Wall Niche Installation

 

  
     

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For more info on niche installation try:

Berkeley Daily Planet

Ron Hazleton's House Calls

     Installing our recessed wall niches is much easier than you might expect.  I have very little talent for home improvement tasks, but installing my own took me less than an hour.  The one issue that you should make sure of prior to installation (and even before you order a niche) is that your walls are sheetrock and the studs are on 16” centers.  (This will include most homes built in the U.S.  for the last 45-50 years!)

Double check!
If you have plaster walls…
 If your studs are closer than 16”…

     Even if your walls are studded on 16” centers, you’ll want to be sure that a suitable opening exists in the area you want to place your niche.  If you have a tape measure it’s pretty easy to do simply by tapping the wall and listening to determine what sounds hollow (no stud) and solid (that’s where the studs are).

     If you’re not confident of your ability to locate studs that way, you can pick up a stud finder for $20 or less.  (I checked out this one that my brother-in-law owns and it works really well.)

     Once you’re sure that you’ve got sheetrock walls and your intended location has the needed 16” centers, this job is fairly simple.   Still, as you cut into the wall, be extremely careful to avoid cutting or damaging anything (especially electrical or plumbing system components) in the wall.

  1. Finish or paint your niche as desired.

  2. Just inside each stud, measure up from the floor to the bottom of where you want your wall niche.

  3. Trace a very light line between the studs at the height you’ve chosen for the bottom of your wall niche.

  4. Ask a helper to hold the niche against the wall “resting” on the horizontal line you’ve just traced.

  5. Trace a very light line around the sides and top of the recessed portion of the niche.  When you pull the niche away from the wall you’ll see the section you need to cut out outlined.

  6. Cut out the section of sheetrock you’ve outlined.  I used a razor knife and it worked fine, but a small saw would be even easier to use.  Please note that while your cuts can be rough around the side and top (these areas are hidden by the niche) the bottom should be a very straight and level line as no trim will hide that cut.

  7. Fit the niche into the wall.  Trim the sheetrock a bit more as needed.

  8. Decide how you’d like your niche attached.  It’s very simple to drill through the side of each niche and into the studs, but I prefer a thin bead of Liquid Nails or other adhesive on the back of the trim as it does not mar the visible portion of the niche in any way.

 

     If you have plaster walls you may very well have an older home very well suited for a niche, but I wouldn’t recommend installing it yourself.  Plaster and lathe removal is a very messy business, and I’d recommend leaving it to a professional who has the experience and the best tools available.

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     Studs much closer than 16” centers should also be left to a professional.  Studs, quite simply, support your walls, ceiling, and upper floors.  If you don’t know what you’re doing, leave them alone.

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