Gatco 4293 Latitude II European Tissue Holder, Satin Nickel

This is a very attractive toilet paper holder that looks more expensive in person than in the photo or than the low cost would suggest. They lose one star from me for cheaping out on the wall anchors. This toilet paper holder needs to be tight against the wall, and I think it's easier to get it to stay tightly mounted to the wall with better wall anchors than the 20 cent plastic ones they include. I'm sure others have better luck with the included wall anchors than I did, but consider the following suggestions before proceeding. Decide before drilling which wall anchors you want to use, because once you drill two holes big enough for the included wall anchors, only a few hardware store wall anchors will fit in those holes if the included ones are not good enough for you either.

If you happen to be installing this TP holder directly over a wooden stud behind the wallboard, you do *not* need and should not use any wall anchor. In that case, you do *not* want to drill a hole large enough for a wall anchor. If you have no studfinder, drill a pilot hole using a drill bit slightly smaller than the included screws to see if there happens to be a stud there. If so, you're in luck and should skip the wall anchors. Drill another pilot hole and screw the mounting plate directly to the stud.

In the likely event that there is no wall stud behind the wallboard where the TP holder is being mounted, you would ideally need a 5/16" drill bit for the included wall anchors. Note that 5/16" is slightly larger than a 1/4" bit many drill bit sets cap out at. If you don't have it/can't borrow it, you may want to order this bit with the TP holder or plan a trip to the hardware store. You can also probably succeed with a little more time and effort by just using a 1/4" drill bit and wobbling it around in the drilled hole to enlarge it an additional 1/16".

Work to get each wall anchor *tight* and flush (so to speak) against the wallboard, in front of and behind the wallboard where you can't see it, or this TP holder will wobble and could pull out of the wall with use. Personally, I couldn't get it tight enough with the included anchors. To be successful, it's important to keep tightening the screw past the point where it is flush with the mounting plate.

I abandoned ship on these included cheap wall anchors and used a couple of better ones from the hardware store. Choose and use with care though, because you want wall anchors that will not get hung up on each other behind the wallboard as you tighten them. The two screws on the mounting plate sit pretty close to one another, so if you get spreading wall anchors, you will have to position them with care so that their wings spread and remain off the vertical axis in relation to one another so they don't tangle. You also need to get wall anchors with screws small enough in diameter to fit through the mounting plate holes. (This is why I suggest only a few aftermarket wall anchors will fit in pilot holes already drilled for the included plastic wall anchors. Home Depot did have ones that worked for me, but most of the choices they carried would not work.) Another workaround in this situation where you tried the plastic anchors and want something more stable after drilling 5/16" pilot holes would be to spackle the pilot holes you drilled for the plastic wall anchors, give it a couple of days to dry, and then start over drilling smaller new pilot holes for smaller aftermarket wall anchors.

Study the tiny diagram showing how to mount the small wall plate with care. There's only one correct way to orient it. Backwards or upside down will not work. Once I switched to better-quality wall anchors from a hardware store and positioned everything correctly, installation was a snap. Most importantly, once successfully installed, this TP holder is very attractive and feels very solid and securely mounted on the wall.

This item is high quality and matches perfectly with the other satin nickel fixtures in the powder room. Also it generates much less paper dust than the old style holder we had. Replacing the rolls is super easy so I am hoping that the other members of my family will be able to master that task now.

Buy Gatco 4293 Latitude II European Tissue Holder, Satin Nickel Now

I am a retired residential remodeling contractor with more than 20 years of experience remodeling and repairing bathrooms and kitchens. It is actually possible that this fixture could by installed by a very knowledgable contractor under certain conditions (see the 3 star review above). Irrespective of how they are fastened to the wall, TP holders of this design have two critical design shortcomings.

First, there is only a single mounting post. This means that any strain placed on the cross bar of this type of fixture, whether or not it is holding a roll of tissue, will have a levering effect in the form of increased torque on the mounting bracket. Over time, this repetitive torquing will loosen the attachment to the wall, not to mention damaging the wall.

Second, the cross bar is off center which only increases the levering effect should someone grab the fixture to regain balance when sitting down before toilet use or when getting up after use. In all my years as a remodeler, I rarely saw one of these fixtures with a level cross bar.

This fixture design may be considered stylish by architects and interior designers. Manufacturers may produce them with expensive finishes and charge the consumer a hefty price. The majority however, are cheaply produced knockoffs and sold by the likes of Home Depot and Lowes. The point is that the laws of physics are not suspended. This type of fixture is typically located when it can be easily bumped, grabbed hold of, twisted, or pulled on. It is located in place in the house which is visited by female occupants up to five times a day, and males at least once a day. No longer are most bathroom walls composed of thick plaster over metal lath with or without a ceramic tile overlay. Today's home typically has 1/2" gypsum drywall surrounding the toilet. An extremely conscientious contractor will provide wooden blocking behind such wall surfaces wherever the homeowner plans to attach surface mounted fixtures such as tissue holders, towel bars, safety grab bars, etc.

Considering the realities of bathroom construction, wouldn't manufacturers be wise to ask of each item in their product line "how well will this product work over the long term for the homeowner who buys it?"

Read Best Reviews of Gatco 4293 Latitude II European Tissue Holder, Satin Nickel Here

I purchased this to replace my old toilet paper holder which wouldn't stay straight.

What I really like about this version is that the mount holds straight and this has a very solid feel. (as compared to the one we had previously)

Also very helpful that the small allen wrench comes with the packaging which is nice so I can keep it in the bathroom for easy removal for installation and removal for any painting

Want Gatco 4293 Latitude II European Tissue Holder, Satin Nickel Discount?

The product looks great and is easy to install. But, after a week of use I am not sure it is going to make it more than a few months.

The horizontal bar has already loosened from the post and the toilet paper has taken on a bit of a lean. It no longer sits perfectly level.

I will take it down and see if there a screw that can be tightened between these two parts, but really, why do I have to do that?

Oh right... I paid $16 for a toilet paper holder.

Obviously, this could be solved if the arm and the post were cast as one piece. Obviously, such a product wouldn't cost $16.

If you are one of those people that doesn't notice little things like the toilet paper looking slightly crooked, then 5 starsit looks great and is cheap.

If you are like me and do notice such things... steer clear and save yourself the daily frustration of thinking about how you can't get something that performs as expected for under $100.

Save 30% Off