Tuesday 30 August 2011

Installing grab bars for bathrooms correctly


Accidents happen frequently in bathrooms, when people are old, disabled or suffer due to restricted mobility. As one gets older, they become less steady on their feet and this makes the exercise of using the bathroom a dangerous one. Most of the bathroom floors are either tiled or covered with wood, vinyl or linoleum. When water splashes on these tiles, it becomes slippery and people losing their footing, injuring them in the bargain. for bathrooms are ideal for taking care of these problems. Even people with slight problems with mobility find it difficult to get in and out of the bathtub, or shower as they have to slide into the slippery tub, or climb a ledge, to get into the shower. To use the commode, they have to lower themselves backwards, into a smaller area. Using a shower may pose a problem when they have to stand in a restricted space which may be slippery.
These problems can be tackled by making the bathrooms have wider shower areas or creating a side door for the tubs. The toilets could be raised on non-skid flooring. However, these changes could cost an exorbitant amount. Nowadays, handy and useful products that are economical can be purchased and installed in the bathrooms to help handicapped and elderly people to move about safely. One of these products is the for bathrooms.
The grab bars can easily be attached to any smooth surface of the bath, shower, or wall area so that the user is able to lower them into the tub, or climb into the shower area. They can easily get into a standing position, when using the toilet, by using the grab bars. The grab bars may or may not take the entire weight of the body. The grab bars can be installed by sticking the suckers onto the suction cup base. These are handy for removing and reinstalling in any other area. Some grab bars are fixed on with screws so that they are permanently fixed. These handy items can be made up of chrome, or plastic, so that they blend with the color scheme. Some grab bars are expensive because they include an indication to show that the suction cup is attached perfectly and comes with a soft grip which makes it even more comfortable. You can pick up these grab bars in different styles and the price ranges from a few dollars to about $40, as per the quality of the material used and features included. The cost of installation is extra.
The suction base of a grab bar should ideally be mounted on a clean surface that is smooth, flat and non porous. The handle should be fitted securely in place and care should be taken to install them on unbroken tiles, smooth surfaces and not over tile grout. The grab bars for bathrooms that come with a suction base not are to be used on small tiles less than 12cm x 12 cm or 4.7" x 4.7." Use solid fixing in walls behind the linings of the bathroom, when installing grab bars that need to be fixed with screws. It is advisable to use professional help to carry out this type of installation as it can be difficult to do this yourself safely and correctly.

No comments:

Post a Comment