What grab bar do you recommend for bathroom?

Amarante

Mon, Feb 21 2022, 9:45 pm

Get a grab bar that is specifically designed to be a grab bar in the metal finish in the rest of the bathroom.

A towel rack is not a grab bar substitute. I had grab bars installed when I remodeled - anyone can slip in a bathroom when there feet are damp so grab bars should be standard in everyone's home.

Please be aware that a grab bar has to be attached to the studs or it is actually potentially more dangerous than nothing at all because in an emergency someone can grab and it can fall off the wall.

amother

Mon, Feb 21 2022, 9:56 pm

Amarante wrote:

What does it mean attached to the studs?

Amarante

Mon, Feb 21 2022, 10:29 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

What does it mean attached to the studs?

They are the vertical framing elements behind the walls which actually support the walls. The walls are attached to the studs. If you have newer construction the drywall is attached to the studs but older homes have plaster attached to lathing.

Studs are wood in single family homes but are steel in a high rise because of fire codes.

Anything heavy has to be attached to a stud because the actual wall can’t support heavy loads. They sell stud finders.

Any decent home store or place like Home Depot has a variety of grab bars in different finishes. As I posted, you can’t use a towel bar as a grab bar.

amother

Tue, Feb 22 2022, 7:27 am

Amarante wrote:

we have an older home. How would we find the studs?
There were so many options in home depot, I didn't know what to choose. Do you have a recommendation?

singleagain

Tue, Feb 22 2022, 7:35 am

You can get a stud finder. Or just use your tape measure

It actually might be worth it to buy or borrow an official stud finder.

And why not ask the ppl at Home Depot what they're best seller is?

FranticFrummie

Tue, Feb 22 2022, 8:09 am

When your safety depends on it, it's worth it to hire someone to professionally put it in. This is one area I wouldn't try to DIY, and I used to remodel houses.

amother

Mimosa

Tue, Feb 22 2022, 9:01 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

we have an older home. How would we find the studs?
There were so many options in home depot, I didn't know what to choose. Do you have a recommendation?

You can use a strong magnet

Amarante

Tue, Feb 22 2022, 10:39 am

Meaning no snark but if you don't know what a stud is you really need to hire a competent handyman to install the grab bars safely.

As long as grab bars are certified as being grab bars it doesn't matter what you get. When I remodeled I obsessed about many things but not the manufacturer of the grab bars. Just make sure they are ADA compliant.

More important is that the grab bars be positioned correctly so that they actually are as functional as possible.

amother

Tue, Feb 22 2022, 9:02 pm

Amarante wrote:

We're getting a handyman to install it, but we're going to buy it.

amother

Tue, Feb 22 2022, 9:16 pm

There are different sizes also, 12, 16, 18, 24 inch. Which sizes should we get for near the toilet and bathtub? Is the 12 inch bar enough?

amother

Thu, Feb 24 2022, 10:54 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

There are different sizes also, 12, 16, 18, 24 inch. Which sizes should we get for near the toilet and bathtub? Is the 12 inch bar enough?

does size matter?