How do I install a grab bar in a shower?

A shower grab bar has one job: hold a person who is slipping. That is why it goes into wood studs, or into an anchor the bar's maker supplies for that bar, and never into drywall or tile alone. With a stud finder, a drill, a level and an hour or so, most people can put one up on a painted wall or a fiberglass surround. Tile over backing you cannot identify is the point to hire someone.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's home safety checklist for older adults says every bathtub and shower should have non-skid mats, abrasive strips or a surface that is not slippery, and at least one secure and easily graspable grab bar.^[5] The word that matters there is secure.

Before you buy

Check for a permit. Ask your county or city building office whether it wants one. Prince William County lists grab bars among the accessibility upgrades that always need a permit,^[4] so do not assume.

Pick the spot with the person who will use it. Watch where a hand goes when they step over the tub wall, turn to reach the controls, or sit and stand on a shower seat. That is where the bar belongs. A vertical bar near the entry helps with stepping in; a horizontal bar on the long wall helps with standing and turning.

Use the public standards as a reference. The federal ADA standards apply to places of public accommodation, commercial facilities, and state and local government facilities,^[2] not to private homes, but their numbers are a useful starting point. They call for horizontal grab bars 33 to 36 inches above the floor, measured to the top of the bar,^[2] and a second, lower bar on the back wall of a tub 8 to 10 inches above the rim.^[2] They also specify a round bar between 1 1/4 and 2 inches in outside diameter, with a 1 1/2-inch space between the bar and the wall.^[2]

Buy a real grab bar. The ADA standard requires the whole assembly to take a force of 250 pounds applied at any point on the bar, its fasteners, its mounting or the wall behind it.^[2] Moen rates the grab bars in these instructions at a 500-pound pull capacity, and warns that they are only for people weighing less than 500 pounds.^[1] Moen tells users to consult a healthcare professional for advice specific to their needs before use.^[1]

Match the length to the studs. On Moen's bars a diagonal or angled installation is possible only with bars 24 inches or longer.^[1] Studs are usually 16 inches apart,^[1] so a bar whose length spans one or two stud bays lets both ends land on wood.

Why studs, not anchors

Moen's instructions say both ends of the bar must be over a wood stud unless you use the maker's own SecureMount anchors,^[1] and that the screws must go into a wood stud for a secure installation.^[1]

Ordinary wall anchors are not built for this. TOGGLER, which makes heavy-duty drywall anchors, says industry safety standards recommend a quarter of an anchor's tested ultimate load as a reasonably safe working load,^[3] and that moving a load away from the wall greatly reduces what an anchor can hold.^[3] A person grabbing a bar mid-slip pulls it out and down, the hardest load a wall fastener can take. A towel bar on anchors is not a grab bar; see how to replace a towel bar for that job.

Putting it up

Read the instructions that come with your bar first; screw counts, bit sizes and flange designs differ. Moen's flanges, for example, take three screws through each flange into the stud, with two above the bar and one below,^[1] in slots that let the screws reach the stud at any angle.

Find the studs and mark the center of each. Hold the bar in place, level it, and mark every screw hole. Moen calls for 1/8-inch pilot holes at each screw location, drilled as deep as the screw is long,^[1] and notes that a 3-inch-long #2 Phillips bit keeps the drill from marring the bar.^[1] If the bit stops biting into wood partway in, you have missed the stud. Stop and find it before you drive a screw.

In a shower, keep water out of the holes. Moen suggests a bead of silicone caulk on the back of the mounting plate to guard against water getting in.^[1] On its design the bar sets onto the flanges and is held by set screws,^[1] so you fasten the flanges first, snap on the covers, then fit the bar and tighten its set screws.

On a fiberglass or acrylic surround, drill slowly with light pressure so the panel does not crack, and make sure the screws reach the studs behind it.

Test it, then keep checking

Stand on a dry floor outside the tub and pull, push and twist the bar hard. Nothing should move, creak or turn. Moen's warning also tells owners to check the bar periodically after installation to be sure all screws are secure.^[1] If one ever wobbles, see why a grab bar comes loose and how to check grab bars and railings.

Stop and call a pro if

• The wall is ceramic or stone tile and you do not know what is behind it. Tile over drywall, over cement board and over old plaster each drill differently, and a cracked tile turns a small job into a tile repair.
• You cannot land both ends of the bar on studs where it needs to go. A pro can open the wall and add wood blocking, or fit a grab bar anchor system made for that bar.
• The wall behind the flange is soft, stained or wet. Mold can hide on the back side of drywall,^[6] and water-damaged materials should be dried within 24 to 48 hours to prevent mold growth.^[6] Fix the leak before anything goes on that wall.
• You hit metal, pipe or wiring when you drill. Stop and leave the hole alone until someone checks what is behind it.
• Your locality requires a permit and you would rather a licensed business handle it.

Getting help

Grab bars are a common job for handyman businesses, often done with a hand-held shower or a raised toilet seat in one visit. See what grab bar installation costs in Virginia, browse grab bars and accessibility, find handyman businesses around Blacksburg, or read more handyman answers. When you are ready, describe the job on Loclis and local businesses quote it.