Hand towel bar placement???

10 years ago

Hi all,

I may be overthinking this issue but that would be par for the course with this remodel. We're remodeling our kids/guest bath and the architect has proposed the hand towel bar placement as in the image below. To my eye this looks a little funky, I think because it's half over the toilet, half not. My sense of symmetry would prefer that it be centered over the toilet, but then it would be a bit far from the sink, and you'd probably end up dripping on the toilet. A towel ring might be more satisfactory because it could be between the sink and the toilet without encroaching on the toilet, but we don't really like towel rings. Does this placement seem fine to you guys, or does anyone have any thoughts on where you would put the hand towel bar? Your input would be welcome!

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This post was edited by hvhay on Tue, Nov 5, 13 at 13:03

Featured Answer

enduring

10 years ago

I would not have the towel over the toilet. The towel will be IN the toilet :)

If you cut down the bar as Madtown suggest, look at Baldwin brand as the bar comes out from the post and can be cut to the length you want. Others can do this too. These post on the Baldwin I bought are fairly long, so easy to get a towel draped. I cut mine down to a 14" bar. None of the 12 to 14" bars that I saw fit my needs. I spent $18 for the Baldwin brand bar off Ebay, and it is chromed and solid brass. Brass is easy to hack saw through. Here is a picture of my shortened bar.

Thats a 14" center to center bar. See how the post bring the bar out nicely from the vanity. That is the easiest bar to put a towel into. I change the hand towel out daily and can practically toss it into place. I don't know if this example is your style or not but your drawing is rather traditional looking, so I thought my picture might help. To be honest once the bar was up I am never inclined to look at the style details.

This last picture you posted looks just like it is painted the color I used :) Benjamin Moore "Bunny Gray". It looks like a light blue but is considered a gray. Who knew I would love it! But it was the perfect color with my marble listello.

As far as towel rings go. I have never had one. They are just fussy looking to me though. I see them as too unstable, with just one connection. One has to lift the ring, then insert the towel. For kids I think a bar would work better. I could see even me twisting a towel ring off the wall :0

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Comments (8)

madtown_2006_gw
10 years ago
Could you shorten the bar so it is only the width of one hand towel (so like...6-8"?) instead of the standard 18" bar. Place it basically where the bar in the drawing is (with the left side starting close to the sink/mirror) and since it's shortened, the right side won't encroach over the toilet. Does that make sense, it's so hard for me to explain myself in writing! Basically, just place a short bar where you would place the ring.
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks madtown, I did wonder about getting a shorter bar. It seems that the shortest "towel bar" is 18", but my husband suggested getting the contractors to cut one down further. Or, would it be too gauche to use a toilet paper holder? :)
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gabbythecat
10 years ago
Amazon has towel bars that are 9 inches long. A lot of different styles and finishes - I just googled "short towel bar" and got a lot of hits. Or how about a peg or two? Kids often find pegs easier to use than towel bars.
madtown_2006_gw
10 years ago
You can totally just buy the 18" and cut the bar down. That is what I've done in the past, and I'm about to do it again in my powder room. The guy at my local hardware paradise was the one who gave me that tip. He told me the metal they use for most of those bars is soft enough that one could simply use a hacksaw to cut it down.

Pegs are a good thought for kids, but I have to tell you, I have a peg/hook/piece of junk in my powder room now, and I can't stand it. For large bath towels they work fine because the towel is big enough to "drape" or something. Smaller hand towels, not so much. It's constantly falling off and just looks messy since it doesn't drape nicely. Just my two cents :-)

Your plan looks lovely, I hope you share "afters"!
User
Original Author
10 years ago
Thank you so much you guys. We're remodeling a huge portion of our house and it's like I make a zillion decisions and then get stuck on whether or not it's "ok" to have a towel bar that isn't what seems to be a standard size.

Thanks madtown, I am so looking forward to the afters and will definitely come back to share. My inspiration photo for this bathroom is below. I can't help but notice now that they don't seem to have a place for hand towels at all!

[Traditional Bathroom[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/traditional-bathroom-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_712~s_2107) by Minneapolis Design-Build Firms Vujovich Design Build, Inc.
herring_maven
10 years ago
hvhay: "... does anyone have any thoughts on where you would put the hand towel bar? Your input would be welcome!"

I would position the hand towel bar such that the screws attaching it to the wall screw into the studs behind the wall. Sooner or later, someone, for some reason unforeseen, is going to use that bar as a grab-bar, and if it is attached only to the backer board or lath, it will break off the wall and take a portion of the wall with it.
AtomicJay007
10 years ago
Just as another option, instead of going with a permanent towel bar, would you consider a towel stand? Even perhaps a heated towel stand? I noticed an outlet in that space, so it would be perfect for a heated stand, if you're interested in that idea.