I'm finishing up my bathroom remodel and ran into a bit of a problem with my Ove Providence sliding shower door. The wall channel is anchored into a stud, but when I went to install the support bar, I noticed I missed a stud. It turns out I need two studs side by side—one for the channel and another for the bar. Now I've got tile holes but no solid backing to anchor the support bar. The backing is goboard.
I see a couple of options: 1) Use a heavy-duty anchor in the tile or goboard, or 2) Open up the wall from the adjacent room (which is lathe & plaster) to add a stud. If it were your bathroom, what approach would you take?
3 Answers
Good anchors should do the job just fine! Just a thought—are the mounts wide enough for you to drill a second hole and use two anchors instead?
Your bathroom looks fantastic! By the way, what's the name of your floor tile? Every morning, I cringe when my kids bang the shower doors. I’d definitely go for adding that stud. And once you do, you should share your wall patching skills—just use a wet sponge instead of sanding!
Thanks! It's Elida Ceramica Arabescato Essence 12-in x 12-in Matte. I chose it because it’s not slippery at all when wet. Thankfully, the door is soft close, but I do think some structural backing is the best bet.
Using a strong anchor should work, but adding some blocking from behind would be the more secure choice. You don’t necessarily need a full stud, just a piece that's about 16 inches long attached to the existing stud will do the trick.
That makes sense, but I really dread cutting into the lathe and plaster!
Unfortunately, the mounts only have a single screw hole.