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A grab bar is needed in the exterior wall, which is made of aluminum siding. How?

location

Ideally the grab bar would go at chest height on the narrow section above the steps (to the left of the garage door). Best location would be in the middle of that section (in terms of left to right), but at the corner should also work.

Each section of siding measures almost 8 inches in height (up and down).

Later on there will be a ramp but that will take some time to organize and it's not needed yet.

Upstate NY climate, if that matters.

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  • 4
    What's behind the siding?
    – Hot Licks
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 18:54
  • 2
    Are you sure you need to mount it to the siding? Are there no other options, such as a pair of posts? Siding penetrations need to be done carefully or they open the wall up to water ingress and decay. Please revise to add detail about the wall construction. (It's not made of siding. It's just covered with it.) FYI, it's probably steel siding. Test with a magnet if you're curious.
    – isherwood
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 19:58
  • Also tell us the size (vertical dimension "to the weather"). That's important for any good answers. Small 3" and 4" profiles don't offer much space for mounting over the top. A clear photo of the scene would be golden.
    – isherwood
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 20:13
  • Agree that a railing on posts would be waaay better than puncturing siding. If you sketched your needs, we could probably suggest good solutions.
    – Aloysius Defenestrate
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 20:33
  • 1
    The siding has no strength. The bar must be attached to something structural that the siding is attached to.
    – Harper - Reinstate Monica
    Commented Mar 24, 2023 at 21:56

1 Answer 1

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A grab bar should be mounted into studs.

Most likely it is near a door, so get a stud sensor and find where the studs are from the inside. Should have two studs together at the door side and the next one should be ~16 inches away.

Take the carefully made measurements and transfer them to the outside.

You probably have 1/2 inch sheathing on the studs plus the siding, so will need at least 2 inch long or longer screws.

Try to mount near the top of the siding so you do not squeeze the sliding too much.

You will need to seal the grab bar where it mounts to the wall/sliding to prevent water/rain from getting into the wall.

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  • Seal with what, please? We'd like it to be vertical as that has worked well between the screen door and the front door. If the corner stud is 4 inches wide, then would the screws go 2.5 inches in from the corner?
    – aparente001
    Commented Mar 28, 2023 at 15:28
  • @aparente001 Usually some type of external caulking between the grab bar and the sliding to seal the holes.
    – crip659
    Commented Mar 28, 2023 at 15:41
  • Thanks. If the corner stud is 4 inches wide, then would the screws go 2.5 inches in from the corner? Also, is 4 inches realistic?
    – aparente001
    Commented Mar 29, 2023 at 3:10

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