The Right Way To Fix Or Install a Towel Bar Holder | Common Mistakes!

In this video I show you how to repair or install a towel bar or toilet paper bar the correct way! So many times these are installed with materials that are sure to fail, it is just a matter of time. I will also show you some materials that you probably did not know existed that not only will make this repair a breeze but will also last a VERY long time!
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How To Home assumes no liability for damage or injury. How To Home highly recommends using proper safety procedures and professionals when needed. Our content is for entertainment purposes only. No information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not How To Home. How To Home will not be held liable for any negligent or accidental damage or injury resulting from equipment, tools, electrical, fire, electronics or any items contained in this video. Attempt projects and repairs at your own risk.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Have you ever run into this issue? What did you use to repair it?

[@boomergames8094]

Just throw the bathtowels on the floor and the hand towels on the sink. ;) For anchors, the ones I like are the EZ Anchors. They seem to have enough size to hold well for a while, and are removable if I want to change out the thing they anchor.

[@klee88029]

Are these snap toggle bolts what you would use for installation of handicap grab bars and cabinets also?

[@HowToHomeDIY]

@klee88029 absolutely if there isn’t a stud to attach them to first. The snap toggles are incredibly strong, especially the more that are used.

[@klee88029]

@@HowToHomeDIY You are wonderful to reply, thanks so much.I am a 71yo non-skilled woman helping another 71yo handicapped woman moving into an apartment currently being rehabbed and wanted to know to make sure that the construction of these things is done correctly to suggest to the workers to use to hopefully avoid future accidents. First time I have seen your channel and I also subscribed. Thank you again for the education. 👍🧓

[@klee88029]

@@HowToHomeDIY Yes, it's an old Adobe barn rehab, and I don't know how much framing was put up to hold the sheet rock. I will definitely suggest using those because the work isn't being done by "real" contractors either, just local yokels. We live in a very unusual area, 88029, with little decent housing and no licensed skilled laborers. Que sera, sera.

[@chasl3443]

Learning abot the Snap Toggle bolts was worth the price of admission. THANKS!

[@gt2847c]

Had to install grab bars in the bathroom after my wife's surgery... Used WingIts anchors to hold the bars in drywall. Specs say 300lbs in drywall and 450lbs in drywall with tile and meets ADA specs. Impressive amount of hold with those.

[@whitecaps775]

My preferred method is mounting the towel bracket to a finished piece of hardwood that reaches two studs and using small headed screws to attach to wall. Solid install.

[@kenbrown2808]

the preferred method of guys I work with is to install said piece of wood before the sheetrock is installed. I actually trimmed down a towel bar to mount to the framing.

[@TheReal1953]

Problem with that is the towel bar could not be centered on the finished hardwood between the studs, because of the wanted location, width of the wall etc.....making it look amateurish.

[@unikornkontroller]

In an ideal situation this is the most solid way. The problem is visualizing everything BEFORE drywall goes up and inevitably you forget or change your mind where something like a towel rack should be. In reality a towel rack doesn't need the strength of a solid piece of wood but it sure doesn't hurt.

[@kenbrown2808]

@unikornkontroller you misunderstood. He was saying if there is no backing, he installs a finished wood rail for the towel bar to mount on.

[@unikornkontroller]

@@kenbrown2808 Ahh, sorry. My mistake.

[@ericmann7945]

I manage 100 apartment facility and snap-toggles are one of our top replacement anchors in drywall. In a perfect world, all bathrooms would have fire rated blocking between studs but rarely the case in older buildings unfortunately. Thanks for your great videos

[@briansisko2608]

I've seen and used toggle bolts before but was unaware of the other two options. Thank you.

[@CherryCoke-qi1kz]

I use the snap ones 100% of the time. Totally reliable.

[@wmcomprev]

Agreed, a toggle bolt of some type holds best with towel bars. When folks pull the towel off of the bar, the bar gets pulled and a standard anchor will eventually give way. It needs to be held from the back side of the drywall, not the side of the hole.

