Beyond serving as a means of towel storage between washing and bathing activities, towel bars are a decorating accessory--displaying favorite towels and wash cloths.

Yet, a towel bar will do anything but enhance the appearance of the bathroom should it become loose and sag or, worse, come detached from the wall, leaving gaping holes.

A towel bar is designed to hold towels--not people. Little children sometimes hang from them as they would from playground equipment, and the elderly and infirm use them as grab bars for support. No matter how well anchored a towel bar is, it can be bent or broken under this kind of weight. If you have little ones around, remind them that towel bars are not for hanging, and if you need something for support, install grab bars. Today's tips also apply to grab-bar installation.

Towel bars are available in many sizes, shapes, styles, finishes, levels of quality and price. You can pick up an inexpensive model for just a few bucks or spend several hundred dollars on a plated solid-brass model. Since selection is a function of personal taste and budget, we will leave the choice to you. However, as with anything you buy for installation in your home, we suggest that you get the best quality your budget will allow. That way, the finish will last longer. The combination of handsome towel bars and attractive towels will spruce up any bathroom.

The first step to installing a towel bar is choosing the location. It should be placed where there is ample space and within arm's reach of the tub, shower or vanity, when possible. Once you have chosen the location, use a leveling device (bubble or laser) to make sure that the bar will be level.
Whereas better-quality towel bars have superior installation hardware, the mounting technique is essentially the same for most styles. Always anchor the towel bar into solid wood. That's easier said than done, since, it seems, the studs (wall-framing members) are never in the right location. They always are a couple of inches one way or the other from the location where the towel bar brackets attach to the wall. If the towel bar will not align with two studs (they usually won't because towel bars are typically 24 inches to 30 inches long and studs are usually 16 inches apart), try to anchor one end or the other into solid framing. Where attachment to a stud is possible, use screws of ample length (at least an inch and three-quarters) to fasten the bracket to the wall. Since old framing is dry and brittle and can crack and split, use an electric drill with a small bit to drill pilot holes for the screws.

There are a couple of alternatives that can be used where no solid framing is available. The quickest and easiest is a hollow wall anchor. There are many sizes and styles from which to choose. The anchors that are packaged with less expensive towel bars usually consist of a small plastic sleeve that expands when a screw is inserted into the body of the anchor. You might just as well use chewing gum to hang your towel bars. This style of anchor is temporary at best and will fail the moment any stress is placed on the towel bar--as with a heavy damp towel.

Of the anchor choices available, there are three that usually do the trick--a molly expansion anchor, a spring-loaded toggle bolt and an expanding plastic anchor. A hole large enough for the body of the anchor to fit through must be drilled into the wallboard or plaster. Be careful not to be hasty when drilling the holes. They must correspond with the holes in the brackets in order for the towel bar to be level. All the anchors mentioned are "activated" when the corresponding screw is tightened. Use caution not to over-tighten the screws, as doing so can damage both the anchor and the wallboard or plaster.

If you will be building or remodeling, and the framing will be exposed, there is a trick that will ensure that your towel bars will hit solid framing. This technique is especially important for grab bars where extra support is needed. Just install solid 2 by 6 blocks between the wall studs with the 6-inch dimension flush with the face of the studs. The blocks should be installed along all locations where towel bars might be installed. Install the blocks at 48 inches on center above the floor. The towel bars can be installed slightly higher or lower than the 48-inch mean, depending upon the height of the people using the bathroom.