Fit a ceiling support for an L-shaped shower rail to a concrete ceiling

Fit a ceiling support bracket for an L-shaped shower rail, matched correctly to solid concrete, timber battens or metal furring.

CS-01Plan the layout and gather your kitMark on the wall and ceiling where the L-shaped rail will run. The corner where the two arms meet usually has no wall behind it, so this is where the ceiling support strut needs to land. Unpack the rail kit and check it includes a ceiling support arm and its own fixing plate.

1 each · L-shaped shower rail kit with ceiling support arm

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1 each · Dust sheet

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CS-02Find your stopcock and check for services before drillingBathroom ceilings can hide pipework, cable runs, extractor fan wiring or a downlight transformer, even above a concrete slab. Run a detector over every mark, but treat the ceiling as if something is there anyway - detectors miss deep cables, cables in metal conduit, and anything behind metal-backed board. Find your stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink) and check it turns freely, so you can shut the water off fast if you hit a pipe. If there's any doubt at all, isolate the bathroom lighting circuit at the consumer unit before you drill.

CS-03Work out exactly what's above the plasterboardSolid concrete gives a dull, solid knock all over and drilling produces fine grey dust straight away. Plasterboard on timber battens sounds hollow between fixing points, and a pilot hole brings out pale timber dust with hard resistance roughly every 300-400mm where a batten sits. Plasterboard on metal furring channels also sounds hollow, but a magnet run along the surface pulls in at regular intervals, and a pilot hole brings out bright steel swarf instead of dust.

CS-04Mark your fixing point and drill a test holeMark the exact ceiling support position, lined up with the rail's corner bracket. Drill a small 3mm pilot hole at this mark to confirm what you're into - concrete, timber batten or metal furring - and to check you're not about to hit a cable or pipe. Stop immediately if the drill judders into metal conduit or you see anything other than dust or swarf coming out.

1 each · 3mm HSS drill bit

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CS-05Fix into a solid concrete ceilingThis is the strongest option and the one most L-shaped rail kits are designed for. Drill with an SDS drill and an 6mm or 8mm masonry bit (check the size stated on your plug packet) to a depth of at least 40mm, then blow out the dust. Push in the correct-size Rawlplug and drive the screw supplied with the ceiling support bracket - this is a real pull-away load, so use the plug size the kit specifies, not a smaller one.

1 pack · Rawlplug masonry plugs (pack)

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1 each · SDS masonry drill bit 8mm

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CS-06Fix into plasterboard on timber battens or joistsIf your test hole brought out timber dust, shift the fixing point sideways until you're drilling into the centre of a batten or joist, not the plasterboard between them. Drill a pilot hole and drive a 50mm wood screw straight into the timber. Never rely on a plasterboard-only toggle fixing here - the steady pull of a shower rail is exactly the load that works a toggle loose over time.

4 each · Wood screws 50mm

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CS-07Fix into plasterboard on metal furring channelsA metal furring channel will not hold a shower rail on its own - it's only around 0.5mm steel, and the constant pull as someone leans on the rail or curtain will work a self-drilling fixing loose. Use a self-drilling metal-stud fixing for a temporary hold, but the proper fix is a timber noggin between the channels or a small pattress board screwed back to the concrete slab, with the ceiling support fixed to that. If you can't get into the void, fix through the board and channel into the solid concrete behind with a longer masonry fixing instead.

1 pack · Self-drilling metal-stud fixings (pack)

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1 length · Timber noggin 25x50mm

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1 each · Pattress board offcut

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CS-08Fit the ceiling support bracketHold the bracket plate against the ceiling over your fixing, check it's level, then drive the fixing home until the plate sits flush and doesn't spin. Don't overtighten into plasterboard - you can crush the board and lose grip rather than gain it.

CS-09Fit the rail's wall-end bracketsMost L-shaped rails still need a bracket fixed to each wall end. Bathroom walls are usually solid brick or block behind tiles - drill through the tile slowly at low speed to stop it cracking, then switch to hammer action once through the glaze, and plug and screw as normal. If a wall end lands on dot-and-dab plasterboard, fix through into the masonry behind - the dab layer leaves an air gap, so use a fixing long enough to pass through the board, the gap, and still get 40mm into the block.

1 pack · Masonry plugs and screws (pack)

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CS-10Assemble and hang the railFit the wall brackets onto the rail ends, then lift the rail into place and connect the corner to the ceiling support strut. Adjust the strut's length - most are telescopic - and tighten its locking collar once the corner sits square.

CS-11Check, tighten and test the whole railCheck the rail is level and square, then go round and tighten every fixing again now it's carrying its own weight. Hang your body weight briefly on the corner support to check nothing shifts, and recheck all fixings after a day or two of normal use, since some settle slightly.

CS-12Seal any fixing points near waterRun a thin bead of sanitary silicone around any fixing close to the shower spray, especially wall brackets near the enclosure edge, to stop water tracking into the wall or ceiling void over time.

1 tube · Sanitary silicone sealant

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CS-13Clear upVacuum up masonry or plasterboard dust straight away, it's sharp and gets into everything. Wipe down tiles, fold away the dust sheet, then check the floor and bath for stray screws before you finish.

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