My dad is getting unsteady on his feet, so I've been to the local mobility shop and bought a 12 inch plastic rail that I can fix to the bathroom tiled wall, in an ideal position where he can grab on to it when taking a shower. The lady in the shop said they are not allowed to sell the screws for fixing it.
What would be the ideal screws for fixing it to the wall?
thanks
Ian
What is behind the tiling? You obviously want a fairly stout fixing so that it can take your father's weight falling and pulling it from the wall.
In a shower the screws will need to be brass or stainless steel.
I'd be looking at No 10, and at least 1 1/2" into solid brick (plus clearance through plaster, voids, etc). You might get away with less if you were screwing into solid wood, and you'll need (quite a lot) more if screwing into lightweight blocks.
What is behind the tiling? You obviously want a fairly stout fixing so that it can take your father's weight falling and pulling it from the wall.
In a shower the screws will need to be brass or stainless steel.
I'd be looking at No 10, and at least 1 1/2" into solid brick (plus clearance through plaster, voids, etc). You might get away with less if you were screwing into solid wood, and you'll need (quite a lot) more if screwing into lightweight blocks.
Take the rail with you, when you go shopping so that you can check the largest size of screw that will fit into its brackets. You need to let the head get properly recessed into the counsersink hole to avoid your dad getting scratched on the screw heads.
Understandable. The harshest legal penalties apply to the illegal trade in screws.
I agree - the thickest 2" screw that will fit in the bracket.
The rail comes with two cover plates for concealing the screw heads.
but these will need to fit onto the bit below so you still need to be careful about the size of screw. Too big and the cover won't stay on.
Just as I was about to suggest a discrete blob of silicone......
You might laugh but what about terrorists putting them in a bomb made from illegal weedkiller. I've wondered if petrol was new to the market tomorrow, would it go on sale?
Its one application where teh wall really must be assessed before choosing the fixing. For brick, 2.5" screws would do the job, for concrete 2" screws. For wattle & daub or strawboard, nothing will be safe.
NT
snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
What is the wall made from? If it was my plasterboard wall then I would want a panel on the other side and bolt it through. Hopefully yours may be solid.
Even if its plasterboard the tiles will make it pretty strong
I've used a cheap diamond core drill for the tiles, and plastic rawlplugs in this sort of construction.
I don't think I'd trust a grab rail to ordinary rawl plugs myself. I tends to use those special fittings that expand but have a sort of thread in them. They come in many names, but cannot recall the generic one! Brian
True although it does depend on the size of the tiles and whether the plasterboard is damp. I think I would be inclined to go for spring toggles so that in a crunch it is definitely pulling on tile. Personally I will never put tile on plasterboard again in a shower, my preferred shower finish is the Mermaid type board.
A decent grab handle will be steel, not plastic.
And if a plasterboard wall, needs to be fixed into a joist. Last thing you want is it giving way.
My tile on plasterboard one is many years old. And has had the tiles changed a couple of times for a new decor. But the corners and tops and bottoms of the walls are sealed with silicone.
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