I know they look pretty, but have you owned/used a shower with a built in bench? I did one in my master bath and rarely used it because it was hard and cold to sit on. For any future bathroom projects I plan to have a custom teak bench made for the space, which will be more comfortable to sit on and can be removed/moved if you need more room in the shower.

Hmmm. I feel like that would slide around or scratch my shower base, no? I have a shower now that's all 1 piece acrylic with the bench formed into it, and I like that...foot rest, seat when I broke my foot, place to set too many product bottles, ha!

I love my teak bench. It has a bottom shelf for products and rubber adjustable feet to make it both level and slip proof. I also like that it can move under my center hung ceiling rain can if we want

I have a built in bench and I LOVE it. I used it for every shower as it gives me a place to relax while performing grooming in the shower. Even just sitting on the bench for a few minutes in the warm air is relaxing and I get to really admire my new beautiful bathroom.

I had surgery which required me to have a bench for a few weeks as a safety precaution so I had a moveable bench. I HATED it because it was obtrusive and made it hard to clean around it. If I didn't want it physically in the shower, I had no place to store it.

I just don't understand why people seem to dislike the built in shower benches. Mine is an attractive design feature and there is nothing negative about it - at least in terms of how I use it.

ETA I use my hand held to spray the bench with hot water so it isn’t cold at all when I actually sit on it. 😂🤫. Mine is constructed from a remnant of marble from my counter as is my shower curb.

@Helen Do you have any pictures? Does yours hang like this? I'd love to see it. Thanks!

@roarah Beautiful shower!!! Where did you buy your bench? Do you have a link? Thanks!

Will let you know. Have one ordered and will install late January

@Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor sounds great! Please post when it's up...though mine might have to be in by then :) Are you using the invisibolts? or how are you planning on hanging yours?

I bought it a few years ago and it has worn well and it is presently on sale. They might have a 36 inch now but when I was searching they did not so I have this 30” one. https://www.wayfair.com/CoastalVogue--30-W-Teak-Shower-Bench-GR155-L7325-K~CSTV1050.html?refid=GX444243424512-CSTV1050_52817325&device=m&ptid=1029384449441&network=g&targetid=pla-1029384449441&channel=GooglePLA&ireid=130338332&fdid=1817&PiID%5B%5D=52817325&gclid=Cj0KCQiA2af-BRDzARIsAIVQUOd-AI8LW3ozsFvP3PwGY-0ympky-o55RZi-1_Jdtse_XW-IbATjSm0aAl0PEALw_wcB

Mine doesn’t float. I was just commenting on why I preferred a built in bench - that I preferred it to a movable bench and that it wasn’t cold at all because I took a few seconds to spray it with warm water from the shower head which I was using anyway before I sat in the bench. 😀

Mine is the standard bench which is solid. I hadn’t considered one that floated and I wouldn’t want to deal with cleaning under a floating bench. But that’s me as I tried to balance aesthetics with function. I used marble in the bathroom so I am not solely about function and I also don’t mind the aesthetics of the built in style either.

But built in or floating. It is still a choice between whether a fixed seat is more functional than a stool or movable bench. And also whether one likes to have seating in the shower at all. I use mine constantly and is one of the best parts of my bathroom remodel. Just in time for the pandemic 😀

I wouldn’t want a floating bench although they are beautiful. who would want to get on your hands and knees and clean under it? (unless you have a maid I would do a solid built in)

I am feeling ashamed to say this but the shower I posted above is four years old in the above picture. I have not scrubbed the floor once and no mold or grout discoloration. I do squeegee the walls and glass after each shower but with a proper slope, epoxy grout and proper waterproofing and a weekly spray with disinfectant and rinse no scrubbing is needed. I was thinking the floating shelf was actually more hygienic no unseen water damage or mold...

I dislike both built in benches and niches in showers , I love a foldable teak bench I choose to use or not and I have no idea whay people want to high light shampoo bottles . I am a clean freak and yes I would need to get on my hands and knees to clean under the bench. I have also found leaks seems to be an issue often with both benches and niches.

My shower can only be seen in the room when one goes to enter the shower so the products are not at all on display unless you are the showeree who is going to use them and I prefer cleaning the ledge to wire racks. Much easier to disinfect.

I am a clean freak too but an educated one. That picture was taken yesterday without cleaning it first to show a bench it is always clean and has never had mold. If you let disinfect sit for ten minutes weekly there really is no need to scrub unless you have discoloration or mold and those issues mean most likely there is an issue with build of the shower. Germs are killed by the disinfectant, stains are scrubbed away so if you avoid mold no need to scrub and mold is avoided with proper water drainage and proofing. If you have a confident tiler your bench and niche should be fine. I opted out of a tile bench for cost concerns.

We’ve been in our new build for 2 years. We have a floating bench (attached on 3 sides). I do NOT like cleaning under it. I hate it and i hate the tile I used in my shower floor. I contacted our tile setter because we plan to replace the floor tile and asked about taking the seat down to the floor. Our tiler said “no” to changing the seat. I will still have to clean under it, but I hope having a different tile will help. (I made the mistake of using a tile with an indented profile very other tile and water and scale build up on the dark gray tiles.). Think hard about the floating bench! It stays moist under it for longer than the open part of the shower.

