Westfield, Union County
Grab Bar Installation and Stair Handrails in Westfield, NJ
Grab bar installation in Westfield, NJ is often the first change a household makes, and the least disruptive. A solid bar at the tub, the toilet and the stairs gives your hands something to trust, and it can be done in a single visit.
Your house in Westfield
- Standing up from the toilet takes a pushA firm bar at its side lets you pull up instead of push.
- Getting into the tub feels unsteadyA vertical bar at the entry and one inside add real support.
- One handrail on a long staircaseA second rail on the opposite wall closes the gap.
- A small project you can do nowIt is smaller than a remodel, and it can sit ahead of one.
Questions people ask
Can grab bars go into tile in an older Westfield bath?
Yes, when they are fixed to studs or added blocking. A suction or towel-bar style fixture is not a grab bar and should not be used for support.
Do I need rails on both sides of my stairs?
Federal home-checklist guidance recommends it, for the full length of the stairs. A one-sided staircase is a good candidate for a second rail.
Do grab bars need a permit?
New Jersey's ordinary maintenance list names installing bathroom accessories, benches or seats, so a bar on its own is generally the lightest kind of job. Ask the contractor if anything else is being changed.
How many bars does a bathroom need?
It depends on the person. Many households begin with one at the tub entry and one by the toilet, then add more.
Grab bars and handrails in Westfield
Westfield's median home is from 1953, which is why tile bathrooms with plaster or masonry behind them, and stairs with a single rail on one side, are common. Neither suits a grab bar bought at a hardware store.
Eight in ten Westfield homes are owner-occupied, and just under 15 percent of residents are 65 or older, so some households do this early. For the full list of jobs, see aging in place in Westfield.
Source: Census Bureau, median year built and age
The permit point
NJ's ordinary-maintenance list includes installing bathroom accessories, benches or seats, so a grab bar on its own is generally the lightest kind of job.
Grab bar installation in Westfield, NJ: where the bars go
Placement matters as much as the bar. Think about the motion you struggle with, then put support where your hand lands.
- Stepping into the tub: a vertical bar on the wall at the entry, and a horizontal bar inside.
- Standing in the shower: a bar on the long wall, with controls reachable from outside the spray.
- The toilet: a bar on the side wall to push up from.
The CDC home checklist calls for bars both inside and beside the tub, plus one next to the toilet. As a reference, the ADA standards put horizontal bars 33 to 36 inches above the floor. Those standards do not govern a private home, so a contractor will adjust for your height and reach.
Sources: U.S. Access Board, CDC
An occupational therapist can set placement for a specific condition. Ask your doctor for a referral if you have one.
Finding something solid behind an old Westfield tile wall
A grab bar has to hold your full weight if you slip. The ADA reference calls for a bar and its mounting to withstand 250 pounds. A bar screwed into tile alone will not do that.
Sources: Census Bureau, median year built, U.S. Access Board
Walls in a house from around 1953 are often plaster or masonry behind the tile. Your contractor has a few ways to get a secure fix:
- Find a stud and fasten into it.
- Open a small section and add wood blocking behind the tile.
- Use a backing plate that spreads the load across more than one stud.
Drilling tile takes care. The right bit and a steady hand keep it from cracking. Ask how a cracked tile would be handled.
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Aging in Place NJ · (315) 640-3590
Why a towel bar or suction bar is not a grab bar
Towel racks and soap holders look sturdy and are not. They are made to hold a towel, not a falling adult. Suction bars can release without warning. If you are leaning on it, it must be a grab bar anchored in the wall.
Worried about the look? Today's bars come in brushed and colored finishes, and many are shaped like ordinary towel bars. Bars set at a slight angle or with a textured grip also give a better hold when hands are wet. Choose the finish you like, and keep the strength.
Second handrail on a Westfield staircase
Many staircases in older homes have a rail on one side only. CDC advises rails on both sides for the full length of the stairs. The ADA reference says handrail tops sit 34 to 38 inches above the stair nosings, with a gripping surface that your hand can wrap around.
Sources: U.S. Access Board, CDC
Plan for the end of the rail too. It should not snag a sleeve. Check where the stair turns and where the rail begins and ends, since a gap at a landing is where people grab at air.
CDC also advises a light switch at both the top and the bottom of stairs. A glowing switch makes the first step easier to see, and an electrician would install it. If the stairs are the larger problem, see stairlift installation in Westfield.
A small job now, or the first step of a larger one
Grab bars can stand alone or go in with a rebuild. If a walk-in shower is coming, have the contractor add blocking behind the wall before the tile goes up, then fix the bars afterward. That is cheaper than cutting tile later. See accessible bathrooms in Westfield for the bigger project.
Ready to ask for a price? Call (315) 640-3590 or use the form, and your first project comes with $100 off.
Westfield porch and basement steps: where a rail helps
Older Westfield houses often have a porch with a few steps and a basement stair near the kitchen. Both get used with full arms. A rail at the porch steps helps in rain and ice, and a rail on the open side of the basement flight keeps a hand free.
Ask the installer how the rail will be fixed to brick, wood or concrete, and how far it reaches past the last step.
Grab bars and handrails in nearby towns
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