Shower Bar: How to Install Bathroom Grab Bars

Grab bars aren’t just safety devices for hospitals and public restrooms. In your own home, a strategically placed and solidly anchored grab bar can mean the difference between a relaxing bath and a trip to the emergency room. Grab bars are an example of universal design. They provide extra security for the first slippery step in your bathtub or shower.

Here, we’ll show you where to position grab bars and how to anchor them so they’re rock-solid. Plus, they’re a solid home improvement investment that pays off.

If you’ve mounted towel bars or other hardware around the house, you’ll have no trouble installing grab bars or a bathtub handrail. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours. You’ll only need a hammer, a level, a drill and a few special drill bits. A stud sensor is optional. Anchoring your grab bars to the studs will make them rock-solid.

Video: How to Install a Bathroom Grab Bar

Buy the right safety grab bars

Grab bars are specially manufactured to hold at least 250 lbs. when properly secured. Towel bars and other light-duty bars are not strong enough.

Most shower bars are stainless steel to resist corrosion, but you can also find them with a painted finish in various colors. We purchased our 1-1/2 in. dia. white grab bars at a home center. The 18-in. bar cost about $30; the 24-in. bar about $40. Thinner bars are available, but a standard 1-1/2 in. dia. shower bar like we’re using is just right for most people’s grip. Some bars feature added texture to reduce slipping. Here are a few guidelines for selecting grab bars:

• Purchase an 18-in. or longer bar to mount vertically at the tub edge.
• Locate the studs before you buy a bar to mount at an angle or horizontally on the long tub wall. Then buy a bar that reaches from one stud to the other, usually 32 in. long for a horizontal bar and 24 in. long for an angled bar.
• Buy standard 1-1/2 in. dia. grab bars for most situations. Thinner bars look more like towel bars and may not be strong enough for heavy use.
• Avoid grab bars that leave more than a 1-1/2 in. space between the bar and the wall unless there is a specific reason for using one. A person’s arm could slip into the extra-wide space and become trapped or break during a fall.
• If you’re installing grab bars for a person with special needs, ask a physical therapist or an occupational therapist to help you select the right bars.

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