Niches, shelves and accessories with shower wall panels

Plan accessories before the panels go up

Shower wall panels are installed in large sheets, so the easiest time to decide where things go is before the first panel is set. Mark the locations of the shower valve, hand shower slide bar, grab bars, shelves and any niche on the framing or the old wall, photograph them with a tape measure in the shot, and keep those photos.

Anything that will carry weight, such as a grab bar, a fold-down seat, a slide bar or a fastened shelf, needs solid backing behind the panel. Panels are a waterproof finish surface, not a structural layer.

Recessed niches

A recessed niche sits in the wall cavity between studs, so it does not take up room in the shower. With panels, the safe route is a niche insert made or approved by the panel manufacturer, set into a framed opening and sealed to the panel with the method in their instructions.

If your system does not offer one, do not improvise. Cutting an opening and lining it with a different material creates exactly the kind of seam panels are meant to remove. Check that the chosen stud bay does not contain plumbing or wiring, and that it is not on an exterior wall where insulation would be lost.

Corner shelves and caddies

Surface-mounted corner shelves are the simplest option. Adhesive-mounted shelves rated for wet areas work on smooth panel surfaces if the panel is clean and dry and the adhesive is allowed to cure fully before use, but their load ratings are modest.

For heavier items, use shelves fastened through the panel into blocking. Hanging caddies over the shower arm are the no-holes option, though they can make the shower head harder to adjust.

Drilling through a panel without causing a leak

Use the drill bit type and size the manufacturer specifies for your panel material. Drill slowly, keep the bit cool, and avoid pressing so hard that the face chips. Put 100% silicone sealant in the hole before driving the fastener, then run a small bead around the base of the fixture.

Keep fasteners away from panel edges and seams unless the instructions say otherwise. Take note of each penetration so it can be inspected when you check the silicone joints each year.

Grab bars, seats and slide bars

Grab bars must be anchored into solid backing; anchors in a panel alone are not enough. The 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design place shower grab bars 33 to 36 inches above the floor, measured to the top of the gripping surface, and require them to resist 250 pounds of force. Those figures are a helpful reference for any home shower.

A hand shower slide bar is usually not rated as a grab bar unless the product says so, so plan separate bars. A fold-down shower seat also needs blocking sized for its mounting plate. For more on planning these together, see the barrier-free shower walls guide.

Related reading: how to install shower wall panels, barrier-free shower walls and panel materials compared.