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Tell me about the soap holders in your tiled shower.

3 years ago

Hi all. My new shower is going to be 3' x 5' with ceramic tiled walls, in a bathroom with a generally late-1920s vibe. I will definitely have a niche, probably a fairly long one along the side wall of the shower, and use that as the main place to store shampoo bottles, and as an opportunity to use some contrasting color tiles for decorative effect. But what about bar soap storage? What's the best solution? I've never had a soap dish sit in a niche and not get messy. I've seen some nice metal baskets to mount on the wall and have been happy enough with those for soap-holding when I've encountered them in hotels, but I'm not sure how they hold up over the long term and whether they ultimately deteriorate or compromise the tile where they're mounted. And I'm not sure about the look of cluttering up a tiled bath with little metal projections. Thoughts? Pictures to share? Thanks!

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Comments (10)

Karen
3 years ago
First of all, I would recommend you stop using bar soap all-together. The soap scum (lots) it leaves versus that of shower gels (hardly any) swore me off bat dial decades ago.

I like a recessed area for taller bottles and a shorter area for things like a razor, loofah, etc. look at what you use on a regular barista and make sure the cutout area will handle it. Will try to post a photo I’m planning on in my remodel in a minute.
Karen
3 years ago
Darn typos! Meant to type : “Bar soap” and “basis” instead of “bat dial” and “ barista@.
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Karen
3 years ago
I think this one is pretty and practical.
maddybeagle
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks, Karen! I'm not going to give up bar soap at this stage of life. I have a few varieties that work with all my skin and scent sensitivities and I'm not going to mess with success. That 3-level niche is a really nice idea. It looks like the low niche for the soap might help prevent so much water from landing on top of the soap.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
3 years ago
I'm not a niche/tile fan. It's nearly impossible to get the geometry to line up right and they can be waterproofing problems. Silicone some pitched Corian shelves please. No mechanical fasternes breaking the waterproofing and they're completely reversible. No geometry fights either.
maddybeagle thanked Joseph Corlett, LLC
maddybeagle
Original Author
3 years ago
Joseph Corlett, LLC I like the idea of completely reversible, if they'd really hold up. Do you have some pictures of what this setup looks like?
recordaras
3 years ago
I’m curious to see as well. I love the way niches look, but from a practical standpoint I am not putting one in when we remodel - cleaning a large walk in shower is a pain to begin with, but the niches just kill me! We’re in a humid climate too, so they basically exist to grow all strains of mold even with weekly cleaning and a minimal amount of bottles.
eld6161
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
I love my niches. Where do you keep all the things you need? Soap, shampoo, conditioner, pumice stone, shaver?

I have never been disappointed with any of my niches and have never had any issues. That said, my DH is very knowledgeable and Oversees all our renovations.
FL Person
3 years ago
I just installed a Schluter Shelf-W in my newly tiled shower.

I think it's a very slick solution. You can see it on the right-side wall, below the lighted niche.
maddybeagle thanked FL Person
maddybeagle
Original Author
3 years ago
FL Person That is an ingenious system. I'd have to think about whether they'd work with a period-ish style.

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