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hi all..

I'm pondering over a project for my mother that should be fairly easy -- a towel hanger for her guest bathroom. I'm thinking of something simple -- an edge routered 1x4 about 2 feet long give or take with several fancy towel holders for at least 5-6 towels. The thing I'm not sure about and was hoping for some inputs from you all that have been around the block before is -- whats the best way to mount it on the wall.. The only obvious ways I'm familiar with are :

1. Direct screw to the studs in the wall -- either cap the screws (with wood plugs) or use nice looking screws?
2. Use something like a picture hanging setup that would attach to the back of the 1x4 -- this may make it easy to come off if someone is not careful when removing their towel -- possibly to have it fall on their feet..
3. Some sort of cleat similar to the way some cabinets/shelves are installed on walls -- this would project the whole thing out a bit from the wall.. May not look the best possibly?

So -- with the various projects you all have done, are there any other possible options out there I've not heard of or that work better? I'm thinking that perhaps #1 above is best and use plugs -- may need a plug cutter. Speaking of plugs -- IF I use that method, and 10-20 years down the line its time to replace this thing, what's the best way to remove it -- cut/drill out the plug to get to the screw?

My preferred method is using plastic threaded drywall anchors but any of the other fastening methods in this link work also.

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/inffastener/infanchor/infanchor.html

Slap in some mushroom head button plugsand badda bing, badda bang, on to your next project!!

osx-addict wrote:hi all..

I'm pondering over a project for my mother that should be fairly easy -- a towel hanger for her guest bathroom. I'm thinking of something simple -- an edge routered 1x4 about 2 feet long give or take with several fancy towel holders for at least 5-6 towels. The thing I'm not sure about and was hoping for some inputs from you all that have been around the block before is -- whats the best way to mount it on the wall.. The only obvious ways I'm familiar with are :

1. Direct screw to the studs in the wall -- either cap the screws (with wood plugs) or use nice looking screws?
2. Use something like a picture hanging setup that would attach to the back of the 1x4 -- this may make it easy to come off if someone is not careful when removing their towel -- possibly to have it fall on their feet..
3. Some sort of cleat similar to the way some cabinets/shelves are installed on walls -- this would project the whole thing out a bit from the wall.. May not look the best possibly?

So -- with the various projects you all have done, are there any other possible options out there I've not heard of or that work better? I'm thinking that perhaps #1 above is best and use plugs -- may need a plug cutter. Speaking of plugs -- IF I use that method, and 10-20 years down the line its time to replace this thing, what's the best way to remove it -- cut/drill out the plug to get to the screw?

Mike & Bob - I think he wants to attach to studs not the drywall.

Rick - I have seen towel bars & coat racks hung with screws into studs and button plugs. Thease are easy to remive if not glued in. Just make sure they fit very tight.

Rick:

Not sure if this suits your needs, but key hole slots runnnig horizontally might provide a good hanging method and would not be as subject to the rack coming off the wall if a towel is pulled on.

Good luck

John

You could back mount the holder by cuttting a key hole slot in the back of the holder and just slip it on the screw then you dont have to use any plugs at all can it can be stained an finished off the wall and may look nicer

What i meant to say is i agree with john Ha HA

Thanks all for the great suggestions.. I think I'll look into using plugs or possibly a keyhole slot.. I'll admit that the keyhole slot sounds a bit more tricky but would be nice in that it would allow easy removal for painting,etc.

Thanks again..

P.S. Anyone know of a good source for interesting coat rack hangars (you know what I mean ) or similar sorts of stuff that towels could hang on? My mother had one in her old house that had door knobs and other odd stuff all mounted on the one 'rod'.. Made a very unique look..

Like Mike, I really like the threaded drywall anchors. Forget the plastic expansion anchors. I have found them to be very strong and hold a lot of weight. I use them at work for mounting projector screens (motorized and manual pull-down type) and they hold the weight and the additional pulling by people. Our facility has metal studs and they are so thin they will not hold a screw. So I use the threaded drywall anchors for everything. I also use them at home for mounting fixtures such as towel racks. Never had one fail yet. The only time one has broken on me was when I tested the "self tapping" feature of them. Yeah, that didn't work so well. Drill a pilot hole!

If I don't have a stud finder handy (and knocking the wall doesn't give a definitive answer), what I typically do is drill a small pilot hole where I want to put the anchor. If I hit a stud, then I screw into the stud. If I don't hit a stud, I drill a slightly larger pilot hole and use the plastic drywall anchor.

I built a big shelf over our big TV to hold the cable box/DVR, game systems, etc. I hung it with two french cleats with a gap in the middle to run the cables behind the shelf so they are hidden. Because of the size and place where I wanted it, I didn't feel that one end was adequately supported because it wasn't on a stud so I used a few of the threaded anchors. The shelf is pretty big and made out of 3/4" MDF so it's heavy. On top of that is an Xbox 360, original Xbox, cable box, the center speaker for my surround sound, and typically a handful of DVD and game cases. The threaded anchors have held the weight just as well as the screws that are in studs.

Now, I don't think a french cleat would be the best method for your towel rack, but I wanted to vouch for the strength and durability of the threaded wall anchors.

In your case, I think it would be easiest and most secure if you just screw the base of your towel rack to the wall - either to studs or using the threaded anchors. Pre-drill and counter bore the screw holes so you can cap them. Or perhaps even hide them in the design somehow.

That's my .

lv2wdwrk wrote:Mike & Bob - I think he wants to attach to studs not the drywall.

Rick - I have seen towel bars & coat racks hung with screws into studs and button plugs. Thease are easy to remive if not glued in. Just make sure they fit very tight.

Now lets see here. A 2 foot towel rack and BET the studs will be on 16 inch centers.