A towel bar is an essential organizer that may fall out. Once you realize the towel bar detaches from the wall, you should fix it. Therefore, this post will guide you on how to remove towel rack from the wall.
After installation, a towel bar appears like it’s glued to the wall, but once we get into the details, you’ll learn that there’s more underneath. The brackets are screwed into the wall for support, no matter whether the towel rack is new or old. Begin by drilling holes into the wall, then screw in the anchors, which is not a difficult task.
Let’s deep insight to explore the ultimate guideline
How to remove towel rack from wall
Look on the underside for screws holding the towel rack to determine the tool you need for unscrewing. Unscrew from one end while keeping it, then move to the other. Here are the steps you have to go through
Find the setscrew
To remove the typical towel rack from drywall, look on the underside to know what screws and tools you need. Towel racks have hex or Phillips screws which can be removed with a 1/8-inch hex key and Phillips screwdriver respectively.
Unscrew one end till it releases from the wall bracket, hold the towel rack to avoid falling, remove the second, then the brackets.
Patch the holes
Once the towel rack and brackets are out of the wall, you need to patch the holes in the drywall. You can use several supplies like toothpaste, but the right way is to repair it with a joint drywall compound.
Scoop the mixture with a putty knife, push it into the holes, scrape off the excess, and leave it to dry. Once dry, sand the area and apply paint to make the wall uniform.
Patching tile walls
Patching tiles is more complex as you need a hard, glossy compound that resembles the ceramic. You can opt for any two-part epoxy resin that matches your tiles.
However, if you can’t find a matching color, touch up the area with enamel paint that match the tiles.
How to remove a Glued-On towel rack
Removing a glued towel rack means breaking through the glue bond while holding the post. You can opt to use an oscillating tool, but a putty knife and a hammer are ideal tool for minimizing the damage to the wall for safety reasons.
Use a utility knife to cut through the caulk between the post and the wall, and then tap the putty knife at the rear of the bar until it detaches.
How to get the towel rack to stay on wall
Loosening towel racks happen because they weren’t fastened enough. Towels bars come with small, weak anchors that aren’t powerful enough. So, if you use these anchors, the towel bar will get loose or fall off at one time.
You can fix the problem with sturdy anchors to prevent it from coming loose or scarring the wall. Remove the flexible end posts using a hex wrench and use the anchor replacements to mount the plates.
How do you get a towel rack off the wall without screws?
Towel racks with invisible screws can be challenging to get off the wall, but it’s doable. Keen observation will show you that the end posts and brackets are locked through the tab system, and you can release the bar from the bracket by depressing the tab.
Follow this guideline to get a towel rack without screws off the wall.
Find the locking tab
The locking tab is likely to be at the end of the posts’ base, meaning you search from the bottom side to side.
Depress tab
Once you locate the locking bar, depress the tab with a small screwdriver.
Detach the end post
Manipulate the end post while depressing the locking tab to detach. Begin by pulling the tab away and if nothing happens, try removing it from each angle until the posts release from the bracket.
Repeat the same on the other post, and it should be easier because you know the angle that works best.
Remove Brackets
After detaching the locking tab, unscrew brackets from the wall and the drywall anchors.
How are towel racks attached to the wall?
Towel racks can have one or two anchor points. The steps below will guide you to attach towel racks to the wall.
- Identify where to place the towel rack.
- Position the template on the wall and make sure it’s straight.
- Use a pencil to mark hole screw points on the wall
- From the screw hole marking, carefully drill the drywall, then insert anchors
How do you fix a towel rack in drywall?
Install a towel rack by mounting brackets on studs on the drywall as it’s safer. Find studs on the wall by tapping and listening for a heavy sound. However, if you can’t locate the studs, they may be incorrectly positioned. Use anchors because they’re more secure, especially on tiles.
Fixing a towel rack in drywall
If your towel rack loosens on drywall, you can fix it by following the steps below.
- Remove the broken towel rack from the wall.
- Use a drill to make holes in the wall to put toggle bolts.
- Insert the toggle bolts and screw in the spring to the other side.
- Tighten the bolts, attach one bar to the wall, tighten it, and repeat for the second.
- Attach the towel bar to the holder on both sides and secure it to the wall.
How do you fix a bathroom towel rack?
Mounting a bathroom towel rack should be done firmly to avoid effortless fall-off. The light-duty plastic anchors are standard but not sufficient.
However, you can replace them with heavy-duty anchors to hold the bars for a long time. Once you notice your bathroom towel rack is loose, fix it immediately to avoid future inconveniences.
Why the towel rack loosens
The towel rack is held to the wall by mounting brackets. They are rectangular or oval metal plates with a ridge at the bottom. The brackets can disengage from the wall causing the set screws to slip out, and the towel rack falls. Here are reasons why the bar loosens.
Anchors Aweigh
The wall anchors that come with towel racks are plastic and not secure. The wimpy anchors can easily disassociate from the wall, but substituting them with ribbed anchors will make a stand stronger.
Plastic toggle anchors are excellent if you use the towel bar for support because they’re impossible to remove from the wall, and they’re easy to install and strong enough to hold your towel rack to the wall.
Steps to fix a bathroom towel rack
- Check for screws under the towel rack and unscrew them.
- Pry the screws on the brackets off the wall to extract existing anchors from both brackets.
- Make the holes wide enough to accommodate plastic toggle anchors.
- Put the anchor into the holes. It should flush with the wall before screwing the mounting brackets back.
- Lastly, mount brackets to hold the towel bar and tighten the screws.
How to get old towel rack off wall
Bathroom towel racks quickly go out of style as new trends are being introduced to the market, and it can be hard to keep up. Changing whether the stand has visible or invisible screws is possible because they aren’t so expensive.
How to remove towel rack from a wall with a set screw
Most towel racks are held in position by a set of screws that position brackets to the wall. If you can see screws, it’s not to mean they aren’t there. Follow these steps and remove the towel rack.
- Find the set screw
- Loosen the set screw
- Disengage the towel rack
- Unfasten brackets and then the drywall studs using needle-nose pliers.
How to remove a towel rack fixed with adhesive
If you can’t find screws, a towel bar might be attached with adhesive, especially if it’s on tiles. Here is the procedure to separate the bar from the wall.
- Try to detach the towel bar by forcing it
- Cut through the adhesive with a utility knife
- Using an oscillating multitool to cut the glue makes it a dusty affair. Once done, use a scraper to remove excess glue.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I glue a towel rack to drywall?
Yes, you can glue a towel rack to drywall using adhesive. Therefore, there’s no need for studs on towel rack studs since the post is glued to the drywall, making it easy to install anywhere.
What is the size of an Allen wrench for a towel rack?
Most towel racks come with small Allen bolts with a hex head screw. When removing an old towel rack, check the screw used, and if the head is hex-shaped, a 1/16” will do.
Conclusion
Hopefully, how to remove towel rack from the wall is no longer a problem for you. You know most of the towel racks in stores come with mounting brackets.
You screw these brackets into the wall for support, and if correctly done, no one will notice the holes or screws. Whether you’re fixing a new or old towel rack, changing the plastic anchors that come with it for heavy-duty options will offer better, long-lasting support.
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