I would like to install safety grab bars in the tub/showers of the house I just bought. However I found that when I press on the side of shower wall, the plastic (fiberglass?) is about 3/8 inch away from the wall. I am afraid installing the bars and squeezing the plastic tight to the wall will cause it to break. Any suggestions?
-dan z-
Maybe an anchor like used for wall board that just grips the back of the shower and not the wall.
Not sure how good they are but when my wife had her knee replaced last year I bought her a bar with suction cups. I guess the grip is good but you have to maintain suction.
slate_leeper is concerned about the shower wall cracking just from the bending required to move it back to the studs. Do you really think anchors that just grip the back of the flexible wall material are going to provide the required support of a *safety* grab bar?
For a grab bar, I wouldn't trust those types of anchors in drywall itself, never mind a thin, flexible shower wall. We're not hanging a picture in the shower, we're talking about a person's safety.
Sounds pretty dangerous to me. If you "have to maintain suction" how can you be sure that suction will be present when the support is actually needed? I'm not talking about times when the bar can be tested prior to use, I'm talking about a time when a slip is occurring and the bar is grabbed in panic.
install a 3/8 board between the wood wall (stud) and the plastic shower wall m
|I would like to install safety grab bars in the tub/showers of the | house I just bought. However I found that when I press on the side of | shower wall, the plastic (fiberglass?) is about 3/8 inch away from | the wall. I am afraid installing the bars and squeezing the plastic | tight to the wall will cause it to break. Any suggestions? |
Don't use anchors. You need to support a person of 200+ pounds grabbing it suddenly, at an angle, to support their weight. If you can't find a spot to install it into studs you'd be better off not doing it. Then, at least, people would know what they're dealing with. It sounds to me like maybe you should get rid of the plastic/ fiberglass and retile. Another option, if you really don't think you can screw through the plastic:
Find the studs, drill pilot holes, then pump in something like epoxy resin or Bondo, to back the screws. You can later drill through that. At worst you might have to cut a larger hole to do that and end up with a patch that doesn't look so good. But maybe you could put something like a decorative disk or washcloth hook in that spot.
re: "then pump in something like epoxy resin or Bondo, to back the screws."
I assume you mean back to the *studs*.
I would not trust Bondo to hold a 200 person grabbing it suddenly.
I know the Bondo wouldn't be doing the actual holding, but if it flexed and cracked, there would no longer be any support behind the wall, just a gap. Things will move, walls will crack, people may get hurt.
Maybe, just maybe, epoxy would be better, but it would take some finesse to get just the right amount of epoxy in there and keep the wall flat. i.e. no concave or convex area - and completely filled. The fact that he would be pumping across an open area adds a bit of complexity to the project. Now, if he could lay the shower on it's side, this method would be easy-peasy. ;-)
I find it strange that the shower wall moves 3/8" inch in the first place. That would drive me crazy!
Not a bad idea, assuming access is possible.
I'd have *really* hard time doing that in one of my showers (not even sure that I could) and it would be impossible in the other shower without opening up the wall.
Been done dozens of times. As long as it is not too close to an edge, and you fasten to studs - no problemo.
NEVER. The plastic liner will never hold the handle securely enough for ANY kind of use.
And the suction cup would pull the acrylic liner off the wall - absolutely NO WAY in this situation. Just screw it into the studs behind the wall. The only way it could be an issue is if the "drywall" behind the plastic or acrylic liner has gotten wet and dissapeared due to a leak./ Even them the ONLT way to have a chance of it working is to screw it into the studs.
The suction cup bars are not intended to be a grab bar but as a handle to steady yourself. Before remodeling the bathrooms we had one for that and it was a big help, but I'd not trust my life to it.
When stepping in or out of the shower it is a great device to avoid a slip or fall but may not hod if you put all your weight on it. Much better than nothing to hold.
We now have ceramic tile and properly installed bars and work great. Anyone over 60 or with balance problems should have something to hold.
I disagree.
That's like putting a railing around a deck to let people know where the edge is but not making it strong enough to lean on or strong enough to withstand a person tripping into it.
