Custom Niche on EXTERIOR WALL--- How to Do It

[@Aepek]

Thx for vid. Really enjoy using the FloFX “drains” now, & really like the diff parts get in the box when order, along w/ all the options. Really a great thought out product. Definitely like the “squareness” of it when setting shower pan tile along w/ hex, mosaic, etc….as helps not making all those circle cuts, imo, speeds up that part of job. Had another installer visiting & he asked what I was using, as he’d never seen FloFX products before, was using the pvc bonding flange on a remodel and went smoothly installing the FloFX along w/ dry pack (deck mud, etc). He was impressed and we ordered 1 for him to try out. Thx again for “helping” out w/ “stuff”👍🏻 ✌🏻

[@tonygoshive785]

That’s crazy I never even thought of making a niche like that. Great tips thank you

[@jaredmoss8170]

Literally just made mine! Couldn’t find any vids on it so I improvised. I used 1/2” aerogel blanket (R-27 insulation, $60 for 1x4’ sheet) and glued it to the back of the kerdiboard. I only have 2x4 studs to work with, so normal insulation was too thick. 90 degrees F outside and cool to the touch! Then I used brackets on the reinforced studs to wedge the kerdiboard against and now it’s solid as a rock… (my osb wall was a little bowed out). Sealed with AquaDefense and reinforcing fabric. To finish it off, I used your LED light upgrade from your video!! ^_^

[@yushibin]

Where to buy 1/2” aerogel blanket? Thanks!

[@mmmmmmb]

Perfect timing. I'm doing my last project, the complete bathroom renovation, next weekend. Prep work this weekend. Thanks for all the videos. They have taught me so much.

[@dalegribble5936]

A big thing to me on my Nitchs I like to pre-measure my tile joints so the bottoms and tops land on a grout joint and don’t end up with many cuts around the nitch

[@BathroomRemodelingTeacher]

Great tutorial Isaac! Very well explained and edited. I definitely like hydroban board over kerdi board too

[@ozarad6263]

This guy is perfect, he is my royal model. he does perfection in his work. Building stuff. taken care of his body. teaching and helping. I hope I can meet him one day

[@Canadian_nomaD]

I wish I could put niches on exterior walls. Code doesn’t allow it because of the winters we have. Awesome tip though on making the niche. Never thought about cutting on 45 and keeping the back sealed. Much love

[@amattson6578]

You can still install niche on exterior wall in canada if you have enough space to fur out the wall an inch. Put an inch of dense foam insulation behind the back of niche. It will provide enough insulation to prevent cold temps from transferring through.

[@kchilz32]

Some people just build another wall in front of existing wall

[@carmfully]

IF spacing allows, easiest thing is to furr out the entire wall by 1-2 inches and frame in a niche floor and header running horizontally. Then toenail or screw two or so false studs (of same thickness as your furring) running from the niche floor to header, right up against the exterior wall sheathing. You can fill in the extra space between those false studs with rigid insulation foam of the same thickness as your furring bump out. You can then fasten your niche back wall to those false studs, right up against the foam insulation. Add some liquid nails there while you're at it. Then build out the sides, top, and bottom of the niche backer board. This way, you at least have some insulation behind the niche AND have something to fasten the niche back wall to AND have a framed floor and header to screw the niche top and bottom into. Much more secure than just the backer board hanging in the air without any support.

[@benjenkins549]

WOW! I am going to do this on all my jobs from here on out! What a tip, and thank you for sharing such cool tips to spread the savings to our customers as well. I have been laying tile for 17 years now, and custom showers is what I has made my name. The tricks/Tips you show are things I have not even thought about just always on the grind from one to the next. Thank you for thinking outside the box! Benjamin's Flooring " When being square is cool".

[@frankduva5661]

Isaac, nice idea for the base of a wall niche. Thanks

[@jtltet]

I would like to see you do a video of how to waterproof and tile around a window in a shower.

[@tnrcleancare7847]

Same principle as niche except you gotta Seal the shit out the window frame too.

[@unclesamsniece2064]

I agree, that would be a great video. Preferably on a window that sits up high on the back wall. All I have found on YT are really old homes with window just above tub level. The window I’ve got is high on the wall which makes it tough to know how to layout the 12x24 tile & still look good! Lol

[@bluegenie840]

I can see the joy on your face 👍👍

[@josephgraham1065]

Thats a great trick. Great Idea.

