In this Shower Niche Buyers Guide I will review products from each of the 3 categories of shower niches.
I’ve chosen a few products that are popular in bathroom renovations today – products that I have personally installed as a bathroom remodel contractor. I’m Steve from Redblock Industries (Steve’s Bio) with another post in my Shower Niche series.
My reviews will start with a brief description of the product and my opinion of it. I’ll also include the product cost, estimated install labor cost, and links to sites that sell it.
Ok, let’s get into it!
Three Niche Categories:
Tile Ready Prefab Shower Niche
Finished Shower Niche (requires no tiling)
Custom Built Tiled Shower Niche
Tile-Ready Prefab Shower Niches
Prefab Foam Niches
This style of prefab niche is made out of 1/2″ thick foam board with a coating that’s designed to bond with most standard thin-set tile mortars. This type of niche can also be called a “tile ready” shower niche.
They are relatively easy to install but require some additional support framing behind the mounting/ bonding flange so it can be firmly attached to the wall framing.
The backer board must be cut away to make room for the installation flange and expose the framing. This allows the install flange to be flush with the surrounding backer board surface and for easy bonding to the waterproofing membrane.
Application of a strip of waterproofing tape around the niche perimeter integrates the niche with the waterproofing layer on the surrounding shower wall.
It should also be mentioned that since they are made out of foam core board, they can be damaged or perforated fairly easily, requiring careful handling during installation and tiling.
There are two types of prefab foam niches, Membrane coated and Cement coated.
Membrane coated niches have a foam core but are coated with a membrane that facilitates the bonding of tile thinset mortar to its surface. These are more vulnerable to damage than the cement coated prefabs.
Cement coated niches are coated with a layer of fiberglass mesh that’s imbedded into a cementitious layer. This combination promotes thinset bonding but also makes the niche surface more rigid and impact resistant than membrane coated prefab niches.
Membrane coated Prefab Foam Niches
Kerdi Board-SN Shower Niche (12″x20″)
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This is a membrane coated prefab foam niche and is one of the most popular (in terms of sales) because they were the first company to develop this type of niche.
There are a few sizes available so you can choose the one that best suits your needs. These niches are a perfectly fine choice if you’re looking for a tile ready niche that is in the size ranges offered.
My only critical comment would be that they are very vulnerable to damage during shipping and installation. But if they are installed without damage, it’s all good.
Niche Cost: $103.05
Labor Cost (Approximate): $200 USD
Noble Niche
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This is a membrane coated niche that’s easier to install because it has no installation flange to attach to the surrounding wall framing. Instead, the install instructions indicate that you simply cut a hole into the backerboard, then glue it to the drywall on the back of the stud wall.
This installation would save you some money because no additional framing support is required behind the installation flange because there is no installation flange. However, I personally to not approve of this installation method because the niche is not mechanically connected to the framing/ tile assembly, which could cause some very big problems down the road.
For example, if someone decides to replace/ repair the drywall on the other side of the stud wall, the result would be disastrous because the niche is actually connected to this drywall with glue.
Even if this event did not occur, over time there would likely be some grout line cracking and/or tile delamination surrounding the niche since it’s not mechanically connected to the rest of the tile assembly.
Another glaringly obvious problem is that it’s only designed to be installed only into a standard 3-1/2 inch stud cavity. A 5-1/2 inch stud cavity would obviously not work since the niche is glued to the back of the stud cavity. This would cause the niche surface to be recessing below the wall plane by two inches.
Niche Cost: $61.43
Labor Cost (Approximate): $100 USD
Cement Coated Prefab Foam Niches
Wedi Niche (16″x22″)
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This is the most popular cement coated prefab foam niche. This is also my favorite tile-ready niche, and I’ve installed it many times for clients.
Wedi was the first company to produce a cement coated shower niche as part of their Wedi Shower System. This system includes cement coated shower tile backer board, shower pans, benches and accessories.
Niche Cost: $91.53
Labor Cost (Approximate): $200 USD
Hydro-Blok Niche (16×22 inch)
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This niche is very similar to the Wedi niche due to its cement coating. This one is a bit more expensive because it’s the curved ceiling model. Otherwise, their pricing is comparable to Wedi.
Niche Cost: $140.51 USD
Labor Cost (Approximate): $200 USD
Prefab ABS Plastic Niches
This type of prefab shower niche is also quite popular, but not as popular as prefab foam niches. They are made out of plastic (ABS) instead of foam board and come in various sizes depending on the manufacturer.
Their installation procedures are the same as a foam niche, so the backer board must be cut away to make room for the installation flange and expose the framing (where flange is attached). This type of “flush mount” niche also requires additional framing behind the installation flange for support and attachment.
