To install two gym mirrors side by side, measure both mirrors first, then hang them from one level line across their tops and one plumb line at the joint, taking every fixing height down from that top line rather than up from the floor. Choose the gap on purpose, and plan the fixings before you drill: on a timber stud wall, only one of the four hanging points on a pair of our 200 x 100cm mirrors hung upright can land on a stud, so the rest need timber put behind them. Hung upright, two of these mirrors give you a 2m by 2m wall that shows almost anyone head to toe. Hung on their sides, they can't do that for everyone in the house, and the geometry below shows why.
Key takeaways
- Hang the pair upright for full body form checks. A 100cm tall landscape mirror only shows you head to toe if its bottom edge sits in a narrow band set by your height. For a 165cm and a 185cm person, that band doesn't overlap at all.
- Put timber behind the fixings. The hanging points on each mirror sit about 93cm apart, and the second mirror repeats one mirror width along. On 400mm or 600mm studs, only one of the four lands on a stud. A fixing rail or dwangs solve it.
- The joint is your most honest level. A gap that is 2mm wider at the bottom than the top means one mirror has turned enough to drop 1mm across its top edge. If one mirror leans out 3mm further than the other, straight lines in the reflection jump about 6mm at the joint.
This guide is about the install. For where a gym mirror should go, what size to get and how to light it, start with our home gym mirror guide. For choosing fixings by weight on plasterboard, see our plasterboard hanging guide, and for a block or brick garage, the concrete and brick guide. If you would rather not drill at all, one freestanding mirror is the simpler setup, and our guide to securing a leaning mirror covers the restraint.
Upright or on their sides: decide what the pair has to show
A flat mirror shows you life size, but you only use a strip of it. The sight line to the reflection of your feet meets the mirror at exactly half your eye height. The sight line to the top of your head meets it halfway between your eyes and your crown. That holds whether you stand 1m back or 3m back.
We worked that out across a range of heights, taking eye height as 12cm below the top of the head, which is typical for adults:
| Your height | Bottom edge at or below (to see your feet) | Top edge at or above (to see your head) | Where a 100cm tall landscape mirror's bottom edge must sit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 155cm | 71.5cm | 149cm | 49 to 71.5cm |
| 165cm | 76.5cm | 159cm | 59 to 76.5cm |
| 175cm | 81.5cm | 169cm | 69 to 81.5cm |
| 185cm | 86.5cm | 179cm | 79 to 86.5cm |
| 195cm | 91.5cm | 189cm | 89 to 91.5cm |
Our calculation from the plane mirror rule above. Bottom edge limit = eye height ÷ 2. Top edge limit = (eye height + height) ÷ 2.
Read down the last column and the problem is plain. The landscape band moves about 10cm for every 10cm of height, so there is no single height that works for a 165cm and a 185cm person. Hung upright with the bottom edge at 30cm and the top at 230cm, the pair covers every row in the table.
Low positions push the bottom edge down further. In a deep squat with your eyes about 100cm off the floor, the bottom edge needs to be at or below 50cm to show your feet. In a plank with your eyes about 40cm up, it needs to be at 20cm or lower. That is why we suggest a bottom edge of 20 to 30cm, and the 20cm end if you do a lot of floor work: low enough to show your feet in a squat, high enough to clear the skirting and the spot where plates and dumbbells get put down.
Landscape still has its place: over a bench or a bike, for boxing or shoulder work, or on a low wall under a window, where head to toe isn't the job. Our 200 x 100cm mirrors hang either way, and everything in the rest of this guide works for both.
Measure both mirrors before you plan anything
Every C&F mirror is handcrafted, and our policies allow for a 1 to 2cm variation in finished size, so two mirrors of the same model can differ slightly. On a single mirror nobody would notice. Side by side, a 1cm difference in height becomes a step you can see at the joint, unless you plan for it.
Lay each mirror face down on a blanket and write down four things: its overall height, its overall width, where each hanging point sits (down from the top edge and in from the side), and anything that sticks out of the back. Label them A and B with a piece of tape so you don't mix up the notes.
