Bathroom towel rail advice required

[Noyade]

My eldest son bought a house last year built around 1965.

Below are photos of the ceramic rail holders - one which is shattered.

Amazingly he found a replacement at a local plumbing store.

Personally, I don't like it - but he would like to replace it.

Looking closely at it - it doesn't look like it was professionally installed in the first place?

He made it perfectly clear he has no spare matching tiles - should we botch this up.

The wall is plastered brick.

What would be the best way to remove this?

Thanks!

Graeme.

[EricL]

Hi @Noyade 

In order to isolate the broken piece, the grout around the towel rail piece must be completely removed. I suggest using a DTA Tile Scriber And Grout Remover. I recommend using a manual tool rather than a motorized one to avoid accidentally cracking the tile. Once all the grout has been removed, wrap the round head of a Trojan 8oz 225g Timber Ball Pein Hammer with a rag and fix it with a rubber band. Slowly tap the center of the broken piece to gently crack it. Do not use any screwdriver or prybars as this will stress the surrounding tile. Please take your time and do not rush the process. Excess force can easily crack the surrounding tiles.

Let me tag our experienced members @tom_builds  and @TedBear for their recommendations.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[TedBear]

Hi @Noyade  hopefully @EricL 's good advice on the method will do the trick.  As a contingency plan, if you are in or near a major city, there may be a tile library available, where small amounts of older style tiles are kept for such jobs, which could enable you to get a replacement tile if it cracks.

Another backup plan: if you have a pair of the holders, they seem to be a quarter tile size, so you could (only if you have to) find a suitable contrasting coloured 1/4  tile, buy 6 and fit them plus the holders into the existing tiles spaces. (The rail will end up slightly higher or lower.) But best of luck using the suggested method of EricL, which would offer the least disturbance.

[Noyade]

Many thanks Eric and Ted!

I'll work on it and provide photos - whether we botch it or not.

The other issue is the rail (I haven't seen it) is solid and has no telescoping ends. So I need to figure out a method of holding the new end and the weight of the rail into place while the 'glue' dries. Thoughts?

And what 'glue' to use?

Cheers

Graeme.

[EricL]

Hi @Noyade

I suggest using T-Rex 48mm x 32m Strong Duct Tape to hold the entire assembly in place while the tile adhesive dries off. Fair warning, this tape is extremely strong and sticky. Make sure to hold the towel rail in place while removing this tape.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Noyade]

Thanks Eric!

Any recommendations for the tile adhesive? One that's quick drying, hopefully.

[EricL]

Hello @Noyade

Since you only need very little glue and grout, I suggest using Dunlop 250g White Ready To Go Tile Adhesive And Grout. It's an all-in-one product, so you don't need to buy grout. However, I suggest that you let the bottom part dry out first before grouting the towel rail holder.

If you need further assistance, please let us know.

Eric

[Noyade]

Thank you Eric!

I do appreciate the advice and product information - which makes this site so great.

[Noyade]

G'day @EricL and @TedBear 

This fix was a long time coming due to some issues and family politics, so I only managed it yesterday.

And it was much "tougher" - literally - than I first thought.

Possibly due to the double brick wall and 1965 tiling standards the tiles felt very firmly attached. I can only assume a modern gyprock wall would have been an entirely different matter?

The hand grout remover proved ineffective and too slow for the confined area so I went with a cheap low-powered multi-purpose tool with a ceramic disc. This actually saved the day. I tried the the ball pein hammer technique Eric, but nothing cracked and as the swinging arc got bigger - hitting accuracy declined, so I went with a flat cold chisel and hammer. It was still tough work and eye goggles were essential.

And it would appear this is not an original 1965 rail attachment (repair?) as I see old liquid nails?

Behind that looks like more old grout?

I'm not sure why the cavity is deeper that the tile thickness?

Nearly there...

Liquid nails and more old grout behind that?

Eric, the glue/grout and tape choices were superb.

Thanks for looking.

[TedBear]

@Noyade you have my complete admiration for your dedication to the task of restoring that style and also for an excellent looking outcome (looking beyond the tape), despite the surprising challenges. ✅