These niches are preferred by some because of their increased rigidity and resistance to damage during handling, while others feel that they’re a hassle because a solvent-based tile adhesive is required for tile fixing, rather than a standard thin-set mortar.
Some of the manufacturers suggest that modified thinset can be used to attach tile to their surface while others only say to use the “appropriate tile setting adhesive”.
You should also mention that I’ve read the “Approved Substrates” list on many different brands of tile thinset mortar, and I’ve never seen “PVC plastic” in this list.
I think it’s also suspicious that none of these plastic niche brands mention the water permeance rating of their niches. A “waterproof” material like plastic does not mean that these niches have adequate Perm Ratings. As such, I would suspect that their ratings might be a bit worse than the foam niches, but I have no data to support this assumption.
I personally would not install any plastic shower niche unless my customer demanded it. Even then, I would install it only under protest :).
That said… here are some popular plastic niches.
Redi Niche, by Tile Redi (16×20 inch)
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This niche is installed in very much the same way as the prefab foam niches are installed. They both require that support framing be installed behind the installation flange so they can be screwed mounted.
Both types of niches also require that a strip of waterproofing tape be applied around their perimeter to seal the margin between the niche and the surrounding backerboard. This also serves to integrate the niche install flange with the shower wall waterproofing membrane.
Niche Cost: $66.00
Labor Cost (Approximate): $200 USD
EZ-Niche (14×22 inch)
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This plastic prefab tile ready niche is a little different from the Redi niche because the installation flange is very thin and designed to overlap the backerboard instead of cutting away the backerboard to screw it directly to the framing.
Although the manufacturers seem to brag about this “feature”, I actually consider it a potential problem, rather than an advantage.
First of all, the installation flange creates an unnecessary obstruction on the shower wall that would not be there if you installed a flush mount niche (like Redi Niche or any of the prefab foam niches).
I also believe that their effort to make the install flange extra thin has actually compromised its structural integrity, creating a very real risk of fracture between the flange and the niche box.
They also mention that it eliminates complex back framing, yet the install video shows the installer screwing it into the wall framing on two sides. This means that it still requires installation of at least one piece of horizontal back framing, making the install only just slightly faster than any of the flush mount niches.
I think it’s simply a flawed design, so I would not recommend it to any of my clients.
Niche Cost: $68.54
Labor Cost (Approximate): $175 USD
Finished Shower Niche (No Tiling)
There are two categories of finished shower niches, Membrane Bonding Shower Niches and Overlap Shower Niches. Each of these categories can include products made from stainless steel, ceramic or plastic.
Both types are only installed during construction/ remodelling of a new shower wall. That means that they cannot be “retrofit” installed into an existing shower.
Both these categories include niches that are finished, so there’s no extra labor cost for tiling. However, there would still be a labor charge for backer board cutting and framing attachment.
Membrane Bonding Finished Shower Niches
Redblock Stainless Steel Shower Niche (10×14 inch model)
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This shower niche is constructed of Marine Grade 316L brushed stainless steel sheets, welded into a seamless unibody frame that installs quickly and bonds with any shower wall waterproofing membrane via its installation flange.
Seamless stainless-steel construction means it’s completely waterproof and vapor proof. This is something no other type of shower niche can claim.
A popular feature is the 3mm slotted shelf that’s welded into the niche side wall. Water drains away, allowing your soap and everything else to stay dry between showering.
It also includes a built-in tile border flange that serves as a tile trim around the niche perimeter.
Full disclosure: I designed this niche with my brother Dave. We designed it to meet my customer’s needs, and to meet my own objective of creating the highest performance shower niche available.
Niche Cost: $429.00
Labor Cost (Approximate): $200 USD
F-Box by Easy Drain
Sorry that I don’t have an image of this niche but you can view it on their website.
This is the only other membrane bonding stainless steel shower niche available on the market in the US, as far as I know.
The installation involves two separate parts which makes it a bit more complicated than the niche above, but it bonds easily with the shower wall waterproofing membrane and is very high quality.
The only downside to this niche is the high price of the unit itself as well as the slightly higher installation cost (two separate parts to install).
Niche Cost: $800.00+
Labor Cost (Approximate): $300 USD
NOTE: This niche is not available at most home improvement retailers. You need to check with a plumbing or tiling wholesaler for pricing and availability.
Overlap Finished Shower Niches (no waterproofing)
Overlap niches are the most deceptive of the two “finished” niche types because their installation looks very simple to the untrained eye.
In fact, it looks very much like your contractor could simply cut a rectangular hole in your existing tile shower wall and simply slip it in – a true “retrofit” niche. Super easy, right?
Unfortunately, nothing in life is that easy. In fact, there’s no way that anyone could safely (or easily) cut a rectangular opening into an existing shower wall without damaging the tile assembly and breaching the waterproofing membrane.
