Q:Â The screws have rusted on the grab bars in our bathroom. The heads of the screws are now gone, and I need to remove the screw shaft to install news screws. Any tips? Also, should I use brass or stainless steel screws with my stainless grab bars? The stainless steel screws rusted after 10 years.
A: Attempting to remove the body of the damaged screw from the existing mounting location will more than likely do more damage to the surrounding wall surface than you may be willing to repair. Instead, you can probably move the mounting plates slightly so that the new screw location will be adjacent to the existing ones. We recommend using stainless steel screws again as they are more durable and stronger than brass screws. To help slow corrosion, use high-quality stainless screws and inject some clear silicone caulking into the predrilled pilot hole before inserting the screw. Then put a small amount of silicone on the screw’s head itself to protect it.
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For more do-it-yourself tips, go to rosieonthehouse.com. An Arizona home building and remodeling industry expert for 25 years, Rosie Romero is the host of the syndicated Saturday morning Rosie on the House radio program, heard locally from 8-11 a.m. on KNST-AM (790) in Tucson and from 9-11 a.m. on KGVY-AM (1080) and -FM (100.7) in Green Valley. Call 888-767-4348.
