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My Mom has taken two falls getting out of the bathtub, so it looks like I need to install some grab bars. Any tricks to doing this? Even if I can hit the studs, are they strong enough to support her?

Hi & welcome. You need to make sure you hit the studs, at the least it will HELP to support her. Since you did not say anything about the home I really can not say what size studs you might have, but anything is better than nothing. Greg

Hi Roxie and welcome to the forum,

In my area, the standard stainless steel grab bars under $30 that they sell in the home stores come in 12", 18" 24" and 36". I have installed the 36" at an angle to screw into 2 studs (32"). This worked out well for a bath shower. The lower side would help in getting up out of the tub and the taller side was good while standing. Because of the width of the screw flange, you can usually only get one or two screws into a stud.

When I am replacing shower walls, I like to cut into the wall and use 2x4s to block between the studs where the grab bars will go. This makes for the best installation.

I have seen the more "designer" grab bars from Moen, Pegasus, etc.. that are 16", available in the store. But they will cost $60 on up. You can order 16" and 32" grab bars online at reasonable prices though (under $30).

JD

In a MH you MUST get into the studs. Try to get at least a 24" bar for the side wall. If you need to angle it, which you probably will, the middle of the bar should be at around 36 inches from the tub floor. A second bar should be mounted to the wall vertically at the entry point a, 12" bar is usually used here, the height should be determined by mom's height, just make it comfortable for use, if she comes in from a wheelchair make sure it is low enough. One thing to remember, no grab bar, no matter how it is mounted is designed to hold full body weight, they are only there to help steady someone if weak or faint. You may also want to consider a shower chair if you have the room.

Don't be misled by the use of the words "studs". As I found out there were only 2x1" vertical slats behind my tubwall.

I removed the panelling in the bedroom and installed 2 2x6" to screw the bar into. Just make sure you measure and write down the location of the studs for future use.

There are also grab bars that grip the side of the bathtub. They must fit exactly or they will slip.

My mother has a fold-down shower bench built in to her shower. The shower is also the kind that has a little rubber edge, so there really isn't anything to have to step over.

I've a neighbor who has a shower bench that sits in the tub and has a generous overhang outside the tub. She sits down outside the tub and puts her legs over the edge of the tub, one at a time, to get into the tub part.

The angle and height of the grab bars needs to fit the height and needs of the person who uses them. It can cause severe shoulder damage when the bars are too high. In my mother's previous shower the bars had to be taken out and re-installed because the person who installed them put them in according to his height, point of contact, weight, etc., and not hers. I have found the standard 36" for the middle of the bar to be too high for most women, and especially too high for the very short and very frail.

Also, the grab bars come in different thicknesses and some of them are too thick for an elderly woman to grab onto easily.

We also added those little non-slip stickies on the floor of my mother's shower.

My grab bar is at the entrance to tub, and is installed vertically, so we didn't need to span two studs.

The shower chair that hangs over to the outside is called a transfer bench, you can also get a sliding transfer bench where you sit and slide in on the seat instead of scooting on the bench.