shower niche problems

Received 672 Upvotes on 595 Posts. my contractor just bought a shower niche (link below) and wanted to leave it as is. Importance of regular cleaning: Regular cleaning helps to keep the shower niche looking its best, as well as prevent the buildup of mold, mildew, and other potentially harmful substances. But I would be grateful if you could let me know what would be the best way to do this? They had framed one out but not structurally so after reading this and showing this to my contractor we are re-doing a small niche within existing framing to be safe. The Top 4 Shower Niche Problems to Watch Out For The shower niche inserts generally come 16" wide so they fit directly between your wall studs, which are spaced out 16 on center. Bathroomaholic.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Worth It? After a shower wall is tiled, its too risky to attempt to repair or re-build a shower niche at this point. Thank you for your comment! Can you shower when the power is out? This will help us get appropriate repairs. The easiest option would be simply to install your shower niche below 3 feet. The inside of the niche measurements are 12" x 20" (305 mm x 508 mm) and 12" x 28" (305 mm x 711 mm). Both if we wanted to keep the niche? Whether youre looking to increase accessibility, save space, or simply, Having the right shower head can make all the difference when it comes to taking a shower. We are currently in a remodel and was thinking of this horizontal niche with a light in the top corner. The long shower wall backs a walk in closet. We are in Chicago which of course gets very cold in winter. Hi! The Truth About Shower Water, Our Guide to the 14 Types of Shower Heads: How To Choose, Shower Tech Showdown: Smart Showers vs Digital Showers, The 8 Surprising Shower Filter Benefits for Skin Hair & Health. Sorry I couldnt come up with an easier solution. It depends a lot on how cold it gets in the garage but even if it doesnt reach freezing temperature, moisture could still easily condense in the stud cavity. I just did a 52 linear niche in an exterior 24 stud wall cavity. Just to be clear its the type of niche that you have chosen to install thats likely the problem, not your contractors installation strategy. Will Your Toilet Eventually Unclog Itself? We had a niche installed (3-1/4 inches, 4 with the listello) in an outside wall of a shower. A shower shampoo niche can be vertically or horizontally elongated and accordingly, the number of shelves can be arrived upon. It seems like you also felt some pride and satisfaction from your accomplishment as you should. If this happens, it could eventually cause mold growth or tile delamination even if water doesnt get into the wall cavity. The bathroom wall is 5 long, and once you get past that, you are in an unfinished space next door. I was even thining if it was perhaps we could use small steel beams to support the weight. 3 Major shower niche problems 1. Talk to your contractor about it, because its extremely important that you avoid this huge shower niche install mistake. The only difference is that if you install a thinner panel like the acrylic type, the perimeter flange will protrude a little from the finished acrylic wall surface. If horizontal tiles are installed first, the water would have to move upslope under the wall tile in order to make it to the wall, which is much less likely. It is difficult to install a waterproof membrane after the fact. For more shower niche ideas, click here. The seven most common shower problems are: Clogging and Inefficient Draining Low Water Pressure Noisy Shower Rattling Shower Pipes Leaky Shower Head or Faucet Bad Smells Inconsistent Temperature Let's discuss them in more detail along with how you can fix them 1 - Clogging and Inefficient Draining Hi we're Denise and Tony! I aim for a 18-in. If this gap is any smaller, you should surround the niche body with spray foam. Thank you for your comment. In our case, there would be a good 6 inches distance between the shower wall and the rest of the bathroom wall that is facing outside. ANSWERED: What Is a High-Pressure Shower Head? Wow! Does this change things or is the condensation problem still an issue regardless? Beyond that, you must do everything you can to limit water vapor transmission through the shower wall. Good luck with your shower project! This movement frequently leads to grout line cracking in the shower niche. The niche is placed into this hole, and the outer flange on the niche is pressed against the tile. Although not a great solution, your only other choice might be to install a retrofit niche with and overlap flange (as long as the whole is exactly the right size, that is). If the sealant is compromised here, water could recede into gaps with nowhere to drain. For assistance with a shower wall panels installation or factory-direct DIY shower wall