[@donniehickman7928]

Never seen those snap toggles before, definitely gonna buy some. Nice video

[@thezfunk]

A good reminder for anyone remodeling a bathroom to put blocking in for towel and toilet paper racks.

[@peterbechard1900]

SNAP TOGGLES are great! When you use one you’ll will never go back to the other methods unless of course you are lucky enough to have a stud where you you you are mounting things.

[@unikornkontroller]

Snap toggles are by far the best toggle bolts I've ever used. They're not as cheap but they're bulletproof.

[@zetareticulan321]

I wanted to test that theory out. Now I have a bunch of bullet holes in the wall.

[@iglapsu88]

Those snap toggles are really cool! I'll have to look for some.

[@DiggerPayne1881]

I swear by WingIts. Definitely more expensive,but, well worth it. Support on both sides of the wallboard, and three points of contact on the backside instead of two. This prevents the grooving that I have found with Toggle bolts. Also , if you have to move something ; Mudding over the WingIt is much smoother than having to patch over a 1/2 inch hole. Well done covering a much overlooked issue. 👍

[@randypeters366]

Me too. They're awesome.

[@joeaugustine9629]

One thing about those green wall anchors, they will often bend when you try to hammer them into drywall. I usually wind up at least punching a guide hole, or even drilling a pilot hole for the tip, and I have sometimes had to use a chisel to score a slot in the drywall for the “wings“ of the anchor. I do like them a lot though and they have performed very well.

[@aldees01]

I love those snap toggle bolts as well. They can hold an impressive amount of weight and the mounting hole can be reused if you want to put something else there, unlike the standard toggle bolts which you lose into the wall when unscrewing the bolts.

[@TheReal1953]

How? You snapped off the extra, so how can you 'shuttle' the pieces to make the toggle turn sideways again?

[@johnmiller4773]

I think he means reused in the same spot. With the toggles you lose the inside piece when you remove the screw

[@aldees01]

@@johnmiller4773 That's what I meant. Thank you for clarifying

[@lilblackduc7312]

I had no idea how these mounted, or how to fix a broken one. This video has helped give me the confidence to install a 'handicap' hand rail. Thank you...🇺🇸 👍☕

[@JeffJennings82]

Toggle bolts are hands down best value for your money here

[@Aussiblue]

Not in Western Australia where our houses are mostly of double brick construction and the internal walls are brick and not simple hollow partitions.

[@ryoung6725]

Thanks. Gives me more options to think about the next time I have to replace a towel rack or even a toilet paper holder.

[@mstb9217]

Hugely helpful! Thank you!!!

[@susanpetropoulos1039]

The thickness of towels these days means they are heavier. Also, I’ve noticed that the rods sold in big box stores are more like long cabinet pulls leaving little space for the thicker towels. It adds much more stress on the drywall installation.

[@Ann-rj5tb]

super helpful!

[@theAwakenedOne007]

Thanks, man. I'm using snap toggles from now on!

[@latendresseaa]

What a brillant idea, hope is avalable here in Canada, So big Thanx you for your vidéo. and also you did so good work. 🇨🇦👍🏻

[@Laggyness]

That last anchor is my favorite. Do the job once and do it right. 👍

[@cemx86]

Two things about the use of expandable anchors. Sometimes they don't want to easily expand or start spinning tearing out the drywall. So I "pre-expand" them just a bit and collapse them back in place with pliers. Also, the higher quality anchors have two small holes meant to engage the included tool (like a very small pin spanner wrench) to not allow them to spin.

[@d1nonlysnshn]

I pretty much do that with any plastic anchor, especially the ones you screw into the wall (one brand is called 'wall driller). I got tired of having to start over bcs I stripped the hole or screwed the anchor into the wall.

[@coppermoon2469]

Great video! Another cool item is a monkey hook, it’s holding up a heavy mirror for me and it only makes a small hole and simple to install !

