Arena mirrors - DIY installation

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Remi'sMum

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Lovely fellow HHOers... who has mirrors in their outdoor arena? Has anybody done a DIY installation? Following successful resurfacing of our ménage a couple of years back, I now have the opportunity to buy four 8ft x 4ft mirrors, but they are literally just the mirror (safety backed), not framed. My livery yard co-exists with a groundsworks company and they are, in principle, happy to do the work to install them. But we need a clear idea of exactly how. Is anyone willing to share pictures of theirs to give ideas? I’ve got the following diagram which is helpful but the guys are slightly perplexed at a weighty mirror sitting ‘free’ in a wooden frame. I’ve read that it’s best not to bond the mirror to the backing as any warping will cause distortion of the mirror, which makes sense to me. (Although some things I’ve read say to bond them) I know we could get aluminium framed mirrors that are bonded to an aluminium backing and are fully weatherproof, but these are more expensive than the ones we’ve been offered. If anyone has done a successful diy installation I’d be grateful of any advice. And maybe pictures/specs? Thanks in advance 😊

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I haven't done DIY, as we wimped out and got ours supplied and fitted, but I'd be very wary of mirrors which are not already correctly attached to the backing material. There's the strength to consider, and also the fact that the tiniest amount of distortion due to wonky backing will show up massively when viewed from a distance.

FYGI, these are my Mirrors for Training mirrors, installed by them, with metal backing. Our 4 mirrors have been up 6 years this year. They get quite a hammering as we're in the Cheshire Gap, and when the wind funnels down it the mirrors naturally flex quite a lot. Fingers firmly crossed though, we've never had a breakage yet.

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Remi'sMum said:
Lovely fellow HHOers... who has mirrors in their outdoor arena? Has anybody done a DIY installation? Following successful resurfacing of our ménage a couple of years back, I now have the opportunity to buy four 8ft x 4ft mirrors, but they are literally just the mirror (safety backed), not framed. My livery yard co-exists with a groundsworks company and they are, in principle, happy to do the work to install them. But we need a clear idea of exactly how. Is anyone willing to share pictures of theirs to give ideas? I’ve got the following diagram which is helpful but the guys are slightly perplexed at a weighty mirror sitting ‘free’ in a wooden frame. I’ve read that it’s best not to bond the mirror to the backing as any warping will cause distortion of the mirror, which makes sense to me. (Although some things I’ve read say to bond them) I know we could get aluminium framed mirrors that are bonded to an aluminium backing and are fully weatherproof, but these are more expensive than the ones we’ve been offered. If anyone has done a successful diy installation I’d be grateful of any advice. And maybe pictures/specs? Thanks in advance 😊

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Yes I have and currently got two new mirrors to go up and asking the builder to do it. First the track gets screwed into wall, then mirror slots into grove, and lastly top track goes onto wall and screwed in and slotted mirror into top track, we get our mirrors from Arena Mirrors, they leave you to install them.

Of course we have a wall to screw them into https://www.arenamirrorsdirect.co.uk/
 
Thanks both. Very helpful.

Tiddlypom - looks like yours are aluminium framed and then seated top and bottom in ‘h’ tracking which is then bolted to the frame. Have I got that right?

ILCP - are you using ‘h’ tracking bolted to the wall? Do your mirrors have a solid back to them? Are you framing them with anything?
 
Tiddlypom, I’d be so grateful for close ups of the top and bottom of both the landscape and portrait mirrors (on the mirrored side). Just trying to get my head round what the mirror is framed in and seated into, and how that then fixes to the frame. Would be soooo helpful if you wouldn’t mind?
 
Remi'sMum said:
Thanks both. Very helpful.

Tiddlypom - looks like yours are aluminium framed and then seated top and bottom in ‘h’ tracking which is then bolted to the frame. Have I got that right?

ILCP - are you using ‘h’ tracking bolted to the wall? Do your mirrors have a solid back to them? Are you framing them with anything?
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Not put them up yet got them and the tracks but yes will be put on the wall, they are safety glass and yes h track
 
I grabbed some quick pics this morning, sorry that they aren't great quality and tbh I haven't quite fufilled the brief, oops

Top of landscape mirrors at butted up together point.
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Side view of lower edge of landscape mirrors
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Front view of lower side of landscape mirror
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Lower side of portrait mirror
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The portrait mirrors are off set from the arena fence as I have non standard sloping arena boards.

The long adjusters visible at the rear elevations in my first post are to allow alteration of the angles of the mirrors if required.

Hope this helps, I can take more pics as required.
 
We had mirrors fitted at our yard but they were a bit of a disaster as they came supplied without boarding and board had to be found for the mirrors to attach to and they weren't strong enough. We changed them eventually and they have been great since. Another problem was that one of the crows took a great delight to the one mirror and started attacking it thinking it was another bird. Not only did it destroy the corner of the mirror after he repeatedly tore at it with his claws but it was incredibly spooky to the horses in the school as he seemed to take particular exception to his reflection when we were in the school riding! We got ours cheap from some stand at the Royal Show. I had a stable mirror that I bought from this company before going back to tell the yard owner about the deal they had on, on menage mirrors. My stable mirror probably lasted 12 hours. It turned out the crow wasn't the only one that wanted to attack its reflection, my horse also wanted to do the same to hers. :)
 
Tiddlypom - these pics are very helpful, thank you so much for taking the time.

HopscotchBandit - thanks for your reply. Did you end up changing the entire mirrors or just changing the backing board? What had you used in the first place, do you know? And if you changed just the board, what did you change it to? Many thanks!
 
Remi'sMum said:
Tiddlypom - these pics are very helpful, thank you so much for taking the time.

HopscotchBandit - thanks for your reply. Did you end up changing the entire mirrors or just changing the backing board? What had you used in the first place, do you know? And if you changed just the board, what did you change it to? Many thanks!
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It was many years ago now, but I think the YO changed the boards if my memory serves me right. It was the YO that bought them after speaking to me when I arrived back from Stoneleigh so she darted up there to speak to the trade stand selling them before they shut on the final day and she ordered them there and then. They were good quality. I think the problem was that the original backing board wasn't thick enough so she bought a board that was twice the thickness. We have two quite long ones and one small one.
 
Tiddlypom said:
I grabbed some quick pics this morning, sorry that they aren't great quality and tbh I haven't quite fufilled the brief, oops

Top of landscape mirrors at butted up together point.
View attachment 30367

Side view of lower edge of landscape mirrors
View attachment 30368

Front view of lower side of landscape mirror
View attachment 30371



Lower side of portrait mirror
View attachment 30369


The portrait mirrors are off set from the arena fence as I have non standard sloping arena boards.

The long adjusters visible at the rear elevations in my first post are to allow alteration of the angles of the mirrors if required.

Hope this helps, I can take more pics as required.
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Please would someone let me know what the mirrors need to be angled at and where to buy the H tracking?? Thanks loads 🤗
 
Hi Julie - I bought the h tracking online from a company called LA Metals, their product code LA416. They sent me a sample so I could check it was right before I bought it. Our mirrors aren’t angled and they’re fine. Hope that helps.
 
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