How to install a shower rod?
November 11, 2010 7:53 PM Subscribe
Help me figure out how to install a shower rod.
Because of the layout of the bathroom, the shower rod has to be l-shaped to encircle one long end and the back of the bathtub.
Extenuating circumstance 1: Because the bathroom door slides into the wall on one side of the tub, I cannot drive screws into that wall, meaning I can't install a typical wrap-around shower rod.
Extenuating circumstance 2: Because I can't seem to find any studs in the ceiling -- the bathroom is all drywall -- I can't use the rod systems sold by Ikea and Lee Valley, etc.
Extenuating circumstance 3: I'm almost completely incompetent when it comes to DIY/home reno.
Any advice/instructions would be really appreciated. I'm wondering if I could install some butterfly screws into the ceiling and use them to run plastic piping as the shower rod. (Function, not aesthetics, is key here.)
Thanks!
Because of the layout of the bathroom, the shower rod has to be l-shaped to encircle one long end and the back of the bathtub.
Extenuating circumstance 1: Because the bathroom door slides into the wall on one side of the tub, I cannot drive screws into that wall, meaning I can't install a typical wrap-around shower rod.
Extenuating circumstance 2: Because I can't seem to find any studs in the ceiling -- the bathroom is all drywall -- I can't use the rod systems sold by Ikea and Lee Valley, etc.
Extenuating circumstance 3: I'm almost completely incompetent when it comes to DIY/home reno.
Any advice/instructions would be really appreciated. I'm wondering if I could install some butterfly screws into the ceiling and use them to run plastic piping as the shower rod. (Function, not aesthetics, is key here.)
Thanks!
Kohler makes really nice shower rods that come with big butterfly clips that work well for drywall installation. Installed one a couple weeks back in about twenty minutes, and I'm not exactly Butch McToughguy.
You don't need much in the way of DIY skills for this: the kit comes with simple instructions, a template for drilling holes, and all the pieces you need. You just need a pencil, a level, a drill and drill bits, and a a screwdriver.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:27 PM on November 11, 2010
You don't need much in the way of DIY skills for this: the kit comes with simple instructions, a template for drilling holes, and all the pieces you need. You just need a pencil, a level, a drill and drill bits, and a a screwdriver.
posted by Blazecock Pileon at 8:27 PM on November 11, 2010
Because the bathroom door slides into the wall on one side of the tub, I cannot drive screws into that wall, meaning I can't install a typical wrap-around shower rod.
Even walls that have pocket doors will have studs. These are called split studs, about 3/4 inch thick steel and wood that are on each side of the wall and allow the door to pass between. Usually they will be placed about half the width of the door. The drywall will be screwed into them. You can screw your shower rod into these studs as long as you don't use screws that are too long. Figure 1/2 inch for the drywall and 3/4 inch for the stud.
posted by JackFlash at 9:54 PM on November 11, 2010
Even walls that have pocket doors will have studs. These are called split studs, about 3/4 inch thick steel and wood that are on each side of the wall and allow the door to pass between. Usually they will be placed about half the width of the door. The drywall will be screwed into them. You can screw your shower rod into these studs as long as you don't use screws that are too long. Figure 1/2 inch for the drywall and 3/4 inch for the stud.
posted by JackFlash at 9:54 PM on November 11, 2010
"Because the bathroom door slides into the wall on one side of the tub, I cannot drive screws into that wall, meaning I can't install a typical wrap-around shower rod."
Pocket doors still have framing, usually of 1x2, sometimes wrapped with steel. You can screw into these walls you just need to use a short enough screw; 1" should be safe.
Jinx JackFlash
However you could as you suggested just hang the rod from the ceiling. A toggle anchor is easier to use than butterfly anchors and will easily support enough weight. You could use them with pretty well any ceiling mounted shower curtain rod or here is a ceiling and single wall mount unit.
PS: $170 seems like a lot of money for a shower curtain rod to me. Depending on the aesthetics of your place you could probably cobble together something for a third of that in the copper pipe section of the local home improvement borg. Even less if you went with an L shaped unit instead of a complete circle. And you could use a copper epoxy instead of sweating it together. Six elbows, 2 tees and a couple lengths of pipe would be all you'd need. Something like this. You could attach it to the ceiling with the above toggle bolts and simple pipe straps or for something a bit fancier use drop ear pipe fittings. Plastic pipe would work too but wouldn't, IMO, look as good and might be a bit large for standard shower curtain hooks.
posted by Mitheral at 9:58 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Pocket doors still have framing, usually of 1x2, sometimes wrapped with steel. You can screw into these walls you just need to use a short enough screw; 1" should be safe.
Jinx JackFlash
However you could as you suggested just hang the rod from the ceiling. A toggle anchor is easier to use than butterfly anchors and will easily support enough weight. You could use them with pretty well any ceiling mounted shower curtain rod or here is a ceiling and single wall mount unit.
PS: $170 seems like a lot of money for a shower curtain rod to me. Depending on the aesthetics of your place you could probably cobble together something for a third of that in the copper pipe section of the local home improvement borg. Even less if you went with an L shaped unit instead of a complete circle. And you could use a copper epoxy instead of sweating it together. Six elbows, 2 tees and a couple lengths of pipe would be all you'd need. Something like this. You could attach it to the ceiling with the above toggle bolts and simple pipe straps or for something a bit fancier use drop ear pipe fittings. Plastic pipe would work too but wouldn't, IMO, look as good and might be a bit large for standard shower curtain hooks.
posted by Mitheral at 9:58 PM on November 11, 2010 [1 favorite]
Even though you can't find ceiling "studs" (called joists), they are still there. If you're in the US, they usually run perpendicular to the roof line - 16 inches on center.
Any light fixture or fan in the ceiling should be attached to a joist on one side. Find it and you're golden.
posted by thatguyjeff at 6:44 AM on November 12, 2010
Any light fixture or fan in the ceiling should be attached to a joist on one side. Find it and you're golden.
posted by thatguyjeff at 6:44 AM on November 12, 2010
To follow on Mitheral's idea, you could use a pipe-bender to give you a larger radius on your corner. You can rent them from places like Rentalex for a few bucks a day---I'm not certain if Home Depot or Rona. A 6 or 8" radius would make it much easier to move a curtain around the corner and might look nicer to boot. The only key to pipe-bending is to do it slowly with constant pressure, no jerky motions.
posted by bonehead at 9:15 AM on November 12, 2010
posted by bonehead at 9:15 AM on November 12, 2010
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If you look for shower enclosures for clawfoot tubs, you'll find a lot of different ideas for kind of free-standing tub situations.
posted by padraigin at 8:00 PM on November 11, 2010