Wolf Pup - Shower Grab Rail

Getting in and out of the shower, over the tub, can be a challenge for me, not to mention my handicapped wife. The walls in a Wolf Pup are not much more than wallpapered cardboard so there's little to really attach a grab rail to. Here's my solution.

I bought an 18" marine stainless grab handle.

Then I made two plywood 'plates' to use as backers for the handle. One for inside the cabinet, and one for inside the shower.

This is the cabinet on the other side of the shower.

I fit this piece of plywood to the wall. The wood on the base of the cabinet keeps the shelves in place.

I fitted the handle to the shower side plate after waterproofing the wood and painting it.

Then drilled mounting holes into the shower wall.

I ran these holes all the way through the wall into the cabinet.

The studs on the handle weren't long enough to go all the way through the wall, so I had to make them longer using a long nut and a bolt with the head cut off.

But this meant I'd need a larger hole in the cabinet to attach the new fitting.

Larger hole on the outside. Inside hole will have to be made just as big.

Now push the handle and plate up against the shower wall. Then screw on the 'lengthener'. Then fit the inside plate and screw on the nuts.

The inside plate ended higher than originally planned because the handle was mounted higher.

Now caulk the inside plate and we're good to go.

 It's really quite sturdy although I did bow the shower wall in a little when I snugged it up.

Danger Will Robinson
I forgot to mention, there's a vent pipe that runs up the wall between the shower and cabinet. You need to miss that pipe when you drill through the wall.

The pipe is just inside the nearest stud...I could feel the pipe with my finger after I opened up the hole to install the 'extender'.