Replacing a broken rod; installing the fixtures.
To replace a broken towel rod, you must first remove one of the fixtures that holds it in place. Unscrew it. Or, if you find no screws, pry it loose at the bottom, then pull outward and upward to remove it from the clips beneath. Replace the rod with a new one or with a wooden dowel; reset the fixture. Sand a dowel and seal it with three coats of enamel or polyurethane, sanding lightly between coats.
When a broken towel rod is set between ceramic fixtures mounted flush with the wall tile, it’s easier to replace it with a meta! expansion rod of the same diameter than to remove and reset the fixture. However, if the ceramic fixture has come loose, pry it off the wall; with a stiff putty knife, scrape as much tile adhesive and grout as possible from both the fixture and the wall.
Remount the fixture with plaster of paris, which sets quickly; remove excess before it dries.
To install a new towel rack, first mark the positions of the fixtures: then mark all holes in the fixtures or mounting clips. Drill holes for the screws. (To drill through tile, use a masonry bit it and the slowest speed of a variable-speed drill; wear goggles. To avoid cracking the tile, apply light drill pressure. ) Insert screw anchors in the wall; then install the fixtures and rod.