your gym:

• Shatterproof and glassless gym mirrors
• Glass style rectangular gym mirror
• Acrylic Pcs squares
• Large gym mirror with LED lighting

Things to consider before buying:

Before making an expensive purchase like a gym mirror you must know exactly what you want and what suits you the best as per your needs. Because returning them back can be a headache, especially when you have bought them online. Therefore, we advise you to consider the following factors before diving into it.

• Size of your wall: One of the most important factors that you must keep in mind is the size of the wall where you want to fix the mirror. And how you want to place the mirror is also considerable. The entire length of the wall must be measured if you require an end-to-end or corner-to-corner mirror in your gym. No matter where you want to place it, you have to make the measurements carefully. However, the standard width of a gym mirror ranges between 1,250 millimeters to 5 feet. Now you have to divide the length of your wall by the standard length of the gym mirror which is 1,250 millimeters to 5 feet. You have to round it off to the nearest whole number, if you don’t get a whole number as quotient. If you want some space around the mirror or any side of the mirror, measure that space and subtract it from the total length of the wall and then divide it by 5 feet which is standard gym mirror length. Similarly, the standard height of the gym mirror is 6-8 feet. Well, there is no hard and fast rule about the standard height and width of the gym mirror. You can decide how much height or width you need and cut the mirror accordingly. It depends, some of the gym owners prefer to have a full floor to ceiling mirror while others may want some space under the mirror to avoid glass damage due to heavyweight exercise tools.
• Mirror material (Acrylic or Glass): Gym mirrors are constructed basically from two main types of material. If you want reflective fidelity, then you must go for a glass. However, you must be careful while deciding the type of glass. Normal glass can be dangerous in a workplace like a gym because it can shatter easily. However, tempered glass is relatively much stronger and it does not break easily. If you are very creative with the style and design of the gym mirror, then you must bring an acrylic mirror also known as a plastic mirror. Acrylic mirrors are thinner than normal glass and therefore can possibly flex. Flexing can cause blurry reflection that you may not want in your gym.
• The thickness of the mirror: According to a general rule, a thicker mirror plate is considered better and stronger. Thin mirrors like for example acrylic mirror is prone to flexing resulting in a blurry reflection. You must always opt for 3-5-millimeter-thick glass for the gym or dance studio. However, for home use 3-millimeter-thick mirror is sufficient.
• Permanent or temporary mirror: You also need to consider that if this gym mirror will be temporary or permanent. For instance, if you are renting then you must go with hanging or standing mirrors. Such hanging mirrors are very easy to put up and put down at your convenience. Though standing mirrors are very easy to place they tend to be very heavier, costly and also not in the perfect shape or height. Whereas, a permanent mirror can save you from the hassle of putting up and down.

Tools you need to install a mirror:

There are different tools and techniques to mount a gym mirror onto the wall. Mirror installation tools vary as per the installation method. For example, it depends on the factors like do you own the gym property or it is on rent, mobility, and durability.

Installation tools list:

• J channel
• Two mirror clips
• Electric stud finder
• Measuring tape
• Anchor screws
• Hammer

Gym mirror installation techniques:

There are many ways in which gym mirrors can be placed or mounted. The best installation technique depends on factors like mirror’s mobility, durability and type of the gym property (If you are renting the gym property or developing your personal home gyms).

Gym mirror installation techniques:

• Adhesive:Permanent fixation of the mirror is done in this way. You need no brick wall in this technique to mount the mirror.
• J channel:Aluminum channels are drilled into the walls to hang the mirror.
• Screws:Four holes are drilled in the wall and mirror is fixed on the wall with the help of screws.

Home remedies for cleaning:

Mirrors are prone to dust and staining. It is very important to clean them regularly. Especially when you have your gym in the garage or in the basement. The secret to a shiny gym mirror is hidden in the right cleaning tools and techniques.

You don’t need expensive cleansing chemicals for this. All you need is just 1 tsp of white vinegar and four cups of water. Put them both in a spray bottle, mix them well. Now you need a clean microfiber cloth, newspaper and some swabs of cotton to clean the corners as well. Now put that newspaper under the mirror to absorb extra water drops. Spray the white vinegar mixture onto the microfiber cloth and clean the mirror with a wet cloth. Don’t forget the corners, use some cotton swabs to get there. Finally, use some newspaper to buff the mirror and let it shine like a pro.

Safety measures:

There are several safety measures that you must follow once you become a personal gym owner. Few of those safety measures are as follows:

• Distortion:Some gym mirror materials are prone to distortion like acrylic mirrors. Especially when they are only 3 millimeters thick. If you are going to get an acrylic mirror for your gym, then you must get the thickest one.
• Polished edges:Many mirrors come in very rough shapes with sharp edges. Polishing can make these sharp edges very smooth and sleek so that they are no more dangerous.
• Safety backing:Except of mirrors put up with adhesive all other mirrors require safety backing. Because such mirrors have space behind them, making them less stable. Basically, safety backing is a piece of film that is attached to the mirror back so that if the mirror breaks the pieces remain stick to the safety film backing.