[@clarencewiles963]

That’s what I’m using. They were just perfect 😊

[@robertcastillo90]

I'm scared, is KZbin watching me? I just noticed my towel rack was lose this morning. Didn't say a word to my wife about it. And then here pops up a video about how to fix it. Thank, I guess!?!?

[@HowToHomeDIY]

👀😂

[@bruceberlin4206]

Your videos and instruction are thought through and presented very well. Thanks for all the info you provide.

[@stormo65]

I use Snap toggles at work all the time

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Love them!

[@FORTRAN4ever]

For a 24 inch towel rack, I use a 28 X 4 inch piece of wood trim (real wood, not particle board) which is supported by a 2 inch screw for strength, level it and anchor the ends of the towel rack to the drywall. The wood screw bears the wear and tear on the towel rack.

[@d1nonlysnshn]

I pretty much do that for anything heavy (mirrors, heavy paintings, floating shelves/entertainment centers, TV mounts). This also helps to spread the weight across multiple studs.

[@honstalys]

I've personally always been a fan of the steel Mollybolt. If I need to fully remove the bolt portion of a togglebolt, I'm out the togglebolt because it will typically fall off of the wall.

[@keiththompson2289]

I'm going to be doing this shortly. Thanks for the tips !!

[@robertdascoli949]

The only drywall anchors I've ever had a problem with were the super cheap ones that they give you when you buy a picture frame or something like that. The thick ones that you get in a 50 pack from home Depot have never failed me. Am I just lucky?

[@joracer1]

I mount a decorative piece of wood 8" x 4" on 4 corners or similar then towel rack to that... I use the big screw in kind. Screw ins are better they're about 3/4" in diameter you run 'em in with Phillips head bit in drill. It's 10 secs and done. They are called ez ancors...

[@chewy98ta28]

I like to put a piece of plywood on the other side of the drywall when I can but the toggle bolts and snap toggles definitely look like good products. Surprised I never used a toggle bolt before. My main towel bar under the window sill I just put a finished 3/8" x 6" x 28" piece of board there and screwed it into the studs over the drywall and the mounting pieces onto the board and it doesn't look too bad but is rock solid and I also use it as a hand grip after taking a dump. I might remove it and try the toggles when I paint the bathroom.

[@oldtimefarmboy617]

Or you could make a decorative board that is wide enough that it can be attached to the wall studs. That would give your holders solid wood to attach to and protect the wall behind it. If the decorative board gets to looking ratty you can easily remove it and refinish it or replace it.

[@mjremy2605]

Yes, very good idea. That would be solid.

[@StarChild.no1]

For towel racks, I use the screw-in type plastic anchors (50-75 lbs). The only time they should come loose is if you swing on the towel bar and the will break the drywall first.

[@larryclemens1850]

Snap toggles compared to regular toggles are the easiest to use when repainting the wall. The toggle remains in place ready to re-accept the mounting bolt.

[@kevinlucas8437]

Didn't know about snap toggles, used regular toggles for most projects, and didn't like a lot of other wall anchors. I use those j metal hooks for pictures, small hole, and really sturdy.

[@TheEclecticHandyman]

7:20 Make sure before drilling the hole for the toggle bolts, know if there is a stud behind as they obviously won't work in that situation. If you've already drilled the larger hole needed, push the toggle through and find out you hit a stud, depending on the scenario you might need to patch and redrill a smaller hole.

[@Pencheff87]

The fishers you avoid are great if you read the label. They are made for other materials, so yes, they suck for drywall but are great for brick/ytong/stone/thick wooden walls. Pretty much this entire video is about drywall mounts only.

[@Shaikhofilm]

I’ve done this before- and I would say the screw anchor bolts are the easiest . They have different weight ratings, and just screw in the anchor (no pilot hole necessary) , and then a regular drywall/wood screw on top. The other ones hold more , but are more cumbersome, and not in large quantity. For real heavy duty, I screw into a stud. That will never come off .

