Carbide or diamond tip drill bit 1/4-inch tubular plastic anchors A towel holder is a necessary feature in a bathroom. The most convenient towel holders hang on the wall, but installing these on tile walls presents some unique challenges. Before you proceed with the install, carefully chose a convenient location for the towels to hang. Locate them in a place that is easy to reach from the sink, the tub, and the shower. There are two different types of towel racks that can be installed on a tile wall. These include racks that are glued to the tile and racks that are installed by drilling into the tile. You can install the glue-on towel racks in the shower or near the sink, shower, or tub, so determine where you want the towel rack and mark the wall with a small piece of painter’s tape or a grease pencil. Once you have determined the general location of the towel rack, measure it and the size of the wall from the edges to be sure the rack will be centered.

Mark the location of each of the supports. Then, use the level to make sure the supports will be even and level. Clean the area with denatured alcohol before using 100% silicone caulk on the back of the support. Put it into place, using firm pressure to put it securely in the proper spot. Use painter’s tape or masking tape to hold it in place while the caulk cures. After an hour, use the caulk gun to apply a bead of caulk around the seam between the wall and the fixture. Smooth with a wet finger to get a neat look, wiping away any excess with a damp rag, and allow it to set overnight. After at least 12 hours, clean the spot for the second support, and apply caulk to the back. Insert the towel bar into the hole on the first support and then into the second. Using firm pressure, push the second support into place according to the markings you have made. Use a level to make sure it is correct before giving the caulk any time to dry in case it has to be adjusted. Tape the support into place and allow to sit for one hour.

Caulk and smooth around the perimeter as you did for the first, and then allow it to cure overnight before removing the tape. Homemade Cleaner For Hot Tub FiltersAllow the caulk to cure for 12 more hours before allowing any water to touch it.Lose Weight Flexing Muscles Use a stud finder to locate studs on the wall, and determine if you will be able to attach the towel rack on the studs based on its length. Hot Tub Led Lights KitsIf so, you can use screws to mount the towel rack. If not, you will need to use hollow wall anchors instead. Holding the rack up to the wall, mark the location where you will mount it. Still holding the rod up to the wall, use a level to determine that the support placement is level. It helps to have a second person for this step.

Once the rack is level, use a grease pencil or some masking tape to mark the top and bottom of the supports. Measure the supports to find out where you need to drill a hole, and then mark the location on the tile. Use masking tape to create a 2x2-inch piece pad on the spot where you need to drill. You should be able to see through the tape to transfer the mark from the tile to the top of the tape. The masking tape prevents the drill bit from skipping and damaging the surrounding tile as you bore through. Using a carbide drill bit for ceramic tile or a diamond-tip bit for porcelain tile, drill slowly through the tile and into the wall at the marked location. If you are installing wall anchors, determine the size of drill bit you need by reading the package. If you are drilling straight into a wall stud, then drill a small pilot hole, smaller than the screw. Insert your tubular wall anchors into the wall at this time. You may need to use a hammer to gently tap them in until they are flush with the tile.

If they don’t go in with gentle tapping, you may need to ream the hole just slightly. Complete the install of the towel holder by first installing one support, then inserting the towel bar and installing the other support just as you did in the first method. Check the level of the towel bar as you go. Towel holders make an attractive and convenient addition to the bathroom and are easy to install, even on ceramic or porcelain tile.Removing a broken or outdated surface-mounted towel bar or soap dish is easy. “inset” fixture (mounted directly to the tile backer board) is a much bigger job that we won’t coverTo see whether yours is surface mounted or inset, check the fixture edges. If you see grout, it’s most likely an inset mount. may have applied caulk around the grout, jam a putty knife into a bottom corner of the fixture and tap it with a small hammer. If you hit grout or the edge of the fixture’s “inset,” stop and recaulk.

putty knife doesn’t hit anything hard, move on to Tape off the tile around the fixture to protect itThen fit your oscillating tool with a flexible scraper blade and slide it under the fixtureOnce the fixture is off, remove heavy caulk buildup with a single-edge razor blade. apply caulk remover (one choice is Motsenbocker’s Lift Off Silicone, Latex Caulk & Foam SealantLet the remover work for three minutes, then scrape the residue with aApply more remover and scrapeWipe the tile with a clean rag wetted with the remover, remove the tape and call it done. Replace a cracked, sagging or ugly towel bar Ceramic towel-bar anchor posts rarely fail. But the plastic bar can snap, sag, develop cracks, fade or discolor as it ages and is exposed to cleaning chemicals. The original bar is one piece, and since the ends are locked into place, you can’t just slip in a new one. But you can buy spring-loaded replacements that can be cut to length and snapped into place like the bar in a toilet-paper holder.