The safety bar in the bathtub/shower has pulled out of the fiberglass

Question

Is there a glue/plug/simple way to make it safe and secure again?

Justin · Answer

The best way is to open the wall from the adjoining room that shares the bath wall. Once it has been opened up you will have to install some 2x6 blocking such that I'd thouches the fibreglass panel of your bathtub. Then you can reattached the grab bar from the bathroom side into the blocking. After that, you will have to patch and paint the  whole in the drywall...

Jr1012 · Answer

unfortunately that bar is NOT A SAFETY BAR. If you don't believe this check the manufacturers web site. Justin is right that to repair the tub you must access the back. The bar can be fitted into the holes and a fiberglass repair kit (available at any automotive shop) can be used to secure it. If you need a safety bar  buy one , find the best spot in the tub for it and secure using either 2X6 or 3/4 plywood backing. If the fiberglass touches the wall studs secure blocks to the studs, if not secure to fiberglass using the repair kit to bond the wood to the fiberglass. You could also get a clamp on bar for the front lip of the tub and stick the acrylic bar back in using silicone to adhere it and waterproof the holes. Not as good a solution but if access to the back is not available  tan the only one

Paul F Smith · Answer

I believe that both Justin and Jroy are very handy and skilled people.  However, their solutions require a repair from a professional if you don't have the skills.  If you don't have the personal skills, I suggest you replace the tub with proper safety bars.  Otherwise, you are repairing a compromised safety device with little reassurance. Plus, the cost of a professional repair is likely to be higher than the cost of a new tub.

Sue Salego Richards · Answer

My shower bar pulled out of the opening too. I pushed the bar back in the openings and I sealed it up with white caulking. You still have to be careful with it but it keeps the water from getting into the openings and leaking in the wall.

Brenda · Answer

I would call a bath place and ask them.

Johnchip · Answer

If you truly need this for security, you do not want to DIY.  I am now  handicapped and have fallen in tub a few times and once laid for over two hours before I could get up, very scary event.

Deanna Nassar · Answer

There is a company called bath fitters http://www.bathfitter.com Check these people. They can do a complete tub cover and wall cover at same time. They can also install grab bars while they are there. OR As Jroy1012 said replace the one you broke using silicone to waterproof the holes. Then get a grab bar with suction. After reading over several types, the best looks like https://www.easycomforts.com/buy-suction-cup-... I'm certain medical warehouses, that sell locally to handicap, would have just what you need.

William · Answer

As a former Maintenance Tech at a nursing home, I installed many grab bars. Jroy is correct. THAT IS NOT A GRAB BAR! You snap it back in the openings and seal it with caulk. If you need a grab bar and are capable , you can install it yourself or hire someone to install one. You can get referrals where you buy them. http://www.familyhandyman.com/bathroom/how-to... ***** http://www.lowes.com/projects/bed-and-bath/gr... ***** http://homeguides.sfgate.com/attach-grab-bar-...

Comet · Answer

IF  you are counting  on these to  HELP  you if  you  grab  them  while slipping---they  will NOT.  They are not made  TO  do that.  They are  just for a handhold  and a little  security  when getting  your footing getting  in and out.  For a REAL  GRAB  BAR  you  will  need to go  thru  the  vinyl  surround of the tub and into the STUDS;  you can  buy  these  bars at  LOWES  or  other stores  in different sizes and finishes  and then  caulk  around  the screw  ends under the decorative  cover ends.  I  am an amputee  and have one in the tub  wall (above the tub level of course!)  and one  just  outside  the tub mounted vertically on a short  piece of  wall---this is  actually  super  handy  for  all.    Next to the toilet  I  have  another  grab  bar .  At  an elderly  relatives  house  we  did not have the  room  to  put a regular  -grab  bar  next to  her shower  so  we  used a large 'barn  door'  type  handle (hard ware store  for about  $3)  screwed  into the STUD.  I  also  have these  placed on  my  outside  stair  case  newel  post  and  by  my  front  door--gives me  a better  chance to balance  and  also  to  grab  the door handle  and  push or pull.  If  you  look around there are a lot of creative  ways to make  our homes  safer---including  making  those  too-high or  too awkward  steps or thresh holds  easier to use;  I  took  2'x12'  boards  and  cut  them to span  my  bottom  porch   step to  make it the same  height as  the other steps;  and  ditto  for the  entrance  into my  house  which  was  higher  than  I  was comfortable with---it's high  because we get so  much  snow here--but  just  placing a board  on  the porch  outside  makes it SO  much  easier!  I  now have  several  boards  of the same  size cut  18'  long  that  live in  my  van--I  have used  them for hotel  entries;  friends  house  steps---with 4 of  these  I  can  stack  to  almost  any  height  so  I  can  walk  up.

