Install Grab Bar In Fiberglass Shower
Put the painters tape across the wall.
Install grab bar in fiberglass shower. Glass and tile or masonry bit to enlarge the holes. How to install a grab bar in a fiberglass shower. Then use a 5 32 in. Step by step process step 1.
The solid mount system allows the installation of grab bars into existing fiberglass shower walls. Installing grab bars in fiberglass showers since there is no waterproof board in back of the fiberglass and if there is no convenient stud i don t think the fiberglass can take the strain. You have to locate the center of the stud and use the low tack painters tape. The gap created between shower and frame makes it not safe for attaching grab bars directly to the fiberglass the material is thin and un supportive of the weight displacement from when a person pulls on the bar in the event of a fall.
After locating the right place fix the low tack painters. Now toenail or screw in a piece of 2x blocking between the studs. Locate an adjacent stud on the wall. Complete the grab bar installation as shown in photos 6 and 7.
Fiberglass shower can present a problem for grab bar installations. Grab bars require the strength and support it gets from the structural 2 4 s that are already part of the walls in your home and the solid mount attaches directly to the studs removing any pull on your fiberglass wall. Caulk the back of the shower bar mounting flange with tub and tile adhesive or silicone caulk. Locate the 1 1 4 inch mounting holes so that the center of the grab bar fastener slides into the holes.
Measure from the inside of one bar flange to the outside of the other to find the center to center distance or the. Molded fiberglass showers are not the easiest place to install a grab bar they have space between the shower itself and the wall frame. A smaller grab bar 12 in 16 in or 18 in works well for this purpose although longer ones can accommodate users of various heights. Wood bit to drill pilot holes into the stud.
Solid mount pads ready for grab bar. The solid mount allows a grab bar to be safely and securely installed into your fiberglass shower or fiberglass tub. Place a piece of low tack painter s tape. After exposing the framing and the back of the shower wall drill small lead holes through the shower wall where the grab bar fasteners will penetrate so that you know where to install the blocks.
Locate a stud on the shower wall near the shower head with a stud finder. Find the center of the stud 33 inches up from the floor and mark it with. At the entry to the shower or tub to help facilitate entry and exit install a grab bar vertically in front of the shower or tub. Find a stud there.