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How to Install a Shower Niche

Home/Resources/Bathroom/Installing a Shower Niche
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Written & researched by Priya Anand DIY & Tools Editor
Updated August 2026
Low-angle view of a person's hands fitting a new shower head in a tiled bathroom, in warm evening lamplight

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Installing a shower niche is an advanced DIY project that only makes sense during a tile shower build or a retrofit, and the difficulty is entirely in the waterproofing, not the framing. A preformed niche costs $30 to $80. Framing and tiling are within a skilled DIYer's reach, but the waterproofing must be continuous and tied into the shower wall system, and getting that wrong causes a hidden leak that rots the wall. Wet-area waterproofing is governed by tile-industry standards and local code, so if you are not confident in the membrane detailing, this is a job for a tile pro.

How to Build a Shower Niche — Home RenoVision DIY

Step-by-step: framing and waterproofing a niche

  1. Pick a safe wall and location. Choose an interior, non-plumbing wall not facing the spray, and center the niche within one stud bay at about 48 to 60 inches high. Confirm no wiring or pipes run in that bay.
  2. Cut and frame the opening. Cut the backer board or drywall to the niche size within the bay, and frame the top and bottom with blocking between the studs to create a solid rough opening.
  3. Fit the niche box. Set a preformed waterproof niche into the opening, or build the box from cement backer board, screwing it to the blocking. A preformed unit with a bonding flange makes the next step far easier.
  4. Slope the sill. Build or confirm a slight downward slope on the bottom ledge, about 1/8 inch per inch of depth, so water drains toward the shower.
  5. Waterproof continuously. Apply the waterproofing membrane inside the niche and lap it seamlessly onto the surrounding shower wall waterproofing, so there is no break in the barrier. Seal every corner and the flange. This is the step that prevents leaks.
  6. Flood-check if possible. Confirm the shower waterproofing system is intact before tiling; a compromised barrier must be fixed now, not after tile.
  7. Tile the niche. Tile the back, sides and sloped sill, keeping the niche edges on grout lines or full tiles. Use a bullnose or a metal edge profile to finish the front lip cleanly.
  8. Grout and caulk. Grout the field, but fill the inside corners of the niche and the niche-to-wall junction with silicone, not grout, so those movement joints do not crack.
Golden-hour view of a person's hands fitting a new shower head in a tiled bathroom

Tools and materials

You need a drywall or backer-board saw, a drill/driver, framing lumber for blocking, a preformed waterproof niche or backer board, a waterproofing membrane compatible with your shower system, thinset, tile, a tile saw, grout, and silicone. A niche is built as part of a larger tiled shower, so it belongs with the wet-area work in this hub; see our bathroom floor tiling guide for the substrate and waterproofing fundamentals, and pairing a new shower with a fixture from the shower head roundup and a shower filter completes the upgrade.

Low-angle view of a person's hands fitting a new shower head in a tiled bathroom, in soft overcast light

Waterproofing and code

A niche is the highest-risk leak point in a shower because it is a hole in a wet wall. The waterproofing membrane inside the niche must tie continuously into the shower wall waterproofing with no gap, seam or unsealed corner, and the sill must slope to drain. Preformed flanged niches exist precisely to make this reliable. Wet-area waterproofing is governed by tile-industry methods (such as those from the Tile Council of North America) and by local building code, both of which vary by jurisdiction, so check your local requirements. If you are retrofitting into an existing shower whose waterproofing you cannot verify, or you are not fully confident in continuous membrane detailing, hire a tile professional; a leaking niche means opening the wall.

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More from this hub: Bathroom · Tiling a bathroom floor · Resealing a shower · Regrouting tile · Best shower heads · How we rank

Straight Answers

Frequently Asked

Where should a shower niche be placed?

Put the niche on a wall that does not face directly into the shower spray, ideally the side or back wall, and center it at a comfortable reach, about 48 to 60 inches off the shower floor. Keep it inside a single stud bay so you do not cut a stud, which means the finished opening is usually around 12 to 14 inches wide in a 16-inch-on-center wall. Never place a niche on an exterior wall if you can avoid it, because of insulation and freezing concerns, and never on a plumbing wall where pipes run. Position it before tiling so the tile layout centers on the niche.

Do you have to waterproof a shower niche?

Absolutely, and it is the whole point of doing it right. A niche is a hole cut into a wet wall, so it is the most leak-prone spot in a shower if the waterproofing is not continuous. Whether you use a preformed foam niche or build one from backer board, the waterproofing membrane must wrap the inside of the niche and tie seamlessly into the shower wall's waterproofing so there is no break in the barrier. Preformed niches with bonding flanges make this far easier. A niche that is tiled but not properly waterproofed will leak into the wall, and that is a rebuild, not a patch.

Can you add a shower niche after the tile is already installed?

Yes, with a retrofit niche kit designed for it, though it is fussier than building one before tiling. You cut an opening in the existing tile and wall, install a preformed waterproof niche with a flange that seals to the surrounding waterproofing or wall, then tile the niche and blend the surround. The hard part is achieving a continuous waterproof seal into a wall that was not originally opened for it, so a retrofit niche must use a proper flanged, waterproof unit and careful sealing. If your shower waterproofing is uncertain, a retrofit cut risks compromising it.

Should a shower niche shelf be sloped?

Yes, slope the sill (the bottom ledge) of the niche and any shelves slightly downward toward the shower, about 1/8 inch per inch of depth, so water drains out rather than pooling. A flat or backward-sloping sill collects standing water that grows mildew and can wick into the wall over time. You build the slope into the mortar or the preformed niche before tiling. It is a small detail that separates a niche that stays clean and dry from one that always has a soapy puddle in the bottom corner.

What size should a shower niche be?

Fit the niche within a single stud bay to avoid cutting structure, which typically gives a finished opening around 12 to 14 inches wide and as tall as you like, often 12 to 30 inches. Depth is limited by the wall cavity, usually about 3.5 inches in a 2x4 wall minus the backer and tile, leaving roughly 3 inches of usable depth, enough for bottles laid or standing. Plan the niche dimensions around your tile size so the niche edges land on grout lines or full tiles, which looks intentional and reduces awkward cuts. A shelf divides a tall niche into practical zones.