[jayerose]

Will just using anchors and screws work?

Our house is stucco.

[RaunchyRich]

Hire someone please

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by jayerose

Will just using anchors and screws work?

Our house is stucco.

I would consider hiring an expert to install a grab bar. You want it to be strong enough to support a lot of weight. A flimsy grab bar would be a safety hazard.

[John_W]

Originally Posted by jayerose

Will just using anchors and screws work?

Our house is stucco.

You could call this TOTV sponsor and have them install it.

Grab Bars and More

...or you can go to Lowe's and buy one of these for $18, I have one and it works great! Lowe's at Trailwinds has 26 in stock in aisle 40 bay 18. This is a 12" and they also have a 16" model.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/MHI-Safe-er...ab-Bar/3111155

[Bjeanj]

My sister used the towel bar as a grab bar and (twice) ripped them out of the wall. They were in the wall with anchors and screws, which just ripped out the drywall. I think you want to make sure they’re screwed into the studs, but VillageTinker could probably verify this.

Either that, or what John W suggested.

[Fredman]

Originally Posted by John_W

You could call this TOTV sponsor and have them install it.

Grab Bars and More

...or you can go to Lowe's and buy one of these for $18, I have one and it works great! Lowe's at Trailwinds has 26 in stock in aisle 40 bay 18. This is a 12" and they also have a 16" model.


https://www.lowes.com/pd/MHI-Safe-er...ab-Bar/3111155

These are great but have to reset them occasionally because over time they lose suction

[villagetinker]

As noted above, I agree, screwed into the studs at a minimum if you are doing this yourself, other wise I also agree with the suggested vendor. NOTE: if this is an OUTSIDE concrete block wall, you will need to use the correct (not plastic) anchors for the grab bar, usually an expanded metal anchor in the correct size hole. If you are not familiar, use the professional.

[Neils]

Originally Posted by Fredman

These are great but have to reset them occasionally because over time they lose suction

Install with a layer of superglue on the pads, then suction in place. The glue should improve the seal and the bar will stay there a long time.

[b0bd0herty]

Originally Posted by Fredman

These are great but have to reset them occasionally because over time they lose suction

AND the surface has to be perfectly smooth. Any of the decorator tiles and there is little if any suction.

[DaleDivine]

I bought 2 stainless steel bars at Lowes and installed myself.
I have metal studs in my walls and used heavy duty screws. I (160lbs) can stand on them and they will not come out.

[pollysue]

Regular anchor will not work. The studs in stucco homes are metal, not wood. My husband went over the house plans on our stucco house and found this out when he tried to hand a TV on the wall. He had to get special anchors and screws. Guy at Home Depot was very helpful. If you are not handy, hire someone.

[Rjstmc]

Those suction not ok to airport body weight. Check instructions

[stanley]

Grab Bar Without Studs - YouTube

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by jayerose

Will just using anchors and screws work?

Our house is stucco.

There are ADA regulations for grab bars near toilets if you want to sell your house as ADA compliant. If you don’t care, you can do what you want, but grab bars do need very secure backing. If you have a concrete block wall, is the drywall simply glued to the block, or are there steel studs between the block and the drywall. Attaching grab bars directly to concrete block can be done, but you will need special tools and anchors. If you have tile attached to backer board attached to steel studs, or drywall attached to steel studs, there are some difficulties. The studs are usually 16” or 24” apart, center to center, so you may need a bar that is 24” or 16” or 32” or 48” long. Do you know how to find steel studs in a wall, including exactly where each edge is (a stud finder is useful but not always exact)? You will need at least two special long heavy duty screws for each stud, and you will need to drill the pilot holes just right. If you are off a little, the screws will just go through drywall. Toggle bolts are not strong enough in drywall. There is more government info here. I will paste in a couple of drawings from this below. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publi...ng/fairch6.pdf

Ideally, wood blocking for these bars should be installed before the drywall goes on, but it isn’t easy to do that with steel studs. If I were installing a safe grab bar in my own wall, I would buy a piece of red oak four inches wide, 3/4” thick, and the length of the wall. I would screw this to all the steel studs with two heavy screws. I could then attach a grab bar with three screws at each end anywhere I wanted along the oak. (I would also sand and finish the wood before screwing it to the studs.) This is a very strong way to install a grab bar. I would do this myself, but not everyone has the tools. The oak can also be painted the color of your other trim.

[Surf Daddy]

There are a variety of anchors available at Lowes. There are a variety of load ratings that are provided. Make sure you understand what they mean. Tension loads are in the direction of pulling the screw and anchor out. Shear loads are in the direction 90* from that, i.e., in the vertical direction.

The attached chart (from Toggler, the Lowes supplier) provides shear and tensile load. These are max values at failure. And note that the manufacturer states that industry standards recommend use of 1/4 of that max value. So, in the best circumstances for 5/8 drywall, that max load is only 34# per anchor (1/4 x 135). For grab bars, I wouldn't put them in drywall. Anchoring in wall studs would be more prudent. Drywall, wall studs, stucco - make sure you look at the recommended tensile load. I hope this helps.

If you hire a company to do this, hopefully they understand this.