hook bar towel rack

SO we had a problem. Our towel bars kept coming loose. One finally gave way and broke off.




I am not a fan of hand towel bars, so we took those down when we painted the bathrooms. You remember I have baskets of individual hand towels instead. Sanitary and my preference. {LINK}individual hand towels.

basket of sink side bar mop towels

We tried the doubled up towel bar thing. I thought it was a great idea...I was wrong. It was difficult to get the towels in and out.

NOT MY FAVORITE...double towel bars

After all of that I have a solution that I love. Since my studs are not conducive to standard towel bars or individual hooks placement I have constructed hook bars instead.

The kids bathroom had individual robe hooks (LOVE) except they were always loose (UN-LOVE) SO I made MDF planks that would be glued AND screwed to the studs and the hooks would be screwed to the board. Problem solved.

before

oops

kids bathroom

Before & After

kids bathroom

master bathroom

tools-

1. MDF plank board (primed)
2. painters tape for marking studs and pre-hole guides and holding board level during installation
3. stud finder
4. 3/8" flat head plugs
5. paint & painting suplies
6. sand paper or sanding tool
7. cloths or rags for removing saw dust
8. mitre saw
9. hardware of choice
10. flat head 8x3/4/M4.2x19.0 screws (translation...shorter screws to attach the hardware to the board that wont go out the back of the board, just into the board)
11. level
12. drill with drill bit for pre-drilling and a drill bit to screw in the screws
13. construction adhesive (if desired)
14. long screws, long enough to go through board and into stud holes

painters tape to mark studs

sanded MDF

flat head plugs

my beloved Dremel hand tool with sanding head

sanding paper

assembly-

1. mark studs measure area to determine length the board will need to be
2. cut board and hold up to the wall to place painters tape on the board lined up with the studs
3. pre-drill holes
4. sand the edges and the ends and the front and back of the board drill holes to make smooth
5. wipe down with damp rag
6. pre-paint with first coat
7. wait....
8. paint with final coat(s)
9. when dry and cured install the hooks directly to the board DONT install them over your stud holes! PLEASE space them out as evenly as possible for the best final look. Use screws that will be long enough to enter the board and not protrude out the back

installation-

1. install drywall anchors to the wall where your board will be lined up and installed
2. place a small bit of construction adhesive on the back of the board in a snaking pattern and NOT near the edges place the board carefully near the wall without getting the adhesive on the wall
3. Push long screws though the stud pre-drilled holes and line them up
4. drill each screw in enough to secure to the wall without holding
5. level the board and tape in place with strong painters tape finish screwing the board verifying levelness
6. tap a flat plug into the screw holes with an adhesive lightly applied to the sides
7. wipe off excess adhesive let dry, wait... sand the edges a tiny bit, wipe of dust, make sure it dry and then touch up the paint over the plug and in general