On 12/19/2014 03:20 PM, Cal Dershowitz wrote:
Hello ng,

I've got a little project to add some grab bars. One is next to a
toilet, and they want it diagonal. Another is next to the shower stall
and vertical. The third is inside the shower and diagonal.

The house is in Oakland, CA. It has real 2 x 4's, lathe and plaster,
and tile in the shower.

Q1) Should I expect 16" on center framing?

When at all possible, I want to be fastening onto studs.

Q2) If not possible, then are toggle bolts the best way to go?

A


snip


I just added some to the basement stairway of my 19th century home.


First off, since someone might be putting a lot of weight on the grab
bars, it would be better to anchor them right into the studs. However
since the wall is lathe and plaster , toggle bolts would certainly be
better than if trying to install on thin Sheetrock.


I assumed my house would be non-standard so used a stud finder...but due
to artifacts in the lathe and plaster, it was not correct.

I ended up finding the studs the old fashioned way by simply driving in
an extremely fine nail until I hit studs. The eight tiny holes I made
were easily filled by a tiny dab of Spackle applied with my finger tip.