Insalling a device that gives the illusion of safety can be more dangerous than no device at all. If you had your hand on that suction attached bar and you slipped, would you have the reaction time to take your hand off or would you instinctively rely on it?
If the bar slipped even when you weren't using it to support your entire weight, you'd suddenly be unexpectedly off balance and suddenly using to support your weight.
With no grab bar (or no railing) users (especially unfamiliar users) are aware that there is no safety device and will rely only on what is available as opposed to having a false sense of security.
You used the words "properly installed". Doesn't that imply that the other one wasn't "properly installed"?
Can you get to the other side of the wall? If so, you could open it up enough to get some blocking between the shower enclosure and the studs. You should fasten your grab bar TO the studs. Yes, you'd have to repair the wall you opened, c'est la vie.
You could do the same thing from the shower side but the plastic enclosure would be more difficult to patch neatly.
Still another alternative would be attaching something - could be wood, could be an aluminum plate, etc. - to the shower enclosure after you attach - through bolts - the grab bar to it. The idea is to spread the load from grabbing the grab bar over a larger area of the enclosure. If I were to do this I would want the attachment plate to be at least 12" longer than the grab bar and 12-18" wide. How to attach it would depend on the wall thickness of the enclosure; it is probably too thin for self tapping screws but rivets might work. Regardless, I would also epoxy the attachment plate to the enclosure.
Grab bars normally have escutcheons to cover the fastening plate. One could...
It does not give the illusion of safety, it help you step steadily. It adds to your safety. It is secure enough to help as a balance aid, it is not meant to take all your weight, though it may.
So with nothing you just slip and fall. I used one and highly recommend it if you have reason to want to be steady due to injury, arthritis, whatever. You are denigrating something you never used.
Not at all. The present bar is different design and is screwed into the studs as opposed to some anchors in sheetrock.
If I said my new car had no flat tires would you assume my old car had flat tires?
DerbyDad03 posted for all of us...
+1 I think this project is beyond his knowledge, now who is going to tell him?
I agree with DD. In general, ANY object or bar within a grabbing area always provides a sense of security. If a counter is within reach of a shower/tub entrance, that counter is a sense of security to grab for support. If a bar is installed, it provides a user a sense of security to grab that bar for full support. One doesn't view a bar and say, "Oh, this is only for me to maintain a little bit of balance as I step in" one views it and assumes the thing will keep them from falling on their ass providing they have the arm strength to hold themself up.
BUT...... since this is a residential home whereas the occupants who use the bar often are aware of the mounting method of the bar or device,, then I can see your point in "knowing" it's not a device to completely rely on for a fall. In that, I wouldn't invite guest for overnight visits.
"*though* it may" is not something I wish to be involved with.
...and it's something I will never use.
The body's instinct is "grab tighter" to whatever the hand is holding onto during a fall. I've been in that situation and if not for the flexibility of my young hands at the time, I probably would have broken 8 of my fingers. I should have let go of what I was holding onto, but that is not what the brain tells the body to do. Why would I want to use something that it not intended to support my weight if my body is going to depend on it when I need it?
If and when I (or anyone I love) needs the stability of a grab bar, I will get out the tools and install it "properly". If I'm the affected party and can't install it myself, I'll pay someone to do it. I do not consider suction cups to be a proper installation for a grab bar.
So better to have nothing and slip and all. OK, got it. I could never pull it off the wall in my bathroom shower.
Used mine for two years and it never came off the fiberglass wall. It steadied me after knee surgery though, and I was glad to have it.
So it is better to have nothing and fall? Seriously, that sounds dumb.
See comment above.
Your choice. Hope you never fall.
Because it helps you keep your balance and keeps you safer. Maybe when you get older you will understand how any aid is better than no aid. Even a plain wall is better than air, bit a handle is better than a smooth wall.
Good for you. It is not an option for everyone so they do what helps. The suction cup handles are a big help for some. Strong enough that I could never pull one off unless I wanted to
Congratulations on your good health. I used to have that too, as did my wife.
I'd certainly want to have something solid if my life depended on it. I was thinking of minor assistance. How's this grab you?
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