Bathroom Accessories & Equipment

Archive for November, 2009

The shower could be a very scarey place when all those soap suds begin to accumulate on the floor of your shower. One way to feel safer in the shower is to install a grab bar to the wall. Here are the tools you will need and guidances to properly install a grab bar in your tiled bathroom shower.

The beginning thing that you will need to do to install your grab bar is to place a wall stud.  If you have access to a stud finder this will help greatly.  Run the constellate finder along the wall until a wall stud is placed and mark the spot with a fine detail marker.  If you do not have an electronic stud finder, no worries, just take a 1/8 masonry bit or glass and tile bit and simply drill a hole into the grout.  Then take your length of wire and make a bend in it.  Put the wire in the hole and by spinning it left and right you should hit a stud.  If you do not locate a stud, the hole that you just drilled can be filled up with a slight bit of silicone caulk.  Make sure to flatten the dab of silicone caulk so it does not bug out from the grout line, allow the caulk to dry for about three hours.  If you have powdered grout handy, mix up a bit and patch the hole.  you do find a stud, measure 16 inches from that hole and you should be able to drill into another stud.

To create a starting point use a sharp awl or afore mentioned drill bit.  Using your hand, twist the instrument on your make to make a slight impression on the tile; this will keep your drill bit from slipping.  Do not use a punch or you are likely to crack your tile.  You don’t want to break your tiles when screwing the mounting brackets on either so use a bit that is 1/32 wider than the size of the mounting screw you will be using.  Start drilling the hole slowly and with even pressure so as not to slide off your mark.  Use light pressure when drilling to annul cracking the tile.

Make certain not to drill deeper than the tile and it backing. At this point, you will need to change your bit to the wood bit 1/16 narrower than the screw.  This will make a pilot hole in the studs.