panel supply contact Innovate Building Solutions at 877-668-5888. Have I got this right? There is a lot more I could say on this, but I think you get the picture . Wipe off any excess sealant. If you need help with shower niche placement and design feel free to check out my Shower Niche Planning, and 9 Great New Shower Shelf Options posts. The encouraging thing about prefab foam niches is that it should never leak even if water pools at the base (unless its been damaged). Your email address will not be published. Hi Steve, we are in the process of renovating our two bathrooms and are planning to install a shower niche in each. For most shower niches, a regular cleaning every 1-2 months is recommended, with more frequent cleaning as needed. Whether you or your contractor uses a liquid or sheet style waterproofing membrane, it does not matter, as long as you dont skip this important step during your next shower remodel! Thank you for the article. Some materials, such as stone and metal, are naturally more resistant to water than others. If there are hairline cracks here (there often are after the grout has broken away beneath) moisture can infiltrate and pool over the silicon bead. There were so many things done that we now realize were probably not done well/correctly. The cracks often start as fine lines at the corners, which may not be immediately noticeable. A Complete Guide on Rain Shower Head Pros and Cons. The standard depth of a shower niche is 3.5 inches, the width of a wood stud. Without a waterproofing membrane, this movement almost always causes grout line cracking in your shower niche. Its time to take control of the situation and restore your shower to its former glory. question about shower niche and placement of handshower/corner shelves No thinset on Durock cement board for shower wall? Hello again. for pricing and availability. Recently my bathroom was remodeled with a niche installed. To be sure, you really should consult a local contractor familiar with the insulation and vapour control requirements in your area. This is usually done by cutting a recessed area into the existing shower wall and installing a niche insert or lining. something you can easily avoid. Hello again. They claim 56 height is industry standard. This post is for information purposes only and should NOT be interpreted as professional advice. Most electrical & plumbing codes accept 16 gauge steel (1/16) for protection plates, so thats what I would suggest. If you have a standard 3 1/2 stud framing in this outside wall, its very likely that theres a condensation/mold problem behind the niche, regardless how well they waterproofed it. Required fields are marked *. It is the area one would usually step into to wash themselves, away from the water stream. If there is no moisture issues behind the niche, you could consider applying new tile over the old tile at the back of the niche. Specify all sides and back of your niche. I am not sure I understand exactly what you are describing, but it sounds like your contractor is creating a waterproof recess out of hydroban board to accommodate the niche. 2) Our contractor told us he plans to prep the hole for the niche, install the ceramic tiles, then as a last step, apply the niche on top and finish with a bead of silicon to waterproof it. The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Really good article. 2) for the niche, he will set up later after he start installing the tile from the bottom, so he can know where the niche goes and make it looks better with the tile. Whether you are bathroom remodeling, building a new home, or simply upgrading your current shower, there are many reasons why it is a perfect solution. However, even the smallest cracks allow moisture to seep in and penetrate through the seams of the backer board, reaching the underlying framing and damaging the entire shower wall. This would also assume that the wall tile could still be continued seamlessly around the niche and into its interior. Instead, I recommend going for a shower niche that is almost invisible to the eye. You didnt mention how much of your 64 wall will be occupied by the proposed horizontal niche, but as long as there is room for a narrow stud bay on each side of the header (around 6- 10 each side), you should be OK. In severe cases, it may be necessary to remove the affected materials and replace them with new, mold-resistant materials. Can I add a shower niche after my shower has been installed? Acrylic tiles are a popular material for walk-in showers due to their durability and ease of cleaning. We will be using a prefab EZ-niche, thank you for the suggestion above of coating it with red guard for substrate adhesion, we wouldnt have thought about using that since the niche is water proof by design. And some moisture will pretty much always make it behind your niche. What Liquids Can You Use To