{"id":1383,"date":"2021-04-03T12:35:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-03T16:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diywithchristine.com\/?p=1383"},"modified":"2024-02-24T14:53:32","modified_gmt":"2024-02-24T19:53:32","slug":"dumawall-shower-niche-installation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diywithchristine.com\/dumawall-shower-niche-installation\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Install A Palisade\/Dumawall Shower Niche"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Easily Install A Palisade\/Dumawall Shower Shelf To Upgrade Your Bathroom<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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UPDATE:<\/strong> Palisade Waterproof Grout-Free Tiles have replaced Dumawall<\/strong> tiles in the U.S. They are the same product, just simply rebranded, so I will use them interchangeably throughout this article.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Are you looking for an easy way to install a shower niche along with your Palisade\/Dumawall tile installation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well then, you\u2019ve come to the right place!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We installed Palisade\/Dumawall into our shower and bathtub during our 1950s ranch full-house renovation, and have loved it ever since. To enhance the \u201ccustom-feeling\u201d that Palisade\/Dumawall tile brings, we also installed a shower niche (also known as a shower shelf) into our bathroom remodel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hands-down think the reason our Palisade\/Dumawall shower looks so elegant is because of the accent within the shower niches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you\u2019re going to go through all of the extra efforts to re-tile your shower, I highly recommend you take the extra step to install and tile a shower niche as well!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two ways you can finish your shower niche – either by using Palisade\/Dumawall to tile the entire inside of the shelf or by using traditional ceramic tile to the back wall of the shelf to create an accent piece. (This is the option we chose.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the direction you choose, I\u2019ve covered how to complete both in this tutorial! I think you\u2019ll be extra proud of your new shower after you\u2019ve added this extra element.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

P.S. Check out my honest review of our Palisade\/Dumawall shower<\/a> (since we\u2019ve been able to use it for several months now) to see if it\u2019s a good fit for you and your bathroom remodel!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Quick Navigation On How To Install A Palisade\/Dumawall Shower Niche<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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  1. Screw Shower Niche Into Studs<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Install Backer Board Around Shower Niche & Waterproof<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Install Palisade\/Dumawall Tile<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Tile The Inside Of The Shower Niche<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Install Palisade\/Dumawall L-Trim On The Outside Corners Of The Shower Niche<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. Related Palisade\/Dumawall Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Level Of Difficulty<\/th>Time To Complete<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Medium<\/td>1 hour to install niche

    3-4 days to also install backer board, waterproofing, Dumawall tile, and tiling inside of the shower niche<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    To Install The Shower Niche Only<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    Material List<\/th>Tool List<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Tile Redi Niche Shower Shelf<\/a> (in whatever shape, size, and quantity you want – linked is the one we chose)<\/td>Impact Driver<\/td><\/tr>
    1-\u00bc\u201d stainless coated #8 screws (to install the shower niche)<\/td>Torpedo Level<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    Shims<\/td>4 Foot Level<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    Optional: Plastic Moisture Barrier<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    To Tile The Shower Niche With Ceramic Tile<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    Material List<\/th>Tool List<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Thinset Mortar<\/a> (if you want to accent the back of your shower niche with a different pattern of tile as we did – otherwise, you\u2019d install Dumawall inside the shelf)<\/td>Small \u00bc x \u00bc x \u00bc trowel<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    Grout<\/a> (Delorean Gray)<\/td>Grout float<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    Ceramic subway tile<\/a> (in your choice of color and size – subway tile is the most inexpensive tile out there!)<\/td>Wet tile saw<\/a> or score-n-snap tile cutter<\/td><\/tr>
    Grout Boost<\/a> (to protect the grout from stains)<\/td>Sponge<\/td><\/tr>
    Dumawall tile<\/a> (to cover the sides of the shower niche)<\/td>\u215b\u201d tile spacers<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    Dumawall L-Trim (to cover the outside corners of the shower niche)<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    To Tile The Shower Niche With Palisade\/Dumawall Tile<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
    Material List<\/th>Tool List<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Dumawall tile<\/a> (to cover the inside of the shower niche)<\/td>2 Caulk guns<\/a><\/td><\/tr>
    L-Trim (to cover the outside corners of the shower niche)<\/td>Circular saw or table saw<\/td><\/tr>
    Inside Corner Trim (if you are only using Dumawall tile to cover the inside of the shower niche – otherwise, you\u2019d install ceramic tile inside the shelf and not use this)<\/td><\/td><\/tr>
    Loctite Power Grab Adhesive<\/a><\/td><\/td><\/tr>
    100% silicone caulk<\/a> (clear)<\/td><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Step One: Screw Shower Niche Into Studs<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

    The first step to installing a shower niche while using Palisade\/Dumawall is to attach the shelf to studs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For this step, I\u2019m assuming you\u2019ve already demolished your old shower, and we are starting over from a clean slate. (Otherwise, a shower niche is much harder to install as an after-thought.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    First, determine where you want your shower niche to sit. This will vary greatly based upon the size, shape, and quantity of niches you\u2019re planning to install.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    I personally love the look of the horizontal shelves (and I wanted plenty of storage space), so we used this double shower shelf set found at Amazon<\/a> and turned them horizontal. They actually come as two separate pieces that can be placed as close or as far apart as you desire, which is so nice!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    Where To Position Your Shower Shelf<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    After having installed two of these shelves and used them for over half a year now, I recommend installing them far enough away from the showerhead so that water can\u2019t be directly sprayed into them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    We centered our niches on the back wall of both our shower and tub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While the niches and tile are waterproofed, and they do have a slight slope to let the water run out, the Palisade\/Dumawall L-Trim acts as a tiny trap for water sprayed directly into it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    In our master bathroom, we have a rain showerhead, so water never gets sprayed into the niche in there, and therefore, water has yet to get trapped in there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, our guest bathroom has a standard showerhead that occasionally sprays water directly into the niche, thus resulting in a small pool of water sitting in it for a little while. <\/p>\n\n\n

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    \"dumawall
    Next time we install this product, I will probably move the shower niches to the back wall so that water will never have the chance to sit in them. Or I’ll simply build the slope of the bottom of the shelf a little higher. Either way works!<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    So far, it hasn\u2019t been a problem, especially because we are aware of it, and we try to limit the amount of water that gets sprayed into it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    However, if I were to redo the niche installation, I would either move the niches farther away from the showerhead OR I would just build up a slightly steeper slope within the niche so that water could run out easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    No need to worry about this too much, I just wanted to warn you of the things I would do differently next time we install this product!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    How To Install The Shower Shelf<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

    Alright, now that\u2019s out of the way, all you need to do is set the shower shelf within supporting horizontal studs (add them if they don\u2019t already exist), level the shelf using shims, and screw it into the surrounding studs.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \n
    \"dumawall
    The extra supports also add a place to screw in the backer board around the niche. The brown lines were our studs and the yellow lines were the extra horizontal supports we added to frame out the shower shelves.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The shower shelf sits within the studs, so make sure it can be screwed into all 4 supporting studs (the left, right, top, and bottom).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Use your torpedo level inside the shelf and your 2 or 4 foot level on top of the two shelves to level them before you screw them into place using 1-\u00bc\u201d stainless coated screws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you need to, use shims to further support the bottom and sides of shelves before you screw them into the studs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    This video is a little dated, but it does a good job of showing how to install the niche into studs, caulk it, and add moisture-resistant drywall to the surround. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Installing into wood studs is even easier than what the guy in this video had to do to install into metal studs.<\/p>\n\n\n

    \"YouTube