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How to install bathroom grab rails

A flange being bolted into place to secure a bathroom handle

Overview

Grab rails can help make your bathroom safer and more accessible. They can be mounted diagonally for support near a toilet. You can also mount them vertically or horizontally for a shower. We’ll show you how to mount a grab rail on a tiled wall. You’ll also see a great tip for protecting the surface of tiles when you drill into them.

Steps

1Mark up the screw holes for the grab rail

To properly support someone, your grab rail needs to be screwed into wall studs. Locate the wall studs and place the grab rail over the studs at the desired height. Use the grab rail as a template and mark up your holes with a pencil. If you are mounting onto tiles, keep the holes away from the edges of the tiles. To save time, you can use the horizontal grout line as your level guide. 
A pencil being used to mark screwing points for the flange of a bathroom wall handle

2Drill the screw holes for the grab rail

Place a piece of masking tape over the hole marks. The tape protects the tile and also helps to keep the drill bit on top of the mark when you are drilling. Drill the holes using a masonry bit.  Remove the masking tape and tap nylon wall plugs into the holes with a hammer.
A drill being used to make holes in a bathroom tile marked out by painter's tape
Health & Safety

Please make sure you use all equipment appropriately and safely when following the advice in these D.I.Y. videos. You need to be familiar with how to use equipment safely and follow the instructions that came with the equipment. If you are unsure, you may feel it is safest to consult an expert, such as the manufacturer or an expert Bunnings Team Member.

Grave health hazards are linked to asbestos, which may be in homes built up to 1990. Health hazards may result from exposure to lead-based paints in older materials and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer. You can also use a simple test kit from Bunnings to indicate the presence of lead-based paint.