Venessa, would using something like a swifter mop work for cleaning under your bench instead of on your hands and knees?

Roarah - I think it'll be easier once I change out my tile on the shower floor. I used a tile where every other tile has an indented center and water pools in them, despite using a squeegee on the floor. The flat tiles dry off immediately. The indented ones don't. I didn't even think about those darned tiles when I picked them because I liked the color and shape!

Personally, I have had both a teak bench and a tiled bench. I was happy with my tiled bench until I got a teak bench and it is just so much better. There is no way, I will ever go back to a tiled bench again.

We had something similar to this in our last home (I haven't remodeled the baths in our current home).

It fit into a niche in the wall that had a bit of extra storage. It could be lifted for cleaning if needed and my wife could lift it no problem. It could also be removed if we didn't want it in there.

I am not sure I would do that again. My current bench is moveable and it is pretty convenient so I will probably continue doing that.

They're great! We just did one for a client out of the same solid surface as the counters. The fabricator/installer just has to add steel supports and anchor them to additional blocking or studs behind the wall. Our clients wanted an aging-in-place shower so we did a barrier-free shower with sliding glass doors, a hand-shower, and the bench. We also put a grab bar just below the niche.

Redwood City Kitchen and Bath Remodel · More Info

Redwood City Kitchen and Bath Remodel · More Info

I wanted to add that if you do a bench, have an adjustable shower head installed so that it is easily accessible when sitting on the bench.

I had two adjustable shower heads - one near the bench and one in the usual place near the fixed shower head.

It is so convenient to be able to use the shower head while sitting on the bench - and hang it again with no effort. It also means that I don't have the adjustable snaking through the shower if I want to use it at the bench.

FWIW the benches are generally constructed with solid surface - most people use remnants from their counters. A tiled bench would be somewhat unpleasant to use and less easy to just swipe clean.

Just remember that, when you sit on a floating bench, it exerts considerable force on the wall due to the cantilever. Substantial hidden supports that penetrate the wall are necessary, and if they are not done just right you could end up over time with leakage into the wall if the bench gets flexed repeatedly. As nice as a floating bench looks, I'd go with a support at each end, like a Parsons table, that didn't exert the kind of forces that a floating bench does. I'm not saying that you shouldn't do it, but it adds complexity to the waterproofing system and requires a contractor who is knowledgeable enough to do adequate and proper supports...including ones that won't rust over time.

You all may have talked me into a movable bench :) How's the saying go...keep it simple, stupid!

Floating style makes the shower look bigger (essentially it's wasted space under it) but its a bit harder to clean. Wife uses it to shave her legs or else it's nice to sit on if you don't feel good and want to pretend you're in a sauna and close your eyes. I definitely don't do that if I'm ever hungover

Planning ahead, gettings ideas, to have a shower added to the 2pc bathroom in the master.

i like the idea of a built in bench.

a marble or granite piece dor seating souvds like a good idea make it easier to clean makes sense. but which of the 2? we are gutting thr bathroom, and would be adding electric heated floor wiring, should we add it to the shower seat and tiled shower floor be a good idea?

what is the minimum size for a shower with a built in bench?

@roarah beautiful shower! We are planning a remodel. what type of finish on the tiles did you use for the showert floors and walls? Are they anti slip porcelain? or?

you mentioned you use anti bacteria how what type of products? im anazed thr grout is super clean like day 1.

I have never had the water deep enough in my shower to have the bench float.

I have never had the water deep enough in my shower to have the bench float.

Mark Bischak, Architect - This one should fix your problem. Dollhouse Bench on Etsy

Me AGirl-

Embedding electric heating mats in the shower area itself is not a good idea. It doesn't add substantially to the feeing of warmth as the surface isn't much above ambient temperature, it takes a while before you feel it because it has so much thermal mass to heat after it's turned on, its contribution is overwhelmed by the temperature of the shower water immediately after the water flow starts, the tile would have to be torn out to make repairs if the heating mat ever failed, and most important -- since water and electricity don't mix -- such mats can pose a serious/deadly shock hazard if a crack in the mat ever develops (there are several other threads on Houzz that report such an issue).

@Me AGirl Most people use remnants from their counter for the bench as well as the shower curb. My counter is marble so that is what my bench is. I don't have any maintenance and it has been in use now for over three years. There are no stains and if there is any etching, it is certainly not anything I can see because etching is really only apparent in sunlight at certain angles - which just isn't occuring for me in the shower.🤷🏼‍♀️

In terms of size, my new walk in shower replaced the tub/shower in my master bath and follows that footprint so it isn't huge but is a comfortable size for my needs.

Don't forget to install grab bars as they need to be attached to the studs for safety and that is best done when the shower is being built.

I will only get it if it is made out of teak.