Unclog A Toilet? If you can get foam behind it, professionally installed spray foam would be best. Just rememberFRAME it like a window and waterproof! I think it would be a good idea to get some kind of written assurance from your tiling contractor that your shower was rebuilt by qualified installers following the industry best practices. Although it is a growing trend, there, Read More The Top 4 Shower Niche Problems to Watch Out ForContinue, Are you renovating your bathroom and wondering whether to install a shower curtain or a shower door? Repair options: If your shower niche has already become warped, there are several repair options available. For a shower remodeling project in Northeast Ohio call Cleveland Design and Remodeling at 216-658-1270 or The Bath Doctor in Columbus at 614-252-3242. Therefore they hold water. Although they are less durable than some other materials such as ceramic or stone, they can provide a long-lasting and attractive option for your shower niche if properly maintained and cared for. Thanks for your article. Any ideas on how this might work best? The shower environment is harsh due to its constant exposure to water and fluctuating temperatures. To patch the drywall is pretty easy if you look it up online. The shower niche may be a bit off-center, but it's purpose is simply to hold shampoo, soap or other bath needs. Installing a waterproof membrane behind the niche and using high-quality grout and sealants can help to prevent water damage and reduce the risk of warping. For example, ensuring that the niche is properly waterproofed with a high-quality waterproofing membrane, and that the niche backer board is compatible with the materials used in the shower. I would guess that using Kerdi Board in this situation compromises the firewall. And please let me know if you need more help, and good luck with your project! We are doing an accessible shower for my son but the bathroom will also be used by guests who come to visit. Regardless, its difficult to predict what will happen if its installed over the membrane before the wall is tiled. Plainly, it looks really bad and we would like to remove and retile the back of the niche. Is there anything that you can tell me that might ease my concerns about the HOA wanting to inspect our unit for any potential damage to shared walls which they said they have the right to do from time to time as written in the CC&R? In other wordswhen the people at UL gave you their opinion, they may have assumed that the tile substrate was fire rated drywall, not foam backer board. Some alternatives to a shower niche include shower caddies, shower shelves, and shower baskets. Where to Place the Shower Niche? In-depth Guide for Homeowners I would even buy a can of spray foam so you can spay around it and use it to set the niche into. Shower Niche Installation Tips and Tricks - Making Manzanita Do Shower Filters Work? Getting back to your question Yes, installing a Schluter foam niche will be better than installing the diy niche you described. Slant the bottom of the niche just enough so that water flows out of it, but not so much that bars of soap and bottles of shampoo slide out. 1-piece shower niche with recessed shelf Perfect for storing soaps, shampoos, razors, and other shower supplies Install either horizontally or vertically to best suit your shower Ready to tile: install tile directly on niche surface Customize shelf with the tile of your choice to fit the look and feel of your shower (tile not included) Wish we would have known some of this 5 years ago when we had our bathrooms professionally remodeled. In addition to moisture buildup, improper ventilation, poor ventilation and drainage, and using non-waterproof materials can also contribute to the growth of mold and mildew in shower niches. Thank you for commenting! And if the niche is mounted in an outside wall, this is a whole other ball game. The tiling flange that surrounds the niche, is designed to extend out from the mounting surface a full 1/2 so that you can surround the niche with tile as thick as 3/8, but you can also surround the niche with an acrylic, stone, or glass shower panel if you like. I believe industry standard height is 44-48? What do you think about ez niche? You can read more about this in my waterproofing post. If anything they are more tilted to back which is even worse. As far as I am aware, the Redblock niche and the Easy Drain niche are the only stainless steel niches designed to bond with the shower wall waterproofing membrane. You should keep in mind that the niche must be attached to the shower wall before the acrylic/glass/stone panel is installed so that it can overlap the mounting flange (M-block flange) and bond to it via a sealant. The shower is tiled in plain white subway tiles and this is what is bordering the niche.

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