A lot of people automatically think that painting a room will give it a new look. But that's not always necessary. Sometimes it's the simplest things, such as new accessories for the sink or a new shower curtain.

New towel bars are also a good idea and can do a remarkable job of not only giving your bathroom a new look, but new functionality as well.

Often these bars are added by the contractors who built your home. That's fine, but usually there's either not enough of them or they were put in places the builder thought was convenient, not where you actually need them. This is where new bars can be a real godsend.

The first thing to do, of course, is to shop for some new bars. There are lots of choices out there, from the more pedestrian types found at local hardware stores to really lovely ones that can be found online. A quick search of "towel bars" or "towel racks" should net you a good cross section of choices.

Towel bars come in specific sizes. If you have oversized towels, always order the next largest size. If your wall is a little small for it, you may have to cut the bar down a bit. But that's usually pretty easy to do.

Before you get to measuring and sawing, you want to remove the old towel bars so you can install new towel bars. Usually you simply have to pop off the cover plate or loosen the small setscrew that can be found along the bottom or top of the bar. Once it is removed, you can unscrew the mounting bracket. If your new towel bars are bigger, smaller or in a different location, be sure that you spackle over the old holes. When the spackle is dry, sand it and then paint over it.

Often, the towel bars you buy have a little paper guide to help you position the new brackets screws. If not, you're going to have to improvise by installing one first, then the other. A laser level comes in real handy when installing new towel bars. If you don't have one, you can always measure with a little less precision using a yardstick and measuring from the ceiling down on each side.

As you think about locations for your towel bars, you want to start by thinking about your day-to-day use of the bathroom. Before you ever install the new bars, use the tub, the shower, sink and toilet. Where do you automatically want a towel to be? This will tell you where towel bars should be installed as you do your bathroom makeover. Height is another factor. For instance, if you're installing a bar above the toilet, mount it high enough to be able to hang towels without them dangling too low.

Another smart strategy is to mount towel bars at different heights. This allows you to hang two towels or even more in the same space. You can even do a double bar on the top and a single bar on the bottom of the same space, allowing you to hang three towels. This is particularly welcome in a guest bathroom where visitors may need more than one towel.

Finally, don't overlook the back of the door for a bar. If your door has a little extra space between it and the wall when it's open, you can add towel bars down the back of it. This is a great place to keep beach towels or even dry those unmentionables that you never want to put in the dryer for fear of ruining them.

Author Jennifer Akre is an owner of numerous niche online stores that offer customers not only products, but information relating to furnishing and decorating indoor and outdoor living spaces. Whether you want to renew your deck or patio with teak tables or create the ultimate living environment with furnishing that is perfect for entertaining, there is a lot of helpful advice to take advantage of to make it happen. Click today http://www.edenvaleshoppes.com and indulge your senses.

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