Shower Support Rails

karma_carpentry

hi, I've been doing some "emergency carpentry" for an elderly couple lately, who own the house in front of my woodshop. She has a broken pelvic bone and she's just starting to get around again.

She needs supports in the shower to let her bathe herself again. I've never installed them, just wondering what some of the better brands of support rails are, who distributes them, and anything to be careful of when installing them over tile.

Of course, I will locate the studs and anchor them securely. But any other little tips? I know Mike Finley has been installing these pro bono - maybe he has some tips.

Thanks in advance.

needthingsdone?

I can't recommend any brand, I just buy the local supply house stainless. But the difficult part for me was locating the studs behind the tile. Most grab bars come in lengths that are not the same as stud bays, therefore you have to install them at an angle to get them to fall on the studs. There is a new brand available that does not require stud mounting, it comes with some kind of proprietary anchor system.
Sorry I can't be of more help.

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karma_carpentry

I would find the studs up high, above the tile, and then plumb down to find the locations. I did see some 16, 24 and 32 inch rails online - hopefully the studs are on regular spacing.

I also saw suction-affixed rails. But then they'd be depending on the tile mastic pulloff strength. I don't like the idea of that.

I also saw clamp-on rails that clamp onto the sidewall of the tub. That sounds alright to me for the kneewall side.

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ch0mpie

Karma, I've never installed these before, but I remebered reading this tread resently:

http://www.contractortalk.com/showth...highlight=grab

karma_carpentry

Thanks for the link. I didn't even know the technical name was "grab bar" until this morning so I couldn't search for it.

There's Finley's advice - I knew he would have some.

I'm going to locate the studs, and if for some reason they're not 16 OC then I'll get a bar that I can custom cut instead of the pre-bent ones. I want both sides to anchor into the framing. I don't trust any drywall anchoring with an elderly person's life.

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Build on a good foundation.