Ok, I know the usual ways, but I have a situation that defeats me. I am planning to install a grab bar over the tub. There is a window in the wall, above the installation point, so I can't find the stud above the tile and drop a line. And the wall is 41 yeats old, so it has a metal mesh under the tile, and the stud finder isn't any good. Any body got another suggestion?
Thanks, Bill Gill
I'll be interested to see what other people come up with but if it were me I would guess and drill tiny holes in the grout between tiles till I found the stud and then refill it with new grout.
Best way to go, IMO. The only way you'll know you've hit wood is to examine the scraps which are excavated by the drill bit.
Here's another thought -can you find the stud from the other side, and pop a hole all the way through it, into the bathroom? Your studfinder should work on the other side of the wall ;-> Even if it's an external wall, this will work as long as you don't have al-loo-min-e-um siding. Internal wall: patch the hole with joint compound or spackle. Outside wall: break out the silicon.
Best Regards,
Tim ==
Bill wrote in news:54rsb.244$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr24.news.prodigy.com:
Find the studs from the outside, and measure their location with reference to the window edges.
If the window was installed correctly, there should be studs on each side of the window (king studs, cripple studs). If you have to guess, drill your holes at those locations -- you have very good odds of hitting something the first try.
I usually use an electronic sensor (Stanley, I think). It works off the density of the wall, so when it finds a stud, it beeps. Don't know if it'll work through tile, but I've had pretty good luck with thicker walls. Doesn't seem to be affected by metal.
Well, you know that there's going to be a jack and a king on either side of the window. There should also be a double plate below the window. Do those work for the grab bar? If not, drill a 1/4" hole at the intersection of 4 tiles (close to where you want the bar to go or would be covered by the handbar escutcheon) and stick a hanger through the hole. If it doesn't end up being covered by the escutcheon, fill it back up with grout.
Hi, There was an excellent segment on Ask TOH where Tom Silva had to install a bath grab bar and advised not mounting on the stud because of the chance of you not getting the screw on center. He used these special mounting brackets that kind of acted like giant wall mollies and are rated to 400 lbs. Tom also commented there is nothiong better than the old knuckle method in finding a wall stud.
Check your local PBS station to see when they will replay this episode.
Yep //\\ Hire my o'lady. She'll find any stud she can, and not only find em, but she'll sleep with um. So if you gots a stud in yo wall, she'll be a sleepin in yo wall. She gits $5 an hower plus she gits ta drink all the booze in yo house.
Rubbermade Redderneck
I saw that episode and was very interested. My problem is that the wall is 41 years old, so I'm not positive that it is in good enough shape to hold those things. Tom said that if the wall isn't in good shape you need to use studs.
Thanks, Bill Gill
Hi. I'm a stud finder this week. And I'm damn good at it. I've mounted more studs between my tile walls than Brigham Bung ever did!
Mozila man strikes again!
Whomever he is, it's a good bet that he's doing a magnificent job here of getting you plonked.
Allthough from what I've seen of you, it's a safer bet that you've probably already done that for yourself.
-- Klaus
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