Installed handrails in the bathroom for accessibility / barrier-free access.
Handrails take real load, so the screws have to land on actual studs in the wall (not just drywall) — but if you handle that, the difficulty isn’t bad.
Bought all materials at the home improvement store. Total cost: about 10,000 yen (~$65) for wood + brackets (excluding screws, etc.).
Procedure and cost breakdown below.
Planning and Buying Parts
Where to install the handrails
Installing in the dotted-line locations in the photo.
The standard recommendation is an “L-shape” — both a horizontal and a vertical handrail.
In practice, when entering the bathroom, the vertical handrail is the first thing the user grabs — it was very well-received.
For the horizontal handrail, I set the height at 70 cm above the floor (per the manufacturer’s site).
Wood and parts
I bought the handrail wood and brackets at the home improvement store.
All from the “ECLE” series.
Handrail dowel
32 mm-diameter wooden dowel — the “ECLE 32” handrail-grade product. Sold specifically for handrails.
Going with this purpose-made product saves the sanding-and-varnishing step.
Cost: about 2,300 yen for 2 m.
Backing board
From the same shelf, I picked up a “handrail mounting backing board” — the handrail mounts to this board.
About 3,000 yen for 2 m × 80 mm × 15 mm thick.
Brackets
Brackets come in “for 35 mm” and “for 32 mm” — match yours to your handrail dowel diameter.
＜For the horizontal handrail＞
Same ECLE series — “side-mount end brackets” left and right (EL-708 / EL-709) and the mid-rail “E-bracket horizontal” (EL-80).
Left/right end brackets (EL-708, EL-709): about 1,000 yen each
E-bracket horizontal (EL-80): about 500 yen
Mazroc ECLE Side-Mount End Bracket Right (32 mm) EL-708, Brown
Mazroc ECLE Side-Mount End Bracket Left (32 mm) EL-709, Brown
＜For the vertical handrail＞
For the vertical, I bought 2 × “N-end brackets” (EL-712), about 1,000 yen each.
(Forgot to take a standalone shot — the product is below.)
Locating studs
Before mounting, find the wall studs.
A screw hits a stud → solid hold. A screw hits drywall (no stud behind) → no hold.
For load-bearing items like handrails, screws need to land on a stud. Use a stud finder, mark the stud range with masking tape.
Shinwa Sokutei Stud Finder Home 79151
Build & Install
Cut and pre-drill the backing board
Cut the backing board to length and sand the cut ends.
Pre-drill the screw holes.
Mounting the backing board to the wall
Screw the backing board to the bathroom wall.
Where there’s no stud — drywall anchors
The front part of the wall (in the photo) has a stud behind it; the rear part doesn’t.
Screws into bare drywall won’t hold load.
For the rear (no-stud) section, I used drywall anchors so the screws can hold a load.
※ Where there is a stud, no anchor needed.
Drywall anchors I used. About 1,000 yen at the home improvement store.
To mark anchor positions, drill small marker holes through the backing board into the wall first.
Take the backing board off, screw the anchors into the wall.
Now screws into the anchors will hold properly, even on bare drywall sections.
Screwing the backing board down
Screw the backing board to the wall.
I used 12 screws total (see photo).
Screws: 3.8 mm dia × 57 mm long.
Now mount the handrail itself.
Mounting the handrail (dowel)
Cut the handrail dowel to length.
Attach the end brackets (EL-708, EL-709) to both ends of the dowel.
Now screw the assembly to the backing board.
For the middle of the handrail, screw the support bracket (EL-80) on.
Horizontal handrail done.
Installing the vertical bar
Install the vertical handrail.
The vertical handrail goes along a stud, so I skipped the backing board and screwed the brackets directly to the wall.
First, screw the lower end bracket (EL-712) to the wall.
Slide the dowel into the lower bracket and secure.
Slide the upper end bracket (EL-712) onto the top of the dowel.
Screw the upper bracket to the wall.
Done
Done!
Total: about 5,000 yen for wood, 5,000 yen for brackets — 10,000 yen total (excluding screws, stud finder, power saw, etc.).
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