DIY Fix: Removing an Off-Centered Towel Bar and Repairing Tile with a Simple Trim Solution

Every so often I grab the hammer on impulse and demo something without fully planning the follow-up. That’s what happened when I finally took a long look at the towel bars in our hall bathroom. One of them—a small bar mounted awkwardly under the window—had always annoyed me. It stuck out visibly from the hallway and ended up half-covered by the shower curtain. There was also room for a hand towel ring near the sink that would have been more practical, so I decided to remove the offending bar.

I carefully pried the mounts off with a flat-head screwdriver and a light tap from a hammer. The holders came off easily, but not how I expected: they were inset into the tile rather than adhered on top. That left two visible holes in the tile where the mounts had been sunk. At first I panicked—those small circular voids looked terrible against the vintage tile.

Rather than rush into a tile replacement, I looked for a simpler fix. Inspecting the window more closely, I noticed there was trim on the sides and top but nothing along the bottom. Adding a short piece of white wood trim under the sill would balance the window visually and cover one of the damaged tile spots. For the second hole, we planned to hang a long shower curtain from a higher rod, which would obscure it until we could source a matching tile. It wasn’t a permanent tile restoration, but it was a practical, low-cost temporary solution that eliminated the eye sore and improved the window’s appearance.

I asked my husband for help—there’s a definite charm in showing up with a sheepish “I went a little crazy” look and asking for a quick fix. He removed the small piece of faux shoe molding beneath the sill by prying it out gently. Then he cut a piece of scrap trim to match the other windows’ profile: straight down the sides with a small 45-degree cut on the bottom corners, using a miter box for accuracy. He attached the trim with small angled finish nails, tapping them in with a nail punch to avoid denting the wood.

About twenty minutes later—and with no materials purchased—the bottom trim was in place. I painted the small piece with leftover trim paint from the basement, and the result immediately looked intentional. The window now reads as a finished element, and one tile damage spot is completely hidden. Installing the shower rod higher and hanging our long curtain will conceal the second damaged spot until we can find a matching tile for a permanent repair.

Why this small project matters: it’s a good example of practical DIY problem solving for common bathroom issues. If you remove a towel bar and discover inset mounts or damaged tile, consider whether a cosmetic change—like adding trim or altering curtain placement—can hide the damage temporarily while you search for an exact replacement tile. This approach saves time and money, keeps the space attractive, and gives you breathing room to complete a proper repair later.

Final outcome: the bothersome off-centered towel bar is gone, the window looks more balanced, and the bathroom reads as intentionally designed rather than retrofitted. Once we source a matching tile, we’ll do a full repair, but for now this quick trim fix and a higher shower rod are exactly what we needed.

I’ll take this little victory. Sometimes a small moment of demo mania leads to an even better design—and a story to tell.

Psst—Curious about that silver nozzle next to the toilet tank? It’s part of an easy toilet upgrade we’ve done before. Also, we’re planning a DIY first birthday for our daughter and have been sharing early ideas over on BabyCenter.