the lowly bathroom toilet paper holder.

[vash]

man, they are so maddening. mine has worked loose.

you all know the ones. you have to screw tiny tabs into the wall, and the toilet paper "hangs" onto the tab, and you have to tighten a set screw at the bottom to secure it to the bracket.

several problems. there is about 99.99% chance the screws will go into a void in the sheet rock. you will straddle a wall stud guaranteed. if you do manage to hit one stud because you did your due diligence and sought it out with the stud finder you happen to find in the pile of tools that rarely get used..like your lazer level, voltage indicator, etc.. if you do hit a stud; it will be in a position that will require you to pirouette on the toilet seat or do some crouching tiger/hidden dragon yoga move.

that damn set screw. it is tiny. you have to lay down on the floor next to a toilet to look up at it to hit it accurately. you only resort to laying down after 15 minutes of trying to find it "flying blind". here is the deal. you buy this house, and that supplied allen wrench will be long gone. so you are trying to stab an allen into a hole, made from soft metal-like stuff, and you wont even know if your using the right allen size!! so now you do more yoga and lay down next to the toilet.

you have now sourced the correct allen size. you have allen keys everywhere. you cant use that cool, multi-tool allen (bad ass pelican members have two of them - one metric, one SAE) that covers all the sizes..NOOO!! that it too bulky to fit in that tight space. so you pull out that envelope of loose allen keys and scatter them out. the size it too small to read the lazer etched size on the allen key, so you do the size finding mission AGAIN.

almost there. you start spinning the set screw. that tiny right angle will still graze the wall, so you have to use the short leg. that tiny allen is magic. it will take 50 spins to loosen. i believe because only 1 out of 10 inserts actually go into the set screw and make a turn.

i am so tempted to make a decorate plaque and that can span the studs and simply drill holes into the bracket so i can positively screw in the tube holder.

i'm married, so tie wire is out. setting the TP on the floor? out! hmmm, ,maybe that pedastal thing?

at the end of my fiasco..i found out my set screws were actually minuscule flat blade screwdriver slotted. i had to use my bulky leatherman tool because it was deep.

my wife came home and said."hey, you fixed it!..and have you've been drinking?"

[javadog]

Well, if house builders built houses like commercial builders build commercial buildings, they'd put backing in the wall framing to give a solid base to what they were going to hang on the wall. It's not like they don't know they are going to hang a toilet paper holder.

If you find yourself in this situation, following behind an idiot house builder, you now have a myriad of choices for wall anchors that will hold better than a simple screw and you should also use an adhesive for the bracket to wall interface.

Lastly, buy a set of decent tools. I mean, c'mon. There are so many good tools out there and the Leatherman-style multi tool is not one of them. I don't even own one.

Last tip. Have a look at the set screw before you try to install it. That way, you get to pick the right tool before you even get on your knees. Don't wait until you have the stupid holder arm on the wall and blindly guess at what might be in there.

JR

[sand_man]

(toilet paper roll looks to be inserted backwards though )

[ckelly78z]

^^^^^THIS.....We had all the typical problems of keeping the TP holder in place and reaching practically behind youself to retrieve the TP. We got one very similar to the above picture, and it solved all of our problems as long the tube is rolling over the top (not like it is pictured).

[gatotom]

My daughter had a similar problem in her 1910 old house. I used a 1x6x20 inches long nicely sanded and stained piece of oak. Drilled two holes into each stud to anchor the oak to wall and then put on a oak paper holder.

Done, never a problem again plus the wood covers the holes from the last holder.

[wdfifteen]

And I thought I had problems.

[jcommin]

I don't own one - I keep the roll on the sink. When my son is home, I find it on the rim of the bathtub.

[ckelly78z]

All, first world problems, I don't think third world countries care where (or if) the toilet paper is there.

[vash]

i'm hoping my post come in with the implied green font.

hell, i can remove a 911 motor....

[javadog]

Originally Posted by vash

hell, i can remove a 911 motor....

Yeah, maybe, but we'd be afraid to ask how you actually might accomplish that.

For all we know, you might use a porta jack, a Sawzall and a few trunk monkeys...

JR

[Noah930]

You use toilet paper? I woulda guessed a bidet, based upon some of your other posts.

[Googam]

I gave up on the On the Wall Holders. We use a $7.00 paper towel holder. Holds two rolls of TP. Set it on the floor or edge of the tub.

[dad911]

use these drywall anchors: E-Z Ancor Twist-N-Lock 75 lb. Medium Duty Drywall Anchors (50-Pack)-25310 - The Home Depot

20+ years, towel bars and tp holders, and they don't come out.

[A930Rocket]

Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner!

I won't install anything in drywall without using an EZ Anchor.

Originally Posted by dad911

use these drywall anchors: E-Z Ancor Twist-N-Lock 75 lb. Medium Duty Drywall Anchors (50-Pack)-25310 - The Home Depot

20+ years, towel bars and tp holders, and they don't come out.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by dad911

use these drywall anchors: E-Z Ancor Twist-N-Lock 75 lb. Medium Duty Drywall Anchors (50-Pack)-25310 - The Home Depot

20+ years, towel bars and tp holders, and they don't come out.

They do if your kids swing on them...

[dad911]

Originally Posted by Alan A

They do if your kids swing on them...

That's a different issue....... they break it they fix it.

[Alan A]

Originally Posted by dad911

That's a different issue....... they break it they fix it.

I'm letting my 4yo loose with a screwdriver - yeah right.
He can barely wipe his own ass, but he can pull out TP wall anchors like a pro.

One in a stud and the other in the wallboard using a toggle bolt so far seems to have stymied him though.

[look 171]

Originally Posted by javadog

Well, if house builders built houses like commercial builders build commercial buildings, they'd put backing in the wall framing to give a solid base to what they were going to hang on the wall. It's not like they don't know they are going to hang a toilet paper holder.

If you find yourself in this situation, following behind an idiot house builder, you now have a myriad of choices for wall anchors that will hold better than a simple screw and you should also use an adhesive for the bracket to wall interface.



Lastly, buy a set of decent tools. I mean, c'mon. There are so many good tools out there and the Leatherman-style multi tool is not one of them. I don't even own one.



JR

We block off for toilet paper holders, towel bars, and cabinets. My men know because they have to hang those things and if it pulls out, they have to go back to fix it. Cheap and quick. Just toe nail a few blocks on there and be done with it. I think they do it just so they don't have to hear me btich

Cliff, just buy one of those Japanese toilet seats. Toto makes a nice one. Put the damn thing up high and enjoy the cleaning. Toilet paper holder my ass is what yo need to tell your wife.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The position of most - at least in commercial construction - is now dictated by code or driven by accessibility standards. Yes, really. A smart architect knows where they're supposed to go as per ADA / ADAAG standards or applicable local building codes (in MA it's specifically 521 CMR, in CA it varies but I'd strongly advise referencing the CALDAG manual as well as the ADAAG to avoid risk of the owner being sued under the ADA / civil rights statute - and yes there really are people that do nothing but drive around and measure bathroom fixtures in public buildings JUST so they can file lawsuits and hopefully get settlements / pay days from the owners - ask me how I know...) If you're really smart you'll provide details specifically calling for blocking in the walls in the correct places so your fixtures / holders can actually screw into something solid too.

[petrolhead611]

You mean you don't yet have a solar powered voice activated digital toilet paper dispenser? Shoots out the exact length of roll you request (oh wait a minute, it measures the paper in metric units so wouldn't work for Americans)