Hi guys, just spent a huge amount of money having a bedroom and bath added on only to find after all is said and gone- no towel bar. There isn't a lot of space to put one except in the shower itself. Walls are tiled over drywall, large tiles at least 12" square.

I'm a bit nervous about drilling through these brand new tiles, wondering if epoxy is a reasonable way to attach a towel bar?

Thanks for any advice!

 

Id drill them in there. When it have to drill in tile. I mark it. Then take a awl . Tap light around the mark to get the glaze of. Then take a hand drill not power and go right through it

 

Drill it... and use a proper tile bit to do the cutting to avoid cracking the tile.

 

Billy Mays here!! Use Mighty Putty!!!

Sorry couldn't resist referring to this TV huckster who actually shows a towel bar being installed on tile with this stuff.

I'm curious how you plan to towel off with a wet towel from the shower? Not the best location for a towel bar unless you plan to block the water with your body each time you shower. Not my idea of relaxing shower when you have to be concerned about keeping the towel dry.

If you decide to go with the bar in the shower, you need to make sure any penetrations in the tile are sealed to avoid water going into the holes you just drilled. The caps over the supports for the towel bar aren't sufficient for this purpose.

You also better make sure the tile and grout are sealed because drywall under tile in a shower is going to act like a sponge if water gets to it. You'll realize it one day when you get in the shower and notice a musty smell--that's mold on the drywall--or it could be your wet towel!!!

 

Thanks for the tips guys! Sgt Gerry, the towel bar would be at the far end of the tub and up about shoulder height, that section of wall doesn't get wet (at least not directly).

The other option is some sort of freestanding rack, still looking at that too.

 

Man, where've you been?! Missed you. I hope I misread your OP indicating the tile was installed over drywall (and not cbu). I would agree with Ed, in drilling, carefully, but you may want to use wing fasteners so it will grab behind not only the tile but the backer as well. You could go with a deep scan stud finder and may could find at least one stud.

 

Hey Larry! Good to see you too! Ya know I finished that big porch project and just haven't been doing much DIY lately. Been busy with my real job, new baby last Dec, etc. Time flies away..

Yea, its not regular drywall, its greenish colored stuff. I really don't know the proper name so I just said drywall it was inspected by the city so I believe it was done correctly.

I'm really trying to come up with a better answer than drilling this tile, might shift some other stuff around to make room for it on the wall outside or go with the wife's choice of a rack type thing. Whole thing is my fault for not noticing they didn't install one.

 

Aahh, the old "go with the wife's choice" thing. Better do it. Good luck with the choice, but installing one just outside the shower would be good, too.

 

Good advice as always Larry!

 

I'm hoping that's not true. You're kidding! Right?

 

You said "greenish colored stuff". I hope you didn't mean moisture resistant wall board! It is no longer permitted to be used as a tile backer in wet areas. And you had it inspected !! Wow! As for drilling in tile, is it Ceramic or Porcelain tile? If ceramic, them a tile drill bit will work fine, if it is porcelain, then look for a diamond tipped drill bit. That stuff is rock hard.
Good luck

 

I decided to go the shift stuff around on the wall outside the shower route. Got it finished today. Everything is good now.

As for the drywall or whatever it is, I cannot put a name to it. Its definitely not regular drywall, but I can't say for sure what it is. I really didn't look at this part very closely, just noted that it was different from the other drywall, looked greenish to me but wouldn't swear to that. I'm sure it is something approved though because it was inspected and passed first shot. The inspectors are pretty tough here, several things were not initially passed so I'm confident it is the proper stuff.

Thanks for the tips guys, I really appreciate it!

Tom