The only way to install this type of niche is to get your contractor to install it during a new shower remodel. Specifically, he/she would cut a rectangular hole into the shower wall backerboard specifically for your overlap niche before tiling.
This hole would remain in the shower wall until the wall was tiled, and the entire remodel was finished. The overlap niche would then be placed into the hole with a bead of silicon under the overlap flange to “glue” it to the finished tile surface.
This installation method is a violation of “best practice” in the bathroom remodel industry. As such, I always recommend against installing these overlap niches if my clients ask about them.
The crazy thing is that this installation requires essentially the same amount of labour that a membrane bonding shower niche involves, yet it leaves a gigantic hole in your shower wall (and waterproofing membrane), that’s covered only by the niche and one single bead of silicon.
Ceramic Shower Niche – by Shower Shelf
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This type of finished overlap niche is made completely out of ceramic and has a finished glazed surface. The higher radius (curvy) look of it conveys a bit more of a classic feel compared with the more modern tiled niches or finished stainless steel shower niches.
As mentioned above, installing this niche requires that a hole be cut into the backer board during a full shower remodel. The shower wall is tiled around the hole and the niche’s overlap flange is glued to the finished tile with a bead of silicon.
As with all overlap niches, this niche cannot be screwed to the shower wall framing and does not bond to the shower wall waterproofing membrane.
As I also mentioned before, I do not recommend that any shower niche be installed if it cannot bond to the shower wall waterproofing membrane because if the increased risk of moisture leakage around it’s perimeter.
Niche Cost: $220.00
Labor Cost (Approximate): $100 USD
Stainless Steel Niche by Bernkot
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This is yet another type of finished overlap niche constructed of welded stainless steel sheets with a brushed stainless steel finish (a few other finishes are available).
This finished prefab shower niche differs significantly from the finished membrane bonding shower niche products above because it doesn’t have an integrated mounting/ bonding flange, cannot be screwed to the shower wall framing and will not bond to the waterproofing membrane.
In other words, since the installation method is the same for this niche as it is for all overlap niches, it shares the shares the same disadvantages. As such, I do not recommend installing this style of shower niche.
Niche Cost: $95.00
Labor Cost (Approximate): $150 USD
Swanstone Solid Surface Niche (15x 22 inch)
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This again is a finished overlap shower niche that’s constructed of plastic (acrylic) and installs in an identical manner as the other overlap niches.
According to the installation instructions, it comes with adhesive strips to allow you to attach it to the tile surface. This installation method essentially guarantees that water will eventually get behind the install flange and into the stud wall.
A big difference between a plastic overlap niche, and a steel or ceramic niche, is that the surface will eventually discolor and become brittle with exposure to heat and light (as all acrylics do).
This means that it will not last as long as the stainless steel or ceramic finished overlap niches, even if it is cared for gingerly.
Again, I do not recommend this niche because it doesn’t have an integrated mounting/ bonding flange, cannot be screwed to the shower wall framing and will not bond to the waterproofing membrane.
Niche Cost: $229.00 USD
Labor Cost (Approximate): $100 USD
3. Custom Built, Tiled Shower Niche
Although it’s a lot more work than installing a prefab niche, some would say that the best shower niche is one that you can build yourself from scratch, so it meets all your needs perfectly. That’s why I thought that I needed to include custom niches in my review.
Although it’s difficult to estimate costs for a custom shower niche because of varying materials AND labour costs, I can definitely say that it’ll be significantly more expensive than installing any prefab shower niche.
To provide you with some perspective, SKG Renovations (my remodel company) charges a minimum custom shower niche cost of $800 (materials and labour) to construct a custom built, tiled shower niche out of foam backer board material.
As you would expect, this cost increases as the size increases. Expanding the niche size vertically is the easiest and least expensive.
The costs increase significantly if the niche expands horizontally, meaning it would span more than one stud cavity. This always requires additional structural support framing to be installed which is a lot of extra work.
Here’s a custom shower niche I built recently. You can see by the image below that it’s a floor to ceiling custom niche made from Wedi Building Board, and finished with composite marble tile and stainless steel shelves.
Wrap Up
Whether it’s a prefab finished shower niche, prefab tile ready shower niche, or custom shower niche, there is much to consider when choosing the best shower niche for you and your family. I hope that my practical shower niche info, reviews, and costs, has provided you with some insight. Good luck on your journey!
If you are still confused about the fundamentals of shower niches, check out my post, Complete Shower Niche Guide
And don’t forget to leave a comment or any questions you may have about the different shower niche types and models. I’m excited to hear from you!
This post is for information purposes only and should NOT be interpreted as professional advice. You should always consult a licensed local contractor before undertaking any remodeling work in your home. Click here for my full Personal / Professional Disclosure.
