Many thanks to everyone who pitched in on my computer sound thread. Here's a more traditionally-DIY question:I have to fix two grab rails to the walls of a walk-in shower: these are timber and plasterboard stud walls covered with ceramic tiles. I do have limited access to the other (non-tiled) side of the walls, so I could probably locate the vertical studs by drilling a series of holes, but the rails are a fixed length so even if one end can be secured into timber the other probably could not.Can anyone recommend the best really strong and secure hollow-wall fixings for use through tiles? In the past (on plain walls) I've used the type with two sprung metal arms which open up once through the hole, but I'm concerned in this particular job that the hole has to be considerably larger than the diameter of the bolt: isn't there a danger of the rails, however tightly fixed, being able to slip about slightly, especially on a glossy tiled surface?Thanks for any thoughts.

On Tue, 23 Mar 2021 23:49:27 -0000, "Bert Coules" > wrote:The grab rails have to withstand the full weight of a person, so Iwouldn't fancy using spring toggles, which might break theplasterboard. You say the rails are a fixed length - are the ends bentround to the wall, with round flanges to take at least three screws?Do the rails have to be horizontal, or can they be angled so that thefixings coincide with the wooden studs?Or you could put thick pieces of plank behind the plasterboard to takenormal screws and spread the load over a large area.

Best hollow-wall fixings through tiles?

Mar 23, 2021 Last reply: 5 years ago 67 Replies

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Bert Coules 5 years ago

John M & Alan_m, thanks.

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The Natural Philosopher 5 years ago

Push harder. Or glue a rubber sheet on the back - a million ways to increase friction...

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Roger Hayter 5 years ago

In which case, don't use a traditional wood screw with an unthreaded shank, especially one on the large side for the plug. Use constant diameter fully-threaded screws. Otherwise you can apply huge forces to crack the tile as the screw goes fully in. DAMHIKT

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Bert Coules 5 years ago

Job done:

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Many thanks to everyone who helped. In the end, the advice to use a diamond-tipped core drill, start the hole at an angle to break through the glaze in one spot, and then slowly bring the drill upright was invaluable: doing it that way I had hardly any slipping and none at all outside the area to be concealed by the bracket covers.

With a bit of fiddling of the final position I was able to secure each of the brackets with three screws into timber and only two into wall plugs: the result feels to me to be very secure indeed.

So thanks again.

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The Natural Philosopher 5 years ago

Well done m8.

classic "research, test, if good, implement"

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Bert Coules 5 years ago

Thanks. Your help was much appreciated.

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Bert Coules 5 years ago

Where do you think any possible weakness would lie? Suppose someone did slip and grab the rail, putting the whole of their weight against it, vertically,horizontally or at an angle: what might happen? The woodscrews be pulled out of the timber battens? The entire half-height stud wall give way? The rail itself break?

I'm not saying that any of these outcomes is an impossibility, simply trying to understand just what the possible danger might be.

Thanks.

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Bert Coules 5 years ago

Each bracket is secured with five screws:

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On both brackets the top two screws go into timber. On one, two further screws go into a batten and the final one is wall-plugged; on the other, the remaining three are plugged.

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