[@xcoder1122]

A proper bathroom has tiles and our towel rail was simply glued to the tiles with silicone adhesive. It has held firmly for 5 years. Our toilet roll holders are also attached in the same way. But anyone who thinks that you can never remove it again without damaging the tiles is mistaken. All you need is a sharp cutter knife, which you carefully slide between the tile and the holder, as this cuts through the silicone adhesive. You can then simply remove the remaining adhesive from the tile with silicone solvent and the tile will look like new again. And for those who are afraid, that maybe the tile could fall off: A proper fixed tile would rather rip off the wall than fall of wall.

[@zekenzy6486]

Great Video. Thank you for sharing. Have a nice weekend

[@DanakarEndeel]

We use those regular anchors a lot over here in the Netherlands (I've never even seen those yellow ones or toggle-bolts) but then again we don't have drywall in our homes but cement and bricks. As a result the blue (usually grey over here) plugs stay put for a very long time.

[@ralphb.3802]

I've had a lot of success using the plastic anchors you don't like. I've got stuff hanging for decades using them. Maybe you didn't install them correctly. There are a bunch of options for hanging stuff, but those plastic anchors are the ones I go to first. I always have some on hand.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Not saying they won’t work for anything at all but definitely not for towel bars or heavier items. The reason you’ve had stuff hanging for decades with them is because not too too long ago, they were one of very few options. I recommended the wall claws to replace them for pictures because they also hold more and install even easier and faster. They are the cheapest, but also the weakest.

[@devicelink]

The Plate Anchor at Devicelink is effective also.....without the annoying outer plastic flange. Additionally handy is that The Plate allows you to restore the plaster breakout zone.

[@idiocratease]

I find using RAWLPLUG R-KEM II STYRENE-FREE POLYESTER RESIN, squirted on then push in a bog standard rawl plug, let is set (its fast)… very solid

[@Mark-dr5xi]

Outstanding video, thank you!

[@RDM-346]

I have used the snap toggles for near 30 years. A great hack in commercial buildings with metal studs, is to drill through the metal stud and use the snap toggle for large TVs and heavier objects. No way its coming down. Also I use regular plastic anchors for tile in bathroom or kitchen, or even cinder block. Very strong. Not happy with tapcons.

[@robwebnoid5763]

The only issue with toggle bolts are that they are long. They are not ideal for when there is not enough space behind the drywall. An example might be a pocket door, & you need to mount a towel or TP holder on that pocketdoor wall, but you only have 1.5-inches clearance. I am currently in that situation & the home builder put in those small plastic anchors that was shown in the video at the 2-minute mark. For now I am going to try those self-drilling plastic or metal anchors (~1.5-minute mark in video). For better strength, I may have to mount the holder onto a piece of backing wood panel & then mount the wood on the wall. The thin backing wood will now have the self-drilling anchors at the corners of the wood panel so that they are even more spread out. I can also put an achor in the center of the wood as a 5th anchor. I have not tried those yellow triangular anchors yet, so will have to wait & see. 02/15/24

[@Hydrogen101]

1:55 FYI, never hold the threads of a screw while using a drill to unscrew. That thing will julienne your fingers faster than you can blink

[@spekky9012]

It realy only makes sense when framing 'The Bathrooms'. Frame the wall that receives the towel bar to a standard bar width in order to screw into the stud. The house I recently renovated, I made a custom 32 inch center stainless steel towel bar. Manufacturers of towel bars should have the option in a 32 inch center but they don't.

[@AZAce1064]

Thank you for the video.

[@RonSpilker]

What do you think about about mounting to where a mesh wall patch with spackle has been placed? Last house owner just put those crappy anchors straight into it. Obviously not great. I can probably screw some wood on the back of the wall, but I'd have to make the hole bigger to do it.

[@The_Red_Squirrel]

It very much depends on the substrate. If it's blockwork and plaster I would always use a wall plug. If it's plasterboard, I will fix to a stud if at all possible. If that's not possible I will use an anchor appropriate to the intended usage.

