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Need guidance on how to build shower niche

11 years ago

Hi Everyone,

We are having a 3/4 bath remodeled in about 2 weeks. Contractor we are using (who has done alot of work for us in the past and does great tile work) doesn't have much experience building shower niches...and we want 2 of them. Says most of his clients want shelves, which is fine in our other bath/shower, but this shower is pretty small and we really don't want anything jutting out.

Can you direct me on how you built yours? Or direct me to a website that can help? Thanks.

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Comments (3)

MongoCT
11 years ago
You can buy manufactured niches or custom build your own.

Manufactured, follow the installation instructions.

To build your own, frame out the opening, line it with cement board, then cover it with a topical membrane. I pitch the shelves a bit for drainage.

Some membranes can be applied over drywall, so if the back of the niche is the back side of the drywall on the "other side" of the wall, you can apply the membrane to that.

Skip through most of this thread and you'll find some niche photos. In this case it's Kerdi membrane for waterproofing. But Nobel, Hydroban, RedGard, etc, all are fine. Some of the "paint on" membranes may need reinforcing fabric in the corners.
bill_vincent
11 years ago
Much better to build and waterproof your own, so that your installer can lay it out to full tiles.
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Read the instructions for the specific niche you purchase. Some niches get mounted on the framing studs and the cement board goes over the niche flange. Others have the cement board go on first and the niche flange sits on top of the cement board. Regardless, it's a good idea to use a topical waterproof material like Redgard on the cement board around the perimeter of the niche, 8"- 12" or so works well. Going backwards, normally you'll have a barrier like 6-mil sheet polyethylene on the framing before you install the cement board. For great protection, if you can install the niche and stretch the polyethylene back into the stud bay without having to cut or tear the poly, it'll provide a bit more insurance against water intrusion.
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I used crema europa limestone for most of my shower and used a 4" border of granite (antique labrador) around the ceiling, and another 8" band of the granite around the base of the wall, and a pair of 3/4" bands of the granite 6ft up the wall. Due to the porosity of the limestone, I chose to use labrador antique on base and back of the two niches in the shower. Also, I used a slab of the labrador antique on the 5 ft bench in the shower. If you choose to use the limestone for your niche, you may want to investigate how sealants my help prevent staining. Due to my concern about staining the limestone, I used the same granite for my water closet floor and main bathroom floor as well as on the vanity's counter top and part of the backsplash. Kelley
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1. Sheetrock the entire niche and front face There's no reason to sheetrock the inside of the niche if you plan to insert a box made by your cabinetmaker. 2. Have my cabinet maker build a "box" that I insert into the sheetrocked niche. The box should be smaller than your framed rough opening, and shimmed into exact position during installation, much like a door or window. 4. Add shelves. I would have the cabinetmaker prepare the way for shelves by either making them integral to the box, drilling adjustable shelf support pin holes or letting in some metal support strips. ...beadboard or paneling ... I'd probably have the cabinetmaker use beadboard paneling for only the back panel of the box. If you want to use it on the sides, it might be better to use a solid wood product instead of the paneling. ...do I need to use a "box"... No, you don't need to use a box but the result is likely to be much rougher. If you drywall the inside of the opening then its surfaces will not be flat and square, so fitting the shelves will be much more difficult. Supporting the shelves would probably require ledger strips screwed through the drywall into the framing, with the shelves sitting on top. There'd also be no reason to apply any trim around the opening. I'd stick with plan A. ...in the picture, the shelves look so cleanly attached. No cleats/pins means the shelves are not adjustable. There's more than one way to skin that cat, but I'd guess they were nailed into the box before it was installed in the wall.
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Catlady999 the light over the shower was installed by a licensed electrician who was doing a bunch of other work in the house but thank you for bringing that up! *Update* good news: my mom said she's going to tell the guy to stop working in the bathroom area and just focus on getting the other things (painting, drywall) so hopefully this means we'll be getting a real professional who knows what they're doing!
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cat_mom
11 years ago
DH built all of our niches. I don't think he found them difficult to do. He framed them out between the studs (while framing out the walls, pitching them properly), installed the hardibacker, and then applied Hydroban. We had to size and locate them around stuff in the walls (e.g., pipes, electrical wiring that couldn't be moved), and we took storage needs, and aesthetics into consideration as well (the wider, rather than taller shape of the niche in the MB was done so deliberately, to play off the field tile's shape/orientation).

Once the tile started going up, DH did have to do some last minute (late at night!) adjusting or tweaking of the niches (and then get three coats of Hydroban on the revised niches before the tile guy arrived at 8:00 AM sharp the next morning!). In some of those instances, it had to be done regardless, and in some, it was our choice to move the niche up, down, or over an inch or more in order to avoid losing that inch or more of niche space (in order to allow for full tiles around the niche, or to allow for pattern continuation, etc.).

Our tile guy was meticulous about following, and continuing the tile patterns throughout, above, below the niches, and in keeping full tiles around the niches as well, so despite the extra work (and the late night grumbling by DH), we were more than willing to do our part to facilitate this.

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