West Orange, Essex County
Grab Bar Installation in West Orange, NJ
Grab bar installation in West Orange, NJ is a small job with a big payoff. The right bar, fixed to the right spot, gives your hand something solid.
Your house in West Orange
- A tile bath with nothing to holdBars at the tub and toilet give you something to hold.
- A narrow Cape Cod stairA slim rail, set carefully, adds support without losing tread width.
- A rental with a flexible ownerGrab bars are removable and a good request to make.
- Several flights at a hillside houseRails at each run give a hand-hold the whole way up and down.
Questions people ask
Will a grab bar damage my West Orange bathroom wall?
Holes are small and can be repaired. Good mounting into framing is more important than avoiding holes.
Which stairs get a rail first?
The flight you use most, and any with no rail on one side. The goal is a rail on both sides throughout.
Do towel bars count as grab bars?
No. A towel bar is not made to hold body weight. A grab bar is rated for it and fixed into framing.
How many grab bars does one bathroom need?
It depends on the room. Many baths use one at the tub, one at the toilet and one at the shower entry.
Can a grab bar be used for stairs?
No. A stair needs a handrail that runs the length of the flight. A grab bar is short and made for a bath.
Grab bars and handrails in West Orange
West Orange's median house is from 1956 and 59 percent of homes predate 1960, so tile over plaster or old drywall is common behind the bath. The key to a good grab bar is where it is fixed. Blocking inside the wall or a stud behind the tile takes the load; a bar held only by tile will pull away when it matters.
Source: Census Bureau, year built and median year built
On stairs, hillside houses have more than one flight: the entry steps, the stairs inside and the basement. Cape Cod stairs are narrow, so a handrail must be placed with care to leave the stair usable, and the rail's shape should be one a hand can close around.
Because 31 percent of homes in the town are rented, grab bars are also a practical option for tenants. They come off the wall with minimal repair, so they are an easier request than a remodel.
Federal home-checklist guidance suggests bars at the tub and by the toilet and rails on both sides of stairs; that is the checklist to start from.
The permit point
Installing bathroom accessories and benches or seats is on NJ's ordinary-maintenance list, which covers a standard grab bar.
Grab bar installation in West Orange NJ: where the bars go
CDC's home checklist puts bars next to and inside the tub and next to the toilet. The Access Board's shower guidance adds bars on three walls in a standard shower with no seat.
Height and angle depend on how you move. Some people want a vertical bar at the entry and a horizontal bar inside. Others want a long diagonal bar for sit-to-stand.
An occupational therapist can mark the right spot, if you have one. If not, sit and stand where the bar would be, and have the installer mark it with tape.
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Aging in Place NJ · (315) 640-3590
Studs, blocking and tile in an older house
A grab bar is only as strong as what it is screwed into. Behind tile there may be a stud, a plaster wall or a hollow gap. Plastic wall anchors alone do not hold a body's weight.
If there is no stud where you need the bar, the crew opens the wall and adds wood blocking. Another option is a bar made for a mounting plate that spreads the load.
Ask the installer how each bar will be fixed, and where the fastener goes. It should hit framing, not just tile.
Stair and outdoor handrails for hillside homes
CDC advises handrails on both sides of the stairs for their full length. In a hillside house, that may mean the entry steps, the main flight and the basement stair.
Choose a rail you can close your hand around. It should run past the last step at each end, so you do not lose support before your foot lands.
Outdoors, a metal rail sets into concrete, and a wood rail fixes to the stoop. If the entry rise is too tall for rails alone, look at a wheelchair ramp.
Cost, permits and rentals for grab bars in West Orange
Cost comes from the number of bars, the wall type and whether blocking is needed. Stair rails cost more than bath bars because they are longer and need anchoring at several points.
Installing bathroom accessories is on New Jersey's ordinary-maintenance list, so a standard bar is not the kind of job that moves a drain. For more on Medicare and grab bars, see our guide on what Medicare does and does not cover.
Sources: NJ Administrative Code, Medicare and Medicaid (CMS)
Tenants can ask an owner for bars that come off with minor repair. See aging in place in West Orange for other options.
Height, size and strength: reference numbers for grab bars
The ADA does not cover private homes, but its bath numbers help you check a quote. Horizontal bars sit 33 to 36 inches above the floor. A round bar should be 1 1/4 to 2 inches across, with 1 1/2 inches between the bar and the wall.
Source: U.S. Access Board
The standard also asks that a bar and its fasteners hold 250 pounds of force. That is why the mounting matters more than the bar.
Stair handrails sit 34 to 38 inches above the stair nosing. Tell the installer how tall you are and which hand you lead with, and the plan can be adjusted to fit.
Grab bars for a West Orange Cape Cod or split-level bath
Capes often have a small upstairs bath tucked under a sloped ceiling. Check where the ceiling meets the tub, since a bar on that wall may sit at an angle or reach too low. Ask the installer to choose a spot where you can stand upright to use it.
In a split-level, the half bath may only have room for a bar beside the toilet. Ask the installer to look at each bath in the house and say where a bar helps most, so the first visit does the most good.
Grab bars and handrails in nearby towns
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