[@randmcnally6442]

Wow! Those hammer in ones must be made of gold, $14 for 1

[@HowToHomeDIY]

Yes for a “pack” of one. There are 25 in a pack. So no, not made of gold. 🤷‍♂️

[@randmcnally6442]

@@HowToHomeDIY ok, Amazon wasn’t very clear on that, it just said pack of 1. 25 would be good.

[@richardkawucha1232]

When I rehabbed my brother's house, after he passed, I faced this issue. My solution was to repair the wall from the previous installation. Then when I sold the home I told the buyer that rather then install something they didn't like, I would let them install what they wanted.

[@KiR_3d]

We have solid walls in our bathroom. So your solution is for those "euro" or "american" (IDK how you call it initially) walls. Our walls are made from concrete plus some layer of softer material (which can be shitty though). And we (personally) have ceramic tiles which have some holes in them. I'm gonna fix my shower head holder soon... I think that I'll need a building cement mortar and simple screws... Or maybe I'll insert the plastic screw holders and will put screws after installing the metal holder for the shower head. This will need to be fixed with something like duck tape pieces so it will not fail by it's weight when the mortar is wet.

[@onemischiefmaker7032]

What about the good ol tried and true molly bolt. One negative with the toggle bolt it is a one time use when you pulled to bolt out you lose the toggle.

[@5Iron]

I find toggle bolts have a problem; since the hole drilled to accept the wings is larger than the diameter of the bolt, there is room for the bolt to wiggle around (under load) no matter how hard you tighten it down. Overtightening doesn't work because the edges of the wings gouge the plaster and result in more loosening. On another note the cheapo plastic anchors are OK for non-stress installations; They usually are supplied with smoke detectors and are adequate for that.

[@TheYTSucks]

I have been using the snap toggles for years. I use them for everything and always have boxes of them on hand. I even used them to hang my 75" TV on an articulated arm. I used the larger snap toggles because they hold more weight and I also used more of them.

[@markbastings4451]

My house is almost 40 yrs old and the towel bars are all set into the drywall itself not using toggle bolts at all. What would your recommendation be on replacing these if or when there is a problem with them?

[@-Star-Soul]

Cut the wall open and install some proper wood backing. Plan ahead when doing new construction. Plan ahead when remodeling. Anything else is just a shortcut.

[@adogonasidecar1262]

While the way it's installed is critical, the main reason these start moving is that many people push the towels forcibly from the top, forcing it through the opening between the bar and the wall. The right way to put your towel on it is to pull it from below, flat, and then fold it over the bar. This is the same debate as the TP roll "right way" debate.

[@JorgePetraglia2009]

In the event one has a solid wall to work with (concrete or brick), the best way is to drill a whole big enough to allow a piece of wood ,something like a wood stick or a golf tee made out of wood preferably. For outside purposes is better to use a piece of lead or a bunch of copper wires. It is as this dude has said : the plastic anchors are not reliable, specially if what one hangs on the wall has to endure constant pulling like on a towel rack, let alone shower holding bars. Greetings from Toronto.

[@crabbydad8931]

helpful advice but I've had every one of these fail. the toggle is great but needs too big of a whole usually which then challenges the hardware mount. the green things work pretty good for lighter holds. the snap bolts hold well but they can snap right off too. they would be the best if engineered better

[@fikileroma1478]

Unfortunately ours doesn't have screws on the top part where a rail enters in the hole.The part with screws is the one with sticks into the wall.And inside there is nothing holding the top part without screws.

[@roberttorres345]

Does this work for a Shower Handle bar on Tile?

[@polovazquez625]

Those are good ancors but what if my bathroom wall is hard tile?

[@timothysingenstreu8595]

Doe the snap bolts work with plaster?

[@cemx86]

It goes without saying that the very best choice is screws into studs if at all possible. Do people know that the towel rod itself can be trimmed to whatever length you want??? Hmmm.

[@PacesIII]

Just bolt through the stud with a 6 x 1/2" grade 8. Nut and washers, of course. The wall will fall down before that bolt comes loose. 🤣

[@tvelektron]

What would You use on Brick walls, especially the modern ones with lots of cavities for insulation?

