Back To The Family Handyman
From 
Del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
TwitThis
About This Project
When towel bars come loose, it’s usually because they weren’t well fastened in the first place. The small, wimpy wall anchors included with most towel bar sets just don’t have enough holding power. But with sturdy new anchors, you can remount towel bars so they’ll never come loose again. Don’t put off this fix. The longer you wait, the more likely you are to scar the wall or mar the bar’s finish. You can also use these techniques to remount towel rings, toilet paper holders and hooks too. Everything you need is available at home centers and hardware stores.
First, remove the loose end posts. If one post is rock solid, leave it in place (chances are it’s fastened to a wall stud). You’ll need a hex wrench or mini screwdriver to loosen the setscrew. There’s a slight chance that the existing anchors are adequate but the screws have loosened. So try to tighten the screws that hold the mounting plates in place. If they tighten up securely, just remount the posts and the bar. If they don’t tighten firmly, remove the screws and the mounting plates. To remove the old anchors, pry them out with a screwdriver or poke them in and let them fall inside the wall. The next step depends on what kind of wall you have.
For fast, solid mounting on drywall, use E-Z Toggles (a pack of two costs $3). These clever anchors are self-drilling and have a T-clamp that folds out when you push the screw into the shaft. On tile, 1/4-in. tubular plastic anchors hold firmly, whether there’s drywall or cement backer board behind the tile. Be sure to buy tube-shaped anchors as shown here ($2), not tapered anchors, which don’t hold as well.
Advertisement 