On our product photos of the back, each 200 x 100cm Aldren (the X, Alba and Aurelia share the same body) carries four keyhole plates. For hanging upright, a pair sits on the two long edges roughly 25cm from the end that goes to the top, about 93cm apart. For hanging on its side, a pair sits on the two short ends roughly 25cm below the long edge that goes to the top, about 191cm apart. The screw ends up at the top of each keyhole's narrow slot, a couple of centimetres nearer the edge than the round part. We measured those off a photo, so treat them as planning figures and measure your own. The number that matters is the drop: the distance from the top edge of the mirror down to the top of the narrow slot.
If the two heights differ, line up the tops, not the bottoms. The top edge sits near eye level against the ceiling line, where a step is obvious. The bottom edge sits down among the bench, the bar and the plates, where a few millimetres disappear.
Plan the wall: one level line, one plumb line
Set the height from a level line, not the floor
Garage floors are often laid with a slight fall towards the door so water runs out, and plenty of house floors are a few millimetres out over a couple of metres. Measure up from the floor at each end and the two mirrors inherit that slope. Instead, mark the height you want the tops at once, then carry a level line across the whole wall with a laser level or a long spirit level. Every other height comes down from that line.
| Bottom edge | Top line (upright, 200cm mirrors) | Gap to a 2.4m ceiling | Screw line if your drop measures 23cm |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20cm | 220cm | 20cm | 197cm |
| 25cm | 225cm | 15cm | 202cm |
| 30cm | 230cm | 10cm | 207cm |
Screw line = top line − the drop you measured on your own mirror. If A and B have different drops, each mirror gets its own screw line so that both tops land on the same level line.
Put the joint where you don't train
Your reflection sits directly opposite you. Stand opposite the joint and the two frame edges run straight down the middle of your body in the mirror, right where you watch knee tracking and bar path. On our mirrors each frame edge is about 1cm wide on the front, so even a hairline gap gives a dark line about 2cm wide. Centre your lifting spot or mat on one mirror, about 50cm to one side of the joint, not on the joint itself.
Work out the margins
To centre the pair on a wall: side margin = (wall width − width of A − width of B − gap) ÷ 2. On a 3m wall with two 100cm mirrors and a 4mm gap, that is 49.8cm each side. Use the widths you measured, not the ones on the box.
Choose the gap on purpose
There is no single right gap, but there is a wrong one: none at all. Aluminium frames move a little with temperature (our figure: a 1m frame edge changes by about 0.6mm over a 25°C swing, which a garage can see between a cold morning and a hot afternoon), frames that touch can rub and click when weights hit the floor, and you need a few millimetres of room to slide the second mirror into place.
| Gap | How it reads | How forgiving it is |
|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5mm | One continuous mirror wall with a thin dark line down the middle | Least forgiving. A 2mm taper is half the gap, and your eye will find it. |
| 20 to 40mm | A deliberate pair, the look in the photo at the top | Much more forgiving. The same 2mm taper is a small fraction of the gap. |
| 20cm or more | Two separate mirrors | Forgiving, but you lose the one-wall look and gain a wide blind strip. |
None of these gaps fixes the stud problem below. Even at 20cm, only two of the four keyholes can land on studs.
Whatever you choose, cut two spacers to that exact width (tile spacers or two offcuts of the same timber strip work) so the gap is set by the spacers at the top and bottom of the joint, not by eye.
Why most of the fixings miss the studs
Most New Zealand internal walls, and plenty of lined garages, are timber studs at 400mm or 600mm centres behind plasterboard. At 28kg per mirror, our plasterboard guide's rule is to fix into timber, not into plasterboard alone. The catch is where the timber is.
