Where Should Grab Bars Be Installed in a Shower or Around a Bathtub?

Grab bars belong on the walls, at the spots where you step in, stand up and turn, and every one of them must be fastened into studs or solid in-wall backing. Around a bathtub, Ella's guidance follows ADA practice: horizontal wall bars 33 to 36 inches above the tub floor, plus a vertical bar near the door, as explained in Where and how should grab bars be installed around a walk-in tub?. In an Ella shower, the grab bars listed for your kit arrive packed loose, and your installer mounts them as part of the job, planned together with the shower valve.

Where Grab Bars Go Around a Bathtub or Walk-In Tub

A walk-in tub usually has two kinds of support, and each does a different job. The tub's own deck-mount bar is positioned for entering, exiting and standing up from the seat. Wall bars add support once you are standing, showering or turning in the tub. Following ADA guidelines is good practice in a home, even though a private bathroom is not inspected against them.

• Mount horizontal bars along the wall 33 to 36 inches from the tub floor, where a standing bather can reach them naturally.
• Add a vertical bar near the door, at the spot where you step in and out.
• Keep the bars clear of the door swing and of any shower screen or valve you plan to add, so nothing competes for the same wall space.

Notice that the height is measured from the tub floor, the surface you actually stand on, and not from the bathroom floor. That detail matters in a walk-in tub, and it is worth pointing out to your contractor before any holes are marked.

Where Grab Bars Go in a Shower

An Ella shower kit is planned a little differently, because the bars come with the kit but are not fixed in place at the factory. The kit ships with the shower stall, the grab bar set listed for that kit and the drain. The grab bars are packed loose and are not pre-installed, so mounting them is part of the installation. The kit guidance covers the reinforced backing zones and the grab bar screws, and the installation manual for your kit is published with the product listing and is also available from the team.

The shower wall also arrives solid, with no opening for a valve or shower head and no preset height or offset. The right valve location depends on the valve you choose, the rough-in behind the wall and the needs of the person using the shower, so your plumber marks and cuts those openings on site. That is the moment to settle the grab bar positions too. The valve, the shower head, a hand shower on a slide bar if you want one, and the bars all share the same walls, and planning them together keeps each one within reach without crowding the others.

This page does not quote a single mounting height for shower bars. The 33 to 36 inch figure above is Ella's guidance for wall bars around a tub, measured from the tub floor. For a shower kit, the positions are set by your installer using the manual for your kit and the reach of the person who will use the shower. What Comes in the Box With an Ella Shower Kit, and What You Still Need to Buy lists what arrives in the carton, so you can confirm the grab bar count against your order when you unpack.

How Every Grab Bar Must Be Anchored

Placement only helps if the bar holds. Ella's rule for every wall-mounted seat, bench and shelf is the same rule to follow for a grab bar.

• Anchor into studs or solid in-wall backing, confirmed by a licensed contractor. Drywall alone will not hold a bar under a person's weight.
• Seal the screw holes. Ella's wall-mounted accessories are fitted with silicone in the screw holes to keep water out of the wall, and a grab bar deserves the same care.
• Skip suction-cup grab bars. They are not recommended, because a bar you lean on must be fastened into the structure.
• Do not drill into the tub shell or deck to add a bar. The factory drills the holes for the included bar before the tub ships, so extra bars belong on the walls.

The Bars That Already Come with Your Tub or Shower

Before you add anything, check what your product includes. Per the current spec sheets, the Elite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Capri and all Transfer models include both a deck-mount and a wall-mount grab bar. The Petite and Companion include a deck-mount bar only. The Standard and Zen list a U-shape deck and wall-mount bar exclusive to those models, and the Ultra, Lounger, Big4One, ShaK, Escape and Big4Two list a wall-mounted bar. The Tub4Two and the LayDown tubs ship without grab bars, so wall bars matter even more in those bathrooms. Included bars are chrome only.

The deck-mount bar ships loose in its own kit and bolts through the deck on site, through holes the factory has already drilled. Its one rule protects the shell: the large metal washer must go under the shell, because installing the bar without it can crack the acrylic.

Two related questions come up often. If you would like a different finish, such as black, the factory will not mount a bar from another supplier, but your installer can make the swap on site using the existing holes, before the tub is installed. The replacement has to match the factory hole spacing exactly, as covered in Can Ella Factory-Install a Grab Bar From Another Supplier?. And if the deck bar would be in the way of a shower screen or valve, read Can I Remove the Interior Grab Bar, and Is There Anything to Cover the Holes? first. The bar can be unfastened, but the pre-drilled holes stay visible and Ella does not offer a cap, plug or cover for them. A grab bar is a safety feature, so in many layouts the better answer is to place the accessory where it does not compete with the bar.

Where the Grab Bars for a Shower Come from

If you are searching for where to buy grab bars for a shower, start with the kit itself. An Ella walk-in shower kit ships with the grab bar set listed for that kit, so the bars arrive in the same carton as the stall and the drain. The kits are purchased through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and Where Can I Buy a Complete Ella Walk-In Shower Kit? explains what a complete kit means. The shower valve, trim, shower head and any hand shower are chosen and bought separately with your plumber.

A Short Plan for Installation Day

1. List the bars that come with your tub or shower kit, and confirm the count when you unpack.
2. Decide with the person who will use the bathroom where they step in, stand and turn.
3. Around a tub, mark horizontal wall bars 33 to 36 inches from the tub floor and a vertical bar near the door.
4. Check that each bar clears the door swing, any shower screen and the valve location.
5. Have a licensed contractor confirm studs or solid in-wall backing behind every mounting point.
6. Agree with your installer that the loose grab bars will be mounted as part of the job, with silicone in the screw holes.

Related Guides

• What grab bars does Ella offer for its walk-in tubs?

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