Shower Nook – How I Added a Niche in Our New Shower

Hello and welcome back!  I have to admit I’ve sort of been putting this post off for a while.  I’m so glad I added a little shower nook when I built the walk-in shower, but holy moly it was one of the hardest projects I’ve done so far.  I knew we would need a nook because of the way this shower was set up, we didn’t have any place to put the bottles and razors and what not.  So, right before I started tiling, I decided to add a shower nook.  

To do this, you’ll need to first decide where you want your nook (duh).  I thought I would put it as a focal point as you look into the shower, but there was a pipe in my way, so I decided to put it in the new wall.  I knew there wasn’t anything inside that wall, and as it turns out I like it much better here and I was able to do my focal point wall with mis-matched tile.

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There are two routes to go here.  You can follow my steps below, or you can buy an insert like THESE.  This may save you some time, not sure.  You’ll still have to do most of the steps and they have sort of mixed reviews.  I would guess they work fine but are unnecessary if you want a certain size.

Materials Needed

Level

Jab Saw

100% Waterproof Silicone

Fiberglass Waterproofing Membrane Fabric

Waterproofing Membrane

(check hardware store for smaller size – you won’t need much)

Tile and Materials for tiling

Tutorial

So, the first thing you need to do it cut the hole out.  I had a super hard time with this part.  We had installed cement board on the back of this wall.  You can read more about cement backer board and why it’s good for wet areas HERE.  It’s great stuff, but it’s a pain to cut, mainly because it’s, well….cement.  Anyway, after you figure out where you want it, you’ll need to mark the space. You can customize your shape, but if you buy an insert make sure and use the template to figure out your shape.

Next, you’ll need to cut your space out.  I tried a variety of different tools, but it worked best just to use a regular little jab saw and elbow grease.

I’m quite sure there is a better tool, but I don’t have it.  Believe me, I tried everything I had.  Decide on your shape and get it all cut.  I had to add a couple of 2x4s to separate my hole into 2 spaces, a larger one for bottles and the smaller one for razors.

I used pocket holes and screws to attach the 2x4s to the studs.  Then I cut small pieces of backer board to add to all the sides.  Again, this was not easy.  Cutting backer board, especially smaller pieces,  is just the worst.  If you buy the insert you can skip this step.  Once I had everything cut and screwed into place, I put 100% waterproof silicone in all the cracks.

You are going to want this space to be waterproof.  Since wet bottles and what not will be sitting on the platform, this is the perfect type of place to start growing mold.  So, in addition to the backer board and the silicone, I used the fiberglass tape and some waterproofing membrane to fill all the cracks.

THIS video gives a great breakdown on how exactly to do this and I highly recommend it if you are going to try to do it. This is how it looked when I was done.

So pretty, huh?  Now it all waterproof and ready to tile.  I started the tile from the bottom of the shower and worked my way up.  Tiles were placed randomly on the floor and walls to better mimic real wood.  So, when I got to the nook I basically had to cut out the pieces to fit. This one looked like an Oklahoma, which made me happy.

I tried to line the edges up with the edge of the nook to make fewer cuts.  Just make sure you don’t shorten the overall length of the tile or it will look weird.

Once I got the outside tiles done, I started working on the inside.  I used clamps and 2x4s to hold pieces in place until the grout dried.

Then just grout, and it’s done! So, not super easy but it was worth it.

We have a nice little nook that fits perfectly into the side of the wall.  It’s got a few imperfections, but not bad for my first try ;).

Have any questions?  Ask away!  Ever done a shower nook before?

Thanks for stopping by!

April

Shower Nook DIY

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