To find the location of wall studs behind a tile wall in a bathroom:
- Use a standard stud finder above the tile, and plumb down from it.
- Use a special deep sensor stud finder that can go through the tile.
Watch the video above to find out more.
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT
Antwon asks: I’m putting a grab bar in my parent’s ceramic tile shower. Is there an easy way to locate the studs without tearing out the tile?
Danny Lipford: It is fairly easy to find the wall stud in a wall, even behind ceramic tile like this, especially if the tile doesn’t go quite to the ceiling. You can use a stud finder like this, locate exactly where the stud is, level down, and you’ll know exactly where to attach your grab bar into that stud.
Now, if your ceramic tile goes all the way to the ceiling. Well, you can buy an enhanced stud finder, called a deep sensor type, that’ll go through the density of the ceramic and locate those wall studs. Now, make sure you use a long enough screw, so that you’re going through the tile and at least an inch and a half into the wall stud.
Now, a lot of times you’ll find a stud on one end of the grab bar and not be able to find it on the other end. That’s where you need a hollow wall anchor, like this, to secure the other end of the grab bar. That way the grab bar will be there for you when you need it.
Further Information
- Aging in Place (article)
- How to Drill into Tile (video)
- How to Make a Bathroom Wheelchair Accessible (video)
- Innovative Home Solutions for Aging in Place (video)