Within one mirror, the two upright keyholes sit about 93cm apart. At 400mm centres that leaves the second one about 13cm off the nearest stud, and at 600mm centres about 27cm off. Then the second mirror repeats the whole pattern one mirror width plus the gap along. With a 3mm gap that step is 1,003mm, which lands 197mm from a stud at 400mm centres and also 197mm at 600mm centres, so wherever you start, the second mirror's keyholes land about 20cm off the studs.
| Gap between mirrors | Keyholes that can sit on studs at 400mm centres | At 600mm centres |
|---|---|---|
| 4mm | 1 of 4 | 1 of 4 |
| 30mm | 1 of 4 | 1 of 4 |
| 200mm | 2 of 4 | 2 of 4 |
Our calculation: keyholes 927mm apart on each mirror, mirror B one width plus the gap along from mirror A, every starting position along the wall tested and the most favourable one kept; "on a stud" means within 20mm of the stud's centre line.
So put timber where the keyholes are, rather than moving the mirrors to suit the studs:
- A fixing rail (lined walls). A straight, dressed timber batten fixed level across the wall at the screw line, running behind both mirrors, and screwed through the plasterboard into every stud it crosses, with screws that reach at least 25 to 30mm into the timber. The keyhole screws then go into the rail wherever each mirror needs them. The rail holds the top of each mirror off the wall by its own thickness, so fit a strip of the same thickness lower down behind each mirror, or both will lean forward at the top.
- Dwangs (unlined garages). If the framing is bare, fit dwangs between the studs at the screw line and fix the keyholes into them. Line the wall afterwards if you're lining it.
- Concrete block or brick. Plugs can go wherever the keyholes fall. Follow the drilling and plug advice in our concrete and brick guide.
Our rule of thumb for every heavy mirror: the fixings together should be rated for at least twice the mirror's weight, so 56kg or more per 28kg mirror and 112kg for the pair, using the figure printed on the packet for your wall type. Check for pipes and cables before you drill, and if the wall is unusual or you'd rather not lift 28kg of glass to head height, a builder or handyman is worth the call.
Step by step: hanging the pair
- Measure and label. Record the height, width and drop of A and B. If one is taller, note by how much; you will line up the tops.
- Find the studs. Mark every stud across the area with a stud finder or a strong magnet, and check for services.
- Draw the level top line across the whole wall with a laser or a long level, at the height you chose for the tops.
- Draw the plumb joint line where A and B meet, placed so the joint isn't opposite your main training spot.
- Mark the keyholes. For each mirror, measure down from the top line by that mirror's own drop and across from the joint line by its own side measurements. B's measurements start one gap width past the joint line.
- Fit the timber. Screw the fixing rail to the studs (or fit dwangs), check it is level, and fit the matching lower strip behind each mirror.
- Hang A with two people. Drive A's screws so each head stands off the same small amount, lift together, and lower the keyholes onto the screws. Check A's joint edge is plumb along its full 2m.
- Set the gap. Hold your two spacers against A's joint edge, one near the top and one near the bottom.
- Hang B against the spacers the same way, with its screws standing off the same amount as A's.
- Check, adjust, then pull the spacers. Run the three checks below. Thin plastic packers behind a hanging point bring a face forward; a quarter turn on a screw pulls one back.
Three checks that tell you it's right
1. The gap check. The joint is twice as sensitive as the top edge, because it runs the full 2m height of the mirror while the top edge only runs 1m across. If the gap is wider at the bottom than at the top, one mirror has turned:
| Gap difference, top to bottom | What that means across a 100cm top edge |
|---|---|
| 1mm | 0.5mm fall |
| 2mm | 1mm fall |
| 4mm | 2mm fall |
2. The straightedge check. Lay a straightedge across both top edges: it should touch both with no step. Then hold it flat across the two faces at the joint, near the top, the middle and the bottom. The faces should be flush, with neither mirror standing proud of the other.
