I'm trying to wrap my head around how shower niches work when they're installed in walls. Does the wall need to be a double wall, or is it a single wall with the niche cut out? I'm also curious if the niche goes all the way through the studs and touches the drywall on the other side. Any insights would be great!
3 Answers
Shower niches are usually placed between the studs, and they can extend through to the opposite drywall. They typically have some sort of framing around them for support, both vertically and horizontally. You want to ensure it's well-supported for the tiles that you’ll be putting on.
The standard setup for a niche is around 3 inches deep, which means you lose about half an inch once you factor in the waterproofing and tile backer. If you need a deeper niche, consider framing with 2x6s or even 2x10s like one guy here did for extra space for products. Just make sure the bracing above and below is solid!
In my case, the niche goes right through the wall and nearly touches the drywall on the opposite side. What I did was waterproof the drywall and used tile backer on the inside of the niche, waterproofing that too before tiling. Just keep in mind some folks have had issues when drilling for anchors on the other side—they might accidentally drill into the niche.
Good tip about the drilling! I hadn't thought about that and will have to be careful.
Ah, I see! So they don’t just sit flush against the studs? That makes sense.