[@fredflintstone2234]

What about plaster lathe walls?

[@TheReal1953]

Toggle bolts are great except for the size of the hole you make to push them through. Best is to make sure you have a backer wood behind the 'rock so you don't need to use these fastners. Looks like with that snap toggle, it wouldn't be impossible to accidentally push it into the wall too far so it drops away as you fish in the bolt. I suggest not cheapening out on towel bars et al.....buy like Kohler so you can get away from plastic parts.

[@Joodster]

Those hammer-in anchors look like a wedge/invitation for a crack. That said, I have plaster walls (not drywall) and I don't know what to use.

[@brandonmiller7122]

This might seem like a stupid question, but if you want to remove the snap or toggle anchors.........

[@geesharp6637]

So here's a question. At some point you will want to remove the anchor, is there an easy way without just just creating a big hole in the wall?

[@centurionhomeinspectionsin2253]

Those yellow ones have an arrow that MUST be pointed up.

[@andrewyoussef2267]

Amazon Link please. Thanks!

[@jeangreen432]

the plastic anchor can't be reused like the metal anchor, but it seemed like the metal anchor was too long for the job.

[@Confluence323]

my teen age kids will go thru any of these....

[@jimzimmerman5288]

I have those on my Moen bathroom towel bars and toilet paper holder. They don't pop off that easily as you show. They are crap.

[@befree2771]

What if it’s a plaster wall and not drywall?

[@BlueLineAZ]

That’s face though 😂

[@jeffgaskell3705]

How hard did he beat on the original screw anchor to do that much damage to the surrounding drywall. I have never had one of the screw anchors let me down.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

I didn’t, my son pulled down on it.

[@gunkulator1]

I also find that the screw type anchors rarely ever come out. If they do, just get the next bigger size. Very easy repair.

[@jeffdege4786]

The towel racks in my bathroom don't look to have been mounted using anything like this. But the house was built 75 years ago, and the walls are plaster, not drywall.

[@robertmcmanus4646]

Those wing style toggles are horrible. They require a huge hole and are one-time use. If you ever remove the screw to change the fixture you will not be able to re-thread the screw because there is nothing holding the toggle in place. Contractors must love them for ease of use because they are all over my house, but pity the homeowner who has do deal with them in the future.

[@NebucadLaVey]

The point is, you have only dry walls. With a decent wall made out of stone you won't realy care what kind of dowel you use, well mostly ... take a dowel from the company fischer with theese you don't make any mistaks.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

We don't just have drywall. My goodness lol

[@Liteg0]

Not sure how well those would work here where we have insulation in all our walls.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

I use them all the time in walls with thick insulation. It can be a little trickier to get them set but can be done and really not very difficult.

[@robertgaines-tulsa]

Looks like the snap toggles solve that pesky one time use problem that traditional toggles have. With traditional toggles, if you need to remove the screw, the toggle falls inside the wall to stay for what could be decades.

[@MrandMrsBurns]

How about how do you hang anything on a wall that has metal studs? The house is more than 30 years old and you can’t hang anything on the walls.

[@kenbrown2808]

the greatest annoyance from towel bar manufacturers is they make their standard sizes so they DON'T line up to standard framing.

[@LumberjackPa]

I am curious if you were really able to do pull-ups with that towel bar?😂

[@beefuzzy310]

I had Two snap toggles break off when I tightened them to the wall. Another had bad threads and then another one loosened the ratchet piece as I started to thread the bolt. Not super thrilled with the quality. Yes I bought the right name brand. I don’t think there is a good wall anchor, just a bunch of 2 star choices.

[@HowToHomeDIY]

I have used them more times than I can count and not once had one of those issues. They have been nothing short of amazing for me. I also know quite a few installers that use them and swear by them. Maybe just a bad box of them?

[@denveyebanks4787]

But the drywall is not rated for that kind of weight. Drywall is crap