Shower Glass and Niche Options: What to Pick and Where It Goes

Quick answer

Frameless glass looks cleanest and shows off the tile. Framed and semi-frameless cost less and still beat a curtain. Sliders save swing space, hinged doors give a wider opening. For niches, use an inside wall, size it to your bottles, line it up with the tile and pitch the bottom so water runs out.

Glass and niches are small parts of a shower. They’re also the parts you touch and look at every day.

Both get decided early, too. The niche has to be framed before the walls close up. The glass gets measured after the tile is done, but the choice affects the curb, the tile layout and where the valve goes.

These are the choices we go over at almost every estimate.

Framed, semi-frameless or frameless

Framed glass has metal all the way around each panel. It’s the budget pick and very forgiving in out-of-square openings, which older SGV houses have plenty of.

Semi-frameless keeps some metal, usually at the top or on the fixed panel, with less around the door. It looks lighter than framed and costs less than frameless.

Frameless is heavy tempered glass held by hinges and clamps. No frame, so the tile is the star. It’s the easiest to wipe down, with fewer edges for gunk to collect. It’s also the most expensive, and the walls have to be solid enough to carry the weight.

Door styles

• Hinged door: the classic. Opens wide, easy to clean. It needs room to swing out into the bathroom without hitting the toilet, the vanity or the door.
• Sliding (bypass) doors: good for tubs and tight bathrooms, since nothing swings. You’ll have a track to keep clean.
• Fixed panel, no door: works in a long walk-in where the entry is far from the shower head. Cleanest look of all, but some spray can get out.
• Glass on a tub: a fixed panel or a sliding door on a tub-shower combo instead of a curtain.

Not sure if you’re keeping the tub? Read walk-in shower vs. tub-shower combo first.

Glass details that matter

Thickness. Frameless doors use thicker glass, often 3/8 inch. Thicker feels more solid but weighs more.

Safety glass. Glass in a shower has to be tempered safety glass. Any reputable glass shop knows this. It’s still worth confirming.

Clear, low-iron or frosted. Standard clear glass has a slight green edge. Low-iron glass is clearer and costs more. Frosted or patterned glass adds privacy and hides water spots.

Protective coating. A factory coating helps water and hard-water spots bead off. With SGV water, it’s worth asking about.

Hardware finish. Match the hinges and handle to your shower valve and faucet: chrome, brushed nickel, matte black or brass.

Shower niches: what works

A niche is a recessed shelf built into the wall. It beats a hanging caddy and keeps bottles off the floor and the tub edge.

A few rules we follow:

1. Use an inside wall. A niche in an outside wall cuts into insulation and puts a cold, damp spot right where you don’t want it.
2. Keep it out of the main spray. On the wall opposite the shower head, or on a side wall, so the shelf isn’t a puddle.
3. Put it where you can reach it. Usually somewhere around chest height. Add a lower shelf if someone sits or shaves legs.
4. Size it to your stuff. Measure your tallest bottles. A niche that’s too short is a daily annoyance.
5. Line it up with the tile. The top and bottom of the niche should land on grout lines, not leave thin slivers. We plan that before any tile goes up.

Keeping the niche dry

A niche is a hole in your shower wall. It has to be waterproofed just as well as the rest of the shower.

• The waterproofing has to wrap into the niche and its corners with no gaps.
• The bottom should pitch slightly toward the shower so water runs out instead of sitting.
• A solid shelf, like a piece of stone or porcelