Hang a mirror or picture on a hollow internal door

Hang a mirror or picture on a hollow door by finding its solid timber frame and choosing a fixing that matches the item's weight.

AB-01Check the weight and decide if the door can take itWeigh or estimate the item. A hollow internal door is two thin skins (often 3-6mm plywood or hardboard) around a light timber frame, so it is much weaker than a wall. Under about 1kg is fine almost anywhere on the face. Over 3kg should only go on the solid timber edges, and anything heavier than about 5kg, or anything awkward like a large mirror, is safer hung on the adjoining wall instead.

AB-02Find the solid timber frame inside the doorTap gently across the door face with a knuckle. The centre panels sound hollow and drum-like. Near the top, bottom, and both edges, and often a horizontal band at handle height, the sound goes solid and dull — that's the internal timber rail or stile. These solid strips are usually 35-70mm wide and are the only safe place to screw into.

AB-03Mark the fixing positionHold the mirror or frame against the door and mark the top corners in pencil on a strip of masking tape, so you don't mark the paintwork. Use a spirit level to check the marks are level. Line the fixing points up with a solid rail or stile you found in the tap test, not the hollow centre panel.

1 each · Spirit level

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1 roll · Masking tape

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1 each · Pencil

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AB-04Take the door off its hinges (heavier items) or support itFor anything over about 1kg, lift the door off its hinges and lay it flat on a padded surface such as a folded blanket on the floor or two trestles. This stops the door swinging or banging while you drill, and gives you a steady, flat surface to work on. For light adhesive hooks you can usually leave the door hanging.

1 each · Old blanket or dust sheet

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AB-05Drill carefully, with the depth controlledA hollow door has two thin skins with a gap between them, so a pilot hole can easily go straight through the far side. Wrap a piece of masking tape around the drill bit as a depth stop, set to about 20mm — enough to bite into the timber rail without breaking through the back face. Wear eye protection, and drill slowly so the bit doesn't punch through suddenly.

1 each · Wood drill bit (3-4mm)

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1 each · Safety glasses

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AB-06Choose the right fixing for the weightUnder 1kg: a self-adhesive picture hook or strip stuck straight onto clean, painted door skin needs no drilling at all. 1-3kg, fixed into a solid rail or stile: a normal wood screw driven into a bradawl-started pilot hole holds well. Over 3kg, or if you can't be sure you've hit solid timber: don't rely on the hollow centre panel — a plasterboard-style toggle will pull straight through thin door skin, and it is not designed for a door. Move the fixing over the nearest solid rail, or hang the item on the wall instead.

1 pack · Self-adhesive picture hook (light duty)

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1 pack · Wood screws (25-30mm)

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1 each · Bradawl

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AB-07Fit the hook or fixingFor an adhesive hook, press firmly for the time stated on the pack and leave it to bond fully before hanging anything — usually a few hours. For a screwed fixing, drive the screw into the pilot hole until the head sits flush, checking it's biting into solid timber and not spinning loose in the hollow void.

AB-08Rehang the door if you removed itLift the door back onto its hinges and check it opens, closes, and latches properly. A door that's been laid flat can occasionally need the hinges re-tightened, so give the screws a check.

AB-09Hang the mirror or picture and test itHang the item and check it's level with the spirit level. Push down gently on the top edge to test the fixing before letting go fully. If it shifts, drops, or you feel the screw move in the wood, take it down and refit into a different point on the solid rail.

AB-10Tidy upVacuum any dust from the door and floor, peel off the masking tape marks, and put away tools. Keep any spare fixings in case the item needs rehanging later.

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