[@jamesschmid7124]

Your the best bro I’m lovin tile work and reference all your videos for help

[@sarahwalters5694]

Super cool!! gonna try it this weekend!

[@michaellee695]

You posted a video a while back where you discovered that Schluter Kerdi-Fix was NOT waterproof. You could not use it to seal out water in the corners of shower pans. You didn’t use Kerdi-Fix in this video but you said to could use it if you had it. Did Schluter change the formula of Kerdi-Fix to make it waterproof?

[@tommurphy6058]

I have watched a few videos on niches and like your method of cutting 45 degree miter folds but i think it is much easier to buy a 90 degree v router bit and using a trim Brouwer set the bit just short of cutting full depth and after removing the corners you are left with miters that glue up perfectly square without the worry of cutting through the waterproof backing

[@tommurphy6058]

Trim Router with a straight edge

[@totheknee]

Now how do you seal the outside edges to the wall?

[@tommynguyen8942]

I found this method about two years ago. I started doing it by just cutting half way thru the back and just fold it without the 45s, then my buddy tried it and been doing this way since.

[@BZ1340]

Too bad I make mine from Wedi or Prova. Like to try it. Though Kerdi board is scarce around here. I hear glue supply issues for the front fleece. Plus I see Hydra has changed their face material. So not sure its possible now.

[@tommynguyen8942]

Hydro ban and go boards is all I use. I really don’t even “glue” it, I use fleas bands with topical membrane on all seams and corners.

[@christiandethloff3474]

Love your videos. Very educational. I use Kerdi almost exclusively. I have actually built niches in this method in your video. I stopped and went back to just cutting and fitting Kerdi board, then using band and preformed corners. I also apply red gaurd over everything. What benefit do you see using the method in your video over what I described? There is cost of the Kerdi band and preformed corners but I always end up with extras of both. I feel like the labor difference is a wash. Also, I usually use 2cm quartz as a border trim on my niches when designers allow me and seal all my voids with silicone.

[@mediaadrenaline]

I think his method allows you to not have to attach to the exterior wall for support.

[@MineGabe]

Brilliant! Love your videos. They are so informative.

[@tuckerc9296]

I find it less expensive to buy a premade niche. The time to build it plus worrying about it being waterproof isn't worth the money i might save by building a niche. I also find that the true 3 coat stucco gets pushed into the stud bays and there isn't room to push the premade niche in flush with the walls. So firing out the walls or building a niche that isn't 3.5 deep is the fix. I have also had the stucco guy's poke holes in the niche while they are repairing the stucco from the window replacement in the shower.

[@RaulCojocariu]

Great video thanks for the tip, i have to try one as well!

[@dalegribble5936]

I used thinset to glue in the back peice

[@kra7997]

Great tutorial, one question, does there need to be a slope on the bottom for drainage?

[@JNO_VLOGS]

Depends where you live!

[@MistAtsiM]

My issue is when the crazy siding guys come in and they start banging into the niche from the other side... There goes the whole thing... I wonder if using a metal plate 1st would be better?

[@feras04]

Good question but they shouldn't be banging nothing through unless they are nailing something new? Hmmm good thought

[@grantdolinski6337]

Maybe a router and v notch bit would work aswell?

[@robertsnow4593]

Good video. Also using these pre niches in my opinion suck ass. It's plastic and dosnt like thin sets. They are bulky and not as friendly as one might think. You will see when and if you decide to build your own shower and less exsperienced. Build them and you can have many different options with custom builds. Have fun😁

[@farhadrezaei1473]

Hey i got a question for you. Whats the best way to patch a 100cm X 100 cm niche in drywall? Can you make a video please?

[@kidinthecity]

I am watching this 2 years later and have a question or two. Is it ok that the bottom part is not slightly slanted? Could it be better if water flows outwards?

[@michaellee695]

Sal posted a video showing how to do this 2 years ago. His method is much easier. You don’t have to cut out those v grooves and you end up with the same corners to glue together. Check it out and try his method to compare.

[@westcoastartist69]

Where do you get your hydro ban board? Im in the bay area but no one here sells it. I do go to Sac a lot and wonder who sells it up there?

[@theweda123]

Would you add 5 or 6 to your measurements instead of 4 when using 2x6 construction?? IE: 14x28 +5or6 +5or6 instead of 14x28 +4 +4

[@calvesofsteel74]

Brilliant!

