removing a tile towel bar

amyrdh

Hi, I am updating my bathroom and need to remove a towel bar. It's the ceramic kind you usually see attached to tile like the ones in the shower, but it's attached to drywall. The house is only a couple of years old, so it's still pretty sturdy. Can anyone tell me what holds these on and how to remove them with minimal damage to the drywall? There are no visible screws and it looks like it's been sealed around the edges. Thanks, Amy

Teetorbilt

Good news and bad news. Bad news first; these are usually mudded in which means removal is going to take some drywall repair. Good news is, it's really not that bad.
Remove the towel bar, I use a sawzall but many methods will work including a swift blow with a hammer. Check for any electrics in the wall and make a rectangular cut around the holders with the sawzall or razor knife and stay about 3/4" from the holders. Remove the holders and you will have 2 rectangular holes in the wall. Patch the holes and paint.
If I plan to put in a new bar, I'll reinforce the area using a 1X4 for a backing plate prior to installing the drywall patch.