Hi
I need to vertically mount an 18" long handrail in my mother's bathroom to help her move about. The wall I want to mount it on is a 1m wide section between a door and the corner of the room, and is constructed of plasterboard with no studs (she lives in a new retirement flat). The wall is tiled with large tiles that are probably about 6mm thick. My question is what fittings should I use?
I have been advised to use the spring loaded, winged metal type of fitting. However, the smallest type requires a 11mm hole to push it through. This seems a large hole to drill in a tile. The handrail requires three fixings at each end, so that is a lot of careful drilling to do. I am also concerned that this type of fitting is based on the winged portion gripping the back of the plasterboard, so the weight is not acting directly down through the plasterboard.
An alternative would be to use the "self tapping" type of plasterboard fitting - that screws itself into the board. However, I do not know how to handle the tile in this situation - should I overdrill the tile so that the fitting is flush with the face of the plasterboard?
I shall be most grateful for any suggestions.
David