Grab Handle Loose

A big call out to Grit dog and the value of information shared on this forum.
I epoxied in 2-3 toothpicks yesterday and installed longer bolts today. It appears there really wasn't anything to grab to. I couldn't get the bolts to pull down really tight. Didn't want to squirt in a large amount of urethane glue and wait for a few months (or go buy a 2 part automotive urethane) so I followed Grit dog's other suggestion. There was actually room to drill another set of holes on the other side of the bracket. I drilled new pilots, hit wood, and installed the original screws on that side.
Everything is now very tight.

Note: Lend-a-Hand puts a steel nut on a stainless bolt holding the handle. The nut was frozen on and I twisted & broke the bolt trying to remove it. Now I have to go buy a new 1/4 x 3" stainless bolt. They could have added a tiny bit of never seize at the factory and saved me this aggravation.

I had no backing on my NL camper when I needed a 'help me handle' I drilled the holes where I wanted it. It was nice and hollow in there which I expected, so I took a tube of Polyurathane and squirt about half a tube in the 2 holes and pushed long screws into the poly taped the handle in for 2 months. Been there over 10 years that way. Just fill the thing up all the way, even if it takes a whole tube and stick the screws in.

Liquid backing.... no toothpick dowel biz, that only holds to the skin.

Grit dog: the brackets are pretty much created/formed for two screws.
I'm going to combine resin and toothpicks. I'd use gorilla glue, but it foams. The foam isn't that strong when there is a hole and it is messy. I think fiberglass resin or epoxy will be better in this case.

Good idea to fill the holes with some resin, gorilla glue, epoxy etc and then re drill.
Also are the brackets big enough that you could drill them for a couple additional screws in a different location as well?

Darsben1: Interesting idea. The handle holes are about 5" from the edge of the door, which would put the holes through into the bathroom. I could drill through, put in a backing plate and run bolts out. I'll have to give some thought to that.

I noticed the manufacturer only uses screws that extend 3/4" into the wall beyond their bracket. This is a joke. I have 1 3/4 inch of wall. I think my first approach may be to use a slightly larger stainless steel screw that penetrates at least 1 1/4 into the wall. Much further and I could need that backing plate... That will give me more bite and bite into wood that shouldn't have had a screw into it before. (probing with a pick, it seems like the original installer drilled quite a ways into the wall)

On another forum I found the suggestion put some fiberglass resin on several toothpicks and insert them into the hole, pretty much filling the hole with toothpicks and fiberglass resin. Then redial and insert screws. I think I'll combine this with longer, slightly larger screws. If that doesn't work I can go to a backing plate.

Can you through bolt with a backing plate so you never have a problem again?