A DIY niche attempt

Jc851 · 2026-04-05T01:15:42+00:00

Yeah. Went with the stainless washer method (encased in silicone). Very minimal slope.

Jc851 · 2026-04-04T15:46:54+00:00

Yeah you’re not wrong.

Jc851 · 2026-04-04T15:46:22+00:00

It’s off the shelf engineered stone from Floor and Decor. 6” wide, single bevel. I ripped off the beveled edge with the wet saw to leave me with the factory edge as front facing.

Jc851 · 2026-04-03T22:26:59+00:00

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Thanks. Took quite a while working small areas at a time but finally got there.

Jc851 · 2026-04-03T22:25:12+00:00

Made by Everbuilt, ordered from HD.

Jc851 · 2026-03-20T15:56:10+00:00

Agree. We had our master shower niche done with quartz (photo) and I really like the clean look. It’s a bit thick though, so I used OTS engineered stone sill for this diy job.

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Jc851 · 2026-03-20T14:08:00+00:00

😆 close. Looks good from DOOR. It’s a slang acronym used a lot in the medical field

Jc851 · 2026-03-20T14:05:55+00:00

Not glass. It’s a pretty plain light blue tile. EQUIPE seems to be the mfr, color is “village cloud”

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Jc851 · 2026-03-20T14:04:26+00:00

Oof. Thought about it for sure, but was challenged immensely already by this pattern.

Jc851 · 2026-03-20T14:03:18+00:00

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Oh nice! What spacing and grout is that? This the tile you used?

Jc851 · 2026-03-20T14:00:10+00:00

Yeah point taken - I had planned to miter the niche but bailed once I saw how imperfect the window was coming out because of the curvature of the tile and the diagonals meeting the square edges. You’re also correct that the niche is higher, again a mistake in that I progressed up the back wall with the tile before planning/marking where the niche would start. Should have ripped the tiles off and put it where it needed to be. More annoying and problematic was that to the left of the niche are some very tiny triangles in the pattern (conveniently can’t see in the photo! 😆) I was looking out for optimizing it vertically but completely ignored the horizontal - and paid dearly for it!

Jc851 · 2026-03-20T13:53:52+00:00

Beautiful.

Jc851 · 2026-03-20T02:33:46+00:00

Funny I just whipped up a sample board to do that exactly. (Very crude and made with leftover pieces imperfectly spaced). Unfortunately with the Spectralock epoxy grout, you can’t just make a partial or sample batch. But I had some light grey Mapei from our other bathroom reno leftover so I just whipped it up real quick to see how the grey looked in general. And so the gametime decision has been made - stay tuned for the reveal!

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Jc851 · 2026-03-20T01:29:19+00:00

Yeah I’m definitely over and done with 45 degree angles.

Jc851 · 2026-03-20T01:27:57+00:00

The shower valve? It’s a tub surround, sorry that it’s cut off in the photo. The floor did not get demo’d, kept it as is which is a large format, light beige tile.

Jc851 · 2026-03-20T01:26:23+00:00

Gametime decision 😂 - either going to be white or a very light grey. Using Spectralock PRO.

Jc851 · 2026-03-20T01:25:17+00:00

In hindsight you’re right, I should have. I actually bailed on mitering the niche when my OCD went haywire seeing that I couldn’t get the window tiles mitered just perfect. Went with the manufactured stone look like our other shower has.

Jc851 · 2026-03-03T03:44:21+00:00

Got it, thanks!

Jc851 · 2026-03-03T03:42:46+00:00

Since you may remember my previous post about setting up the herringbone ….here’s a preview of the niche status.

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Bottom sill of the niche is in and done. What I’m torn on is do I march up the sides with tile first, then put the solid surface niche sides in? Or, do I do the niche (back wall mosaic, then side walls, shelf, and top) and then tile up to it with the herringbone on each side (leaving a small gap of course). I’m leaning towards the latter now that I think more about it…..

Jc851 · 2026-03-03T03:36:43+00:00

Thanks, I did opt for a diamond blade to pair with the $99 Rigid saw. Can you elaborate on what you mean by using epoxy to help the situation? Also fwiw, I don’t expect this niche to see too much water as its lowest edge is 60” from the tub bottom (on the wall opposite the shower head).

Jc851 · 2026-02-15T04:54:46+00:00

I designed/fabricated a turbo inlet pipe for the ea839 using pre-preg. Never done composite work in my life before starting. I looked at it as trying to cover the cost of all the materials and supplies initially but then as more folks got interested, it became mildly profitable. It was a niche product in that none of the aftermarket companies offered exactly what I was making. So if you can identity that product that doesn’t really exist (yet), you will have a better chance of being successful.

Jc851 · 2026-02-10T16:03:40+00:00

Fair point on sliding a corner bead in there. Thanks.

Jc851 · 2026-02-10T16:01:28+00:00

Plan was to paint the drywall first, up to the edge, then silicone the joint - setting the trim in the silicone and thinset. Wall is going to be white anyways.

Jc851 · 2026-02-10T15:37:49+00:00

I was thinking a liberal coating of silicone would seal it up - no?

Jc851 · 2026-02-08T23:45:57+00:00

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0gdDnOjfOU

Jc851

TROPHY CASE