The Evolution of a Shower Niche

Sep 17, 2015
2 min read

The niche nightmare is over. For years contractors had no option but to build shower niches from scratch. The problem was, often this would be a weak spot in you waterproofing system and leak would occure. Not anymore, the one piece waterproof niche is here to stay.

As you can see in Photo No. 1, the purple plastic niches are stacked two high. They are simple to install. First you waterproof your shower walls to create a water tight barrier. Next you mark your niche location using a template included with your niche. Then you cut through the waterp

roofing and drywall to make an open hole to receive the niche. Make a mental not of where you palan to place the niche while installing drywall to make sure no framing members are in your way. Finally, install a bead of silicone caulking to the back side of the niche flange all the way around. This will seal the flange to your waterproofing. Now firmly push the niche into the hole and make sure the flange and sealent are in contact with the waterproof wall.

Most one piece niche brands come with hole in the corner for attaching the niche to the drywall. I find the sealant does a good job of holding the niche in place until it is tiled in so I pass on using the screws. Make sure you place a leve on the top flange of the niche to confirm it is level.

Another good tip is to precut and fit all of your niche tile prior to installing your niche. I even go as far as to install the back wall mosaic tile while the

niche is out and I let it sit for 24 hours prior to installing the niche. Make sure you are using modified Thinset or you run the risk of adhering issues especially on plastic niches.

Another thought is how you plan to frame the niche. is tile installation is not your strong suit I would recommend installing your niche tile then framing it like a picture with bullnose tile or trim tile. The framing method will hide a lot of flaws. If you feel confident in you tile skills and you have a quality saw and blade, you can install the tile as pictured in Photo No. 3. The wall tile was cut here to overlay the niche tile and it gives a clean punched out look, but beware this takes patients and it is unforgiving to the beginner.

*Chris Gallo is the qualifying partner for Platinum Construction DBR. He has been licensed as a general contractor in the state of California for 25 years and his company services all of So. California. You can contact him with questions at cgallo@PlatinumDBR.com