Bomb-Proof...
Bathroom-Towel-Rack Installation!

Imagine... A bomb-proof bathroom-towel-rack installation. You know you've got one! You know... one of those flimsy towel racks in your bathroom that you know is going to fall off the wall any moment. I can't tell you how many times I've come across this. New towel racks come with these silly plastic "expansion" anchors that are great for hanging small pictures or other nick-knacks but they just aren't enough for a wet towel. I'm going to show you a bathroom-towel-rack installation that will stand the test of time. Check it out...

One more thing before we start the bathroom-towel-rack installation... Believe it or not... the towel rack I was putting up didn't have instructions in the box. Not off to a good start! I had to go to the companies website and download the installation instructions to get the dimensions for where to drill the mounting holes.

Step 1: Measuring for the holes Once you know the distance between mounting brackets... You can measure and mark the holes for drilling. I like to use a yard stick to so I can measure the distance AND level the marks all at once. This towel rack was 25 1/2 inches from center of bracket to bracket. Place a small mark on the wall, then use the mounting bracket itself to mark both holes.

Handyman-Tip... don't use the plastic wall anchors that come with the towel rack, use toggle bolts! They will hold the rack in place until you're ready to switch it out for a new style.

Toggle bolts make a bigger hole for the "toggle" to fit through, so make sure that the hole will be covered up by the towel rack. You may have to mark the towel rack location in relation to it's mounting bracket to make sure the hole doesn't show. The one I've installed here covered up the holes nicely.

Step 2: Drilling the holes One caveat to using toggle bolts is that if you're drilling into a wall stud... You will not be able to use them! Before you drill for a toggle bolt... check for studs using a stud finder.

If you don't have a stud finder... drill a very small hole where you want to drill for the toggle (about 1 1/2 inches deep). Take a paper clip and straighten it out. Stick the paper clip into the wall. If it goes deeper than the hole you drilled you are NOT in a stud and are cleared "hot" to drill the bigger hole. If you CAN'T stick the paper clip in further... than more than likely you're in a wall stud.

If the location I've chosen for the mounting holes is over a wall stud... that's a good problem. All you have to do is use a 2 inch drywall screw or wood screw to mount the bracket. Simply drill a small hole (smaller than your screw) and mount the bracket.

Now... getting back to bathroom-towel-rack installation using toggle bolts. Drill a small hole (say 5/64 inch) where you marked the bracket holes. Then using the correct drill size for your anchor bolt (The one shown is a 1/8th inch toggle)... Drill out your holes. The small hole helps to keep the larger drill bit centered on the mark.

Handyman Tip: Toggle bolts consist of two parts... the toggle, which is a winged, spring-loaded metal piece and the machine screw. The wing can be removed so you can thread the machine screw through... say a mounting bracket. They are sized in two ways... the diameter of the screw and the it's length. Be sure to get one that's long enough to fit through the wall and Spring open. Since the toggles are collapsed they may not go completely through the wall and spring open if the screw isn't long enough. I used a 1/8th 2 inch toggle here.

STEP 3: Mounting the brackets. The only problem with toggle bolts in that they are NOT precise when it comes to there position. Begin by threading the toggle bolts into the mounting brackets. You MUST put the toggle bolts into the bracket first... then slide the toggle bolts into the wall. The toggles must be collapsed and fit into there holes. This takes a little practice to get them both into their holes at the same time but... You can do it! Once you've got them through... tighten them by pulling on the machine screw and turning it clockwise (rightee... tightee remember?) Tighten both bolts so that the bracket is snug but you can still move it.

STEP 4: Leveling the mounting brackets... Using the yardstick method again, check the level of both brackets. Make adjustments and tighten the brackets so they are... well.. bomb-proof.

STEP 5: Mounting the bathroom-towel-rack... This model was easy. Take one towel rack end and slide it onto the brackets. Then you have to be a bit of a juggler since the model had 2 bars. You have to hold both bars in place while you slide the second towel rack end over it's bracket. Once you've got that done... well... you're done. Bathroom-towel-rack installation complete!

Bathroom-Towel-Rack complete? Learn about caulking here.