In the bath, we put up one of those double-tier towel racks and, of
course, it's 30" long which means I can only anchor one end in a
stud...the other end had to go into drywall. Rather than use those
tiny plastic expansion anchors that come with the rack (beyond
useless), I used a molly anchor.

A few weeks ago I noticed what looked like the wall puckering outward
around the end of the towel rack with the anchors (not the screws into
the stud). Sure enough, the drywall in a 2" oval is puckered/bowed out
and the wall is soft/flexible there.

It looks like I may have hit an old repair, or the horizontal seam of
the drywall, as the top of the oval is actually straight, like a seam.

Obviously Plan Z would be to cut the bad section of wall out, patch,
repair, re-paint. But we JUST painted the bathroom, and I'm loathe to
have to do that section of wall again, given the long list of other
projects I have to tackle before our niece moves in next month.

So my question: any ideas on how to give a solid mounting surface to
this one end of the towel rack that's got bad drywall? Some trick to
insert a piece of 1x3 or such (for screwing the rack's bracket into)
inside the drywall without creating too large a hole to cover?

"Kyle" wrote in message
...
In the bath, we put up one of those double-tier towel racks and, of
course, it's 30" long which means I can only anchor one end in a
stud...the other end had to go into drywall. Rather than use those
tiny plastic expansion anchors that come with the rack (beyond
useless), I used a molly anchor.

A few weeks ago I noticed what looked like the wall puckering outward
around the end of the towel rack with the anchors (not the screws into
the stud). Sure enough, the drywall in a 2" oval is puckered/bowed out
and the wall is soft/flexible there.

It looks like I may have hit an old repair, or the horizontal seam of
the drywall, as the top of the oval is actually straight, like a seam.

Obviously Plan Z would be to cut the bad section of wall out, patch,
repair, re-paint. But we JUST painted the bathroom, and I'm loathe to
have to do that section of wall again, given the long list of other
projects I have to tackle before our niece moves in next month.

So my question: any ideas on how to give a solid mounting surface to
this one end of the towel rack that's got bad drywall? Some trick to
insert a piece of 1x3 or such (for screwing the rack's bracket into)
inside the drywall without creating too large a hole to cover?


Not unless the other side of the wall is in a closet. Any possibility a
toggle bolt will work?

Kyle wrote:
In the bath, we put up one of those double-tier towel racks and, of
course, it's 30" long which means I can only anchor one end in a
stud...the other end had to go into drywall.
(snip)

So my question: any ideas on how to give a solid mounting surface to
this one end of the towel rack that's got bad drywall? Some trick to
insert a piece of 1x3 or such (for screwing the rack's bracket into)
inside the drywall without creating too large a hole to cover?

You could install a 36" 1x4 (oak or whatever matches the cabinets) and
then attach the towel rack to that.

It would cover the damaged drywall and would be plenty strong. (you'd be
able to hit three studs)

If you have time (and tools) you could make the edges look less 1x4ish
with a router or by attaching 3/4" quarter round or similar trim.

I had a problem similar to yours. After patching and replacing towel
rods umpteen times, I finally put up a board, screwed into studs, and
fastened the towel rods to the board. Problem solved. Another
solution, which you probably have considered, would be to buy rods of
suitable length to anchor both ends to studs.

Mike Paulsen wrote:

You could install a 36" 1x4 (oak or whatever matches the cabinets) and
then attach the towel rack to that.

It would cover the damaged drywall and would be plenty strong. (you'd be
able to hit three studs)

I had a similar problem with a light fixture above a bath mirror. The box was
improperly installed and there was a vent pipe in the wall that made reinforcing
that area extremely difficult. Ran a 1/2x6 the width of the mirror just above
the mirror such that it almost looked like the mirror was framed in, anchored to
2 or three studs, then put a retrofit box in the 1/2x6. Worked out quite well.

On Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:14:44 -0700 (PDT), Kyle
wrote:

So my question: any ideas on how to give a solid mounting surface to
this one end of the towel rack that's got bad drywall? Some trick to
insert a piece of 1x3 or such (for screwing the rack's bracket into)
inside the drywall without creating too large a hole to cover?

Remove the rack, patch/paint the damage and then use two towel "rings"
mounted at the studs?

wrote:
I had a problem similar to yours. After patching and replacing towel
rods umpteen times, I finally put up a board, screwed into studs, and
fastened the towel rods to the board. Problem solved. Another
solution, which you probably have considered, would be to buy rods of
suitable length to anchor both ends to studs.

I think most of us on here have BTDT at least once, towel bars being a
classic first venture into home DIY repair.

When SWMBO says the wood rail is too ugly (and she probably will), other
cure, if you can't find a suitable bar the right length to hit the
studs, is to sink the wood rail into the wall. Cut out a strip of
drywall across 3 studs, landing halfway on the end studs. Screw in a
wood patch, just like you were doing a drywall patch, and mud it into
the wall. Only fussy part is getting the paint job and texture to match
the field of the drywall.

Note for people doing a bathroom gut job or building new- this is a
great reason to put horizontal blocking between the studs everywhere you
think people may want to hang towel bars and such. Don't forget around
the tub enclosure, for the grab bars you or next owner will eventually
want to put there. Make sure to keep a digram of where the blocking is,
say on the inside of the access cover for the tub faucet, that you are
also including as part of the (re)construction.

--
aem sends...

Oren wrote:
On Sat, 18 Jul 2009 14:14:44 -0700 (PDT), Kyle
wrote:

So my question: any ideas on how to give a solid mounting surface to
this one end of the towel rack that's got bad drywall? Some trick to
insert a piece of 1x3 or such (for screwing the rack's bracket into)
inside the drywall without creating too large a hole to cover?

Remove the rack, patch/paint the damage and then use two towel "rings"
mounted at the studs?

I had to put a ring in, due to the tiny size of my bathroom precluding
another full-length bar for the second towel. I quickly realized that
while they are okay for hand towels by the sink, they suck for bath
sheets. The towel gets too bunched up to dry in a timely fashion.

Side question- why on earth do they put towel bars in the tub enclosure?
Other than wet laundry or a wash cloth or three, what good are they? Not
like you can leave a dry towel hanging there if you are using the shower.

--
aem sends...

Use a toggle bolt in that hole. Its a lot stronger than plastic
anchors and it will take a lot more to break it off the sheetrock, and
when it does, you can repair it then. But for now, the toggle bolt is
a good and easy fix. I did it to my towel rack and its still solid.

Kyle | 2009-07-18 | 4:14:44 PM wrote:

In the bath, we put up one of those double-tier towel racks and, of
course, it's 30" long which means I can only anchor one end in a
stud...the other end had to go into drywall. Rather than use those
tiny plastic expansion anchors that come with the rack (beyond
useless), I used a molly anchor.

A few weeks ago I noticed what looked like the wall puckering outward
around the end of the towel rack with the anchors (not the screws into
the stud). Sure enough, the drywall in a 2" oval is puckered/bowed out
and the wall is soft/flexible there.

It looks like I may have hit an old repair, or the horizontal seam of
the drywall, as the top of the oval is actually straight, like a seam.

Obviously Plan Z would be to cut the bad section of wall out, patch,
repair, re-paint. But we JUST painted the bathroom, and I'm loathe to
have to do that section of wall again, given the long list of other
projects I have to tackle before our niece moves in next month.

So my question: any ideas on how to give a solid mounting surface to
this one end of the towel rack that's got bad drywall? Some trick to
insert a piece of 1x3 or such (for screwing the rack's bracket into)
inside the drywall without creating too large a hole to cover?

Cut the crossbars to 24" (or whatever) so that the mounting screws hit
studs on both ends.