[@Rizzo2185]

Hey Isaac, is it possible to do that custom niche with Goboard? I’ve never tried it, always just reframed it

[@sonofthunder.]

ours is osb ,dead airspace,then brick veneer,i added insulation behind,for the cold,and spray foam thru the osb,air space up to the brick ,oops i didnt use a header just framed

[@Sean-Aviation]

this method is for bathrooms, right? otherwise, drywall will work fine. is there next video on how you seal and tile this niche?

[@chuckcooper6474]

on the LED video u could of cut a grove in a piece of ur foam board to recess your light so it cant be seen and it to the neche after u have already built and sealed it and just have the top piece doubled and then just seal it up like u would everything else and now u have a hidden led light

[@chuckcooper6474]

I made this comment before I seen that u have a video of how to install an LED light in a niche. Not realizing that they made a piece to recess the light in the tile

[@davidcrust6505]

Im thinking a table saw or track saw to cut 45s would be slick

[@Tigerratcat]

Does anyone have the link to framing the exterior wall? The link in the description goes to cutting the floor joists, not stud framing

[@mrljvb]

What is your opinion on Wedi board. It is what I used, and what was available to me in my area.

[@imkey]

How was the pre-slope of 1/4" per feet applied to the "floor" of the niche? Usually prefab niches have the pre-slope built in. I'd imagine you do not want to slope the entire box as it wouldn't be flush anymore. Should the side walls have some extra materials on the towards front to force the front of the floor downward?

[@MrKirret]

I think you can achieve that slope with some extra thin-set under the tiles there :)

[@imkey]

Usually tile and grout are assumed to not be impenetrable to water so slope is usually preferred at the actual water proof layer. Similar to how preslope for shower floor should not only be implemented at tile layer but actual water proof liner layer.

[@MrKirret]

@@imkey that's a good point but I'm not sure he's going to add anything else in there, let's see if he answers :)

[@Aaron86v]

Just add a small slope, doesnt have to be anything specific. Most of the water diversion will be done by the tile which you will slope also. As long as it's not sloping backwards you should be fine. Also make sure you get full coverage of thinset so water isnt sitting under the tile where there is ridges.

[@amattson6578]

Frame the niche with 2x4s on top and bottom between studs. Just pitch the bottom stud slightly and then add your backboard of choice and waterproof. Its pretty simple.

[@jesusolmeda4706]

What happens if you put green drywall with coats of red guard water proof and then the tile?

[@douglasthompson2740]

For those situations where keeping the full depth of insulation is paramount what are the options for a 'built in" surface shelf on the surface of the tile while still looking nice?

[@sierra6540]

You need to build a secondary wall in front of the exterior wall to be in front of the thermal envelope

[@jeffbryda5789]

Did you put a shelf in it? If so what was used and how was it done?

[@paulperry1489]

What is the brand in the purple board you are using?

[@michaelchaffin470]

Is it possible to build a shower niche if framing is made up of 2x3? I have only seen videos of 2x4 framing so just curious.

[@carmfully]

you're going to have a very skinny niche. best to furr out the entire wall by an inch or two.

[@bmrepairmaintenance5609]

Are CT1 or OB1 good sealants?

[@jimgraham4355]

what if its not a load bearing outside wall?

[@stevemullen8457]

How did you get in the tile installation business?

[@ryangilson22]

I want to add lights to a shower I'm currently doing what type of lights are you doing in the niche

[@ryangilson22]

I hope to be like you in the near future

[@leinitta1760]

To meet code…think you need to use led pool lights. Check out Hayward color logic 80’s. It was the smallest light I found to meet code…eletrical code.

[@mjordan421]

What about moisture/condensation behind the niche, between it and the exterior wall?

[@yurybadanin5035]

Show real face of lady, I see her in mirror 9:55 it more interesting that niche -:)

[@fencerider1492]

It's a tile video...

[@juanoramo]

I think 90 bucks is worth the materials and time saved

[@scurvy77777]

I thought you should never use purple board in the shower.

[@sladeoriginal]

I used JM GoBoard on my shower...DONT USE IT!! its the cheapest foamboard around, $15 per 3x5 sheet, it does the job just fine but its fiberglass faced. will have to wear thick longsleeves, pants, gloves, and respirator then throw your clothes away.

[@MegaRawBerry]

What if it's a block home? 🤣

[@heartwormskillcats8357]

:D