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How exactly does one install shower glass if there is no stud in the wall at the point of mounting?

I want to install a frameless glass enclosure (3/8"/10mm glass, about 75 pounds) . The closest stud is a few inches away, so not really helpful. I would like to avoid tearing the wall to install new studs. I should also mention this is a 100 year old house that we recently renovated. So while the drywall is new, it is over lath and plaster.

Will heavy duty toggle type anchors work? I found a video online where the poster used toggle anchors and says the glass door's been stable for 6 months. I'm not very convinced this would hold steady for the long term.

I'm hoping there are specialized heavy duty glass clamps/brackets that are designed for such "studless" situations. Even better if there exists a glass clamp with long bolts that can anchor into the brick layer.

One small but maybe important detail - the small section where the glass would anchor to the wall does not have lath & plaster. It was accidentally removed during the renovation which we later filled with insulation (section measures about 4-6 inches wide, floor to ceiling). So strictly speaking, the glass clamps would see the following layers: tile then drywall then insulation board then brick. If it matters, the rest of this bathroom wall has the following layers - tile then drywall then lath & plaster then brick.

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    You might be able to use long enough bolts to anchor into the brick wall, but then you're dealing with a long lever arm applying torque to the bolt/brick connection every time the wall moves (bumped during a shower, door opens/closes, etc.). Your best bet, long term, is probably to install blocking between the studs and attach the shower to that. Not a fun answer, since it probably means ripping out tile, finished drywall, etc.
    – FreeMan
    Commented Jun 10 at 17:11
  • Can you add a crude drawing of where the studs are and where the fixed panels and door are on all four sides? You should use studs but these details may guide any compromise.
    – jay613
    Commented Jun 10 at 20:57

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The glass in my shower is installed with "U clips"or fixed panel glass clamps. The swinging door is anchored at the bottom with a pivot hinge that is fixed to the sill. Most of the weight is then on the sill and not the wall. The pivot at the top holds the door from dropping, but it is subjected to far less force than if the glass were hanging from the wall. Pics added for clarity.

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  • this is exactly what I was hoping to learn of. Thanks for sharing. Did you too not have a stud behind the wall there? How long have you had this? and last question - what is your curb made of? I was going to go with the kerdi curb blocks but now with the curb support your solution relies on, I'm wondering if I should switch to using something sturdier like 2x4's or brick.
    – SamuraiJack
    Commented Jun 11 at 1:32
  • @SamuraiJack, I did have a full 2x6 behind the wall. I planned for needing it. However when the glass contractor came to measure, he recommended the pivot hinges, as they would not sag over time, for obvious reasons. My curb is a synthetic marble cap over brick and mortar. I have a concrete slab. I wanted something that could take the weight of the glass.
    – RMDman
    Commented Jun 11 at 12:02
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If you have door hinges mounted to this part of the wall, you have to break it open and install backer. Otherwise, for fixed glass panels or a floor-mounted door hinge, you can find the best compromise and if it begins to fail, then break the wall open and do it properly.

You can't just screw through to the brick if there is a hollow wall in between. You'll crush the wall when you tighten down the bracket.

Mounting to the wall with just drywall and tile my fear would be vibration causing cracked grout lines or breaking tiles. A couple of ways you might prevent this, though I don't love either of them:

  • Use large toggle bolts to spread the load across a few inches of drywall, and put a rubber bushing behind the glass bracket to absorb some of the vibration from the door, even if the door is not directly mounted there.

OR

  • Drill a oversized holes through the tile/drywall for the screws, place nylon spacers in the holes long enough to reach exactly from the face of the tile to the brick and mount the bracket to the brick with six-inch tapcons. The bracket will interface with the spacers, not the tile wall. Use a rubber gasket behind the bracket to absorb and minimize vibration on the very long screw.

Both of these might fail eventually. You might get lucky. I'm only suggesting these because you don't have much to lose. If they fail, then you open the wall rather than doing it preemptively.

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  • This is great - you provided 2 solutions AND laid each out in detail. Much Thanks! Once I finalize a glass installer, I'll keep this in mind along with whatever approach they suggest.
    – SamuraiJack
    Commented Jun 11 at 1:27
  • Ah! You didn't say you're having it professionally installed. This is after all a DIY site. So let me add: your installer will hopefully have FAR more experience than me. You should tell them what's behind the wall, just as you did here, and so long as they listen, understand, and speak from experience ... you should listen to them, not the internet, even if it's me :) :) If they are dismissive and just want to get the job done and leave ... you should find someone else.
    – jay613
    Commented Jun 11 at 2:03

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