--
Steve Bell
New Life Home Improvement
Arlington, TX USA

"Mike Paulsen" wrote in message
...
Kyle wrote:
In the bath, we put up one of those double-tier towel racks and, of
course, it's 30" long which means I can only anchor one end in a
stud...the other end had to go into drywall.
(snip)

So my question: any ideas on how to give a solid mounting surface to
this one end of the towel rack that's got bad drywall? Some trick to
insert a piece of 1x3 or such (for screwing the rack's bracket into)
inside the drywall without creating too large a hole to cover?

You could install a 36" 1x4 (oak or whatever matches the cabinets) and
then attach the towel rack to that.

It would cover the damaged drywall and would be plenty strong. (you'd be
able to hit three studs)

If you have time (and tools) you could make the edges look less 1x4ish
with a router or by attaching 3/4" quarter round or similar trim.

Ditto...easiest way to go...Will never be a problem again....

On Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:05:36 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:

Side question- why on earth do they put towel bars in the tub enclosure?
Other than wet laundry or a wash cloth or three, what good are they? Not
like you can leave a dry towel hanging there if you are using the shower.

I contemplate this exact same question every time I take a shower and
lay eyes on the long towel bar in our shower enclosure. WTF? We hang
our rubber foot mat up there, but that's about all it's good for.

In article ,
KLS wrote:

On Sat, 18 Jul 2009 21:05:36 -0400, aemeijers
wrote:

Side question- why on earth do they put towel bars in the tub enclosure?
Other than wet laundry or a wash cloth or three, what good are they? Not
like you can leave a dry towel hanging there if you are using the shower.

I contemplate this exact same question every time I take a shower and
lay eyes on the long towel bar in our shower enclosure. WTF? We hang
our rubber foot mat up there, but that's about all it's good for.

I don't have one of those, but here's my WAG. You hang the towel there
to dry. It keeps it out of the way. When you go to take a shower, you
throw it on the sink or toilet lid or floor until you're done showering.

On Jul 18, 9:05*pm, aemeijers wrote:
Side question- why on earth do they put towel bars in the tub enclosure?
Other than wet laundry or a wash cloth or three, what good are they? Not
like you can leave a dry towel hanging there if you are using the shower.

It gives her something to hold onto so she doesn't fall, if
youknowhati'msayin'...

Thanks all for the suggestions on possible solutions to the towel rack
dilemma.

To provide feedback on some of the ideas:

Towel rings - solution of last resort. Wife really likes the double-
tiered towel rack because I like the bath sheet (BIG towel) being 6'
5" and all that and there's not enough room on a simple rack or rings.

Toggle bolts - not a solution; the wall is already bowed/damaged in a
diameter larger than any toggle bolt, meaning the bolt's just going to
exacerbate the problem.

Mounting plate - actually am considering it, and have a router to
finish the edges off nicely; only downside is the double-rack will now
be an additional 3/4" inch further off the wall in a fairly compact
bathroom, and did I mention I'm a good sized man?

Recessed mounting plate - might be the most favorable solution, as
long as I can figure out how to finish the seam between the plate and
the drywall

Solution I'm also pondering (whilst drying off from my shower this
morning) is a variation on what /aem/ talks about with a horizontal
blocking...cutting a small bit of the damaged wall out - small enough
the rack mount would conceal - and seeing if I can slip a mini-plate
behind the wall, something maybe 1/2" thick, an inch wide and long
enough to distribute the weight of the rack and towels over a greater
area of the wall.

Will let y'all know what happens...

In article
,
Kyle wrote:

seeing if I can slip a mini-plate
behind the wall, something maybe 1/2" thick, an inch wide and long
enough to distribute the weight of the rack and towels over a greater
area of the wall.

I've done this, not for a towel rack, but the concept works. I put
construction adhesive on the part you're calling a mini-plate, and
provided a means to temporarily pull and hold it against the inside of
the drywall while the glue dried.