3. The reflection check. Stand about 2m back and look at something straight and level in the reflection as it crosses the joint: the barbell in the rack, a shelf, the top of a door frame. If one mirror leans out further at the top than the other, the two reflections tilt apart and that line breaks at the joint. A mirror turned by a small angle turns its reflection by twice as much, so a small lean shows up clearly:
| One mirror leans out further by | Jump in a line 2m in front of the mirror | Jump in a line 4m in front |
|---|---|---|
| 1mm | about 2mm | about 4mm |
| 3mm | about 6mm | about 12mm |
| 5mm | about 10mm | about 20mm |
Our calculation: a lean of d over the mirror's 2,000mm height turns it by d ÷ 2,000 radians; the reflection turns by twice that, so a line at distance L from the mirror jumps by about 2 × (d ÷ 2,000) × L at the joint.
If you see a break, find which mirror sits back at the top with the straightedge, and pack that hanging point forward until the line runs straight. When the two mirrors are right, the reflection reads as one sheet of glass cut by a thin line, like the rack in the photo at the top of this page.
The mirrors in this guide
All three are the same 200 x 100cm, 28kg mirror in a different frame colour, with 5mm double silver glass and a slim aluminium frame. Each hangs upright or on its side, or leans against a wall. The method above is identical for all three.
The one in the photo at the top. A black frame reads as a crisp line against a white gym wall, and a pair of them makes a 2m by 2m wall.
Aldren Alba, 200 x 100cm, white
A white frame that nearly disappears on a white wall, so a pair reads more like one sheet of glass. Good for a studio or a spare room.
Aldren Aurelia, 200 x 100cm, gold
A warm gold frame for a yoga room or a gym that doubles as living space.
You can see every size we stock in our full length mirror collection.
Frequently asked questions
How big should the gap be between two gym mirrors?
Choose it on purpose. A 3 to 5mm gap makes the pair read as one mirror wall but shows every small error, while a 20 to 40mm gap reads as a deliberate pair and forgives a millimetre or two. Never butt the frames hard together: aluminium moves slightly with temperature, and touching frames can rub and click when weights hit the floor. Set the gap with two identical spacers at the top and bottom of the joint.
Should home gym mirrors be hung portrait or landscape?
Upright (portrait) if you want to see yourself head to toe. To see your feet, the bottom edge has to sit at or below half your eye height, and to see the top of your head, the top edge has to reach halfway between your eyes and your crown. A 100cm tall landscape mirror can only do both inside a narrow band that moves with your height, and on our numbers there is no shared band for a 165cm and a 185cm person. Two upright 200cm mirrors hung from 30cm to 230cm cover everyone from 155cm to 195cm.
How high off the floor should a gym mirror be?
For a 200cm upright mirror, put the bottom edge 20 to 30cm off the floor. That shows your feet in a squat (and in a plank at the 20cm end), clears the skirting and the spot where weights get put down, and leaves 10 to 20cm below a 2.4m ceiling. Set the height from a level line on the wall rather than measuring up from the floor, because garage floors often fall towards the door.
Can I hang two 28kg mirrors on plasterboard without studs?
We wouldn't. For mirrors this heavy our rule is to fix into timber. The catch is that on 400mm or 600mm studs only one of the four keyholes on a pair of our 200 x 100cm mirrors can land on a stud, so fix a level timber rail across the studs behind both mirrors, or fit dwangs in an unlined garage, and put the keyhole screws into that. The fixings together should be rated for at least twice each mirror's weight.
Why does the reflection look broken where two mirrors meet?
The two mirrors aren't in the same plane. If one leans out further at the top, its reflection tilts by twice that angle, so a straight line crossing the joint jumps. On our numbers, a 3mm difference in lean makes a line 2m in front of the mirrors jump about 6mm. Find the mirror that sits back with a straightedge and pack its hanging point forward until the line runs straight.
Planning a mirror wall for your gym?
Browse our full length mirrors, with the size and weight on every product page. Delivered NZ wide by Mainfreight at the live rate shown before you pay, or collect from our Albany showroom at Unit B, 19 Arrenway Drive, Rosedale, open seven days. Afterpay and Zip available. NZ designed, NZ owned.