Things  you  would never  think of if  you did  NOT have a handicap!!!

IFortuna · Answer

Please do not use suction cup grab bars.  Ours came loose and it could have been a disaster.  ========== I would not try to repair your tub surround  with the hope of using it again as a grab bar.  Any repair of this will more than likely *not* hold. =========  Get a new surround and have metal grab bars installed into the beams.  (The broken one has probably leaked water for more problems.)   This is very important as the beam will hold weight well.  These must be checked periodically for looseness and loose screws.==========Hubby installed two new metal grab bars into the beams.  He does a lot of this kind of work so I recommend a professional installation.  It is worth it rather than paying medical bills or worse due to a fall. :  )

Kathy Bitzan · Answer

I found  nice bars at a garage sale for three dollars each.  Had them  installed in a stud.  One is outside my entry door where I have stairs.  The others are in bathroom.  My son did the installation.  It will save my towel bar from coming off the wall.  Good luck.

Michelle · Answer

Get a can of spray insulation and spray inside holes. Don't overfill it will expand a lot! Then slide the bar back in. Center it and calk around holes with silicone shower calking. Let sit at least overnight.

Jeff · Answer

If you're confident drilling holes in fiberglass (could splinter/break) go to your local big box store and pick up a package of 'togglers' (Item # 105343). You basically drill a 1/2' hole, push the toggler through, cinch the plastic ring tight to your surround, and install the screw through your bar.  However, please be aware that this bar is NOT a grab bar. If you want a grab bar please have one professionally installed.

Helen · Answer

I would say that probably it was not installed properly.

Saf11448781 · Answer

There is  no way that a grab bar can be made safe by just drilling holes and re-installing into fiberglass.  You must find the studs behind the fiberglass and fasten the grab bars into them at both ends (a stud finder can help with this).  If the grab bar is not the right length to fasten into two studs, you can angle it slightly to make the ends of it match the center of the studs, or just buy new grab bars.  In this case, it's not worth it to 'cheap it' and risk someone sustaining a severe injury in case the grab bar pulls out again.

Kaioverbeck · Answer

I had my fancy shower holder pull out of the fiberglass; I see no way to install another in the same manner. I had to cover the hole with a patch of duck tape, so water would not get in the hole. Tacky, but what is the choice?

Lorn · Answer

You must say  something  screw into a stud in the wall....loren i

Anna · Answer

First you have to realize that that item is not really a grab bar.  It is for hanging a washcloth.  I real grab bar must be anchored into wall studs.

Laura B Kimball/Pullar · Answer

One thing that worked for us was taking a 2x4 as long as the bar. we used Molly bolts to secure it to the wall, finding a stud is very helpful but not necessary.  We than attached the bar to the 2x4 with very long drywall screws. We haven't had any problems as of yet.

Chelsea @ Making Manzanita · Answer

We had a hole in our shower and we covered it up with a fiber glass patch and fiber glass resin (Bondo brand). We couldn't find resin that matched exactly the color of our shower so you can see where it was, but at least it's covered so water doesn't get in the hole.

Sheila D · Answer

Might have to to have fiberglass holes professionally repaired and find new stud location and reattach.  Make sure no water gets behind the wall or you will have a real problem.

Tammy Gonzalez-Robinson · Answer

gorilla glue

Sbr31463954 · Answer

I have a similar problem. The bar became loose and the plastic pieces holding it in place started breaking. Where can I find replacement parts for these 2 plastic pieces? Or can I buy plastic covers / silicone plugs and disregard the bar?

Frank Provasek · Answer

Fix without removing the unit

The safety bar in the bathtub/shower has pulled out of the fiberglass

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