We have not tested any bar. This page tells you what to buy by the spot, using the ADA Standards as the yardstick, so you can check any maker's listing against it. Medicare questions are answered below.
What every bar has to meet
The ADA Standards cover public buildings. Your home is not bound by them, but they are a fair spec to hold a bar and an installer to. These numbers come from the U.S. Access Board's ADA Standards, chapter 6 (read November 2026):
- Height (609.4): 33 to 36 inches above the floor. That is about kitchen counter height.
- Thickness (609.2.1): a round bar is 1-1/4 to 2 inches across, so a hand can close around it.
- Space to the wall (609.3): 1-1/2 inches, so a hand fits behind the bar.
- Strength (609.8): the bar, its mounting and the wall must take 250 pounds of force at any point.
A bar can be rated well above 250 pounds and still come off, because the wall is the weak part. Look for the maker's note on what the screws must reach. Concealed-screw bars hide the fasteners, so you cannot see whether they found wood.
Beside the toilet: 42 inches on the side wall
The standard puts a bar on the side wall that is at least 42 inches long, no more than 12 inches from the back wall (604.5.1). A second bar, at least 36 inches long, goes on the back wall (604.5.2).
Many bathrooms have a wall on one side only, and some have none. With no side wall, a wall bar cannot do this job. Ask an installer about a floor-mounted or fold-up frame.
Check the spot with your parent. Have them sit and stand up. Mark where the hand lands. The bar goes there.
What to buy: a straight stainless bar listed at 42 inches and 1-1/4 inches thick or more, with a stated load rating and a maker's sheet you can read. That is the side-wall length and the ADA thickness.
The catch is the wall. A 42-inch bar rarely lands on two studs, so plan on opening the wall for blocking or fixing a backing board. If that turns the job into a remodel, our senior bathroom remodel cost estimator gives a low-to-high range.
In the tub: more bars, shorter
The tub is wet, slippery and has a high edge. The standard for a tub without a permanent seat asks for two bars on the back wall, each at least 24 inches long, a 24-inch bar on the end wall by the faucet, and a 12-inch bar on the far end wall (607.4.2). With a built-in seat the layout changes (607.4.1). Two 24-inch bars cost less than one fancy long one, and they do more.
A suction-cup bar belongs in a hotel room for a weekend, not in a tub where someone leans on it.
What to buy: 24-inch straight bars with the same thickness and load rating as above.
The catch is the surround. Tile over thin backing or a one-piece fiberglass unit may have no wood behind it. Find out before you drill, and call a handyman if the surround is fiberglass.
At the shower door: reach it before the wet step
In a walk-in shower the risky moment is the first step onto a wet floor. A bar by the door lets a hand lead. When you use more than one horizontal bar, the standard asks that they sit at the same height (608.3). A 16-inch bar fits a short wall beside the door, where a 24-inch one will not.
The tradeoff: a short bar gives a short grip. If your parent needs support along the wall, use a longer bar if the wall allows. If you are weighing bars against a bigger change, see our cost comparison of walk-in tubs, walk-in showers and grab bars.
Before you order
- Measure the wall, not the room. A bar 2 inches too long will not mount.
- Find the studs. If they are in the wrong place, plan for blocking.
- Read the maker's sheet for the fastener and the wall it needs.
- Keep the receipt. A bar that sags in the first month goes back.
Frequently asked questions
Does Medicare cover bathroom grab bars for seniors?
Original Medicare generally does not pay for grab bars. Some Medicaid programs, VA grants and local grants do, with their own rules. Our page on whether Medicare pays for walk-in tubs, stair lifts and grab bars goes through who might pay.
What is the best grab bar for Mom or Dad?
A straight stainless bar, at least 1-1/4 inches thick, in the length the spot needs: 42 inches beside the toilet, 24 inches in the tub. Fixed into a stud or blocking, it can take the 250 pounds the ADA test uses. A suction bar cannot.
Where should grab bars go in a walk-in shower?
Put one where a hand can reach it before the feet are on the wet floor, and keep horizontal bars at the same height, 33 to 36 inches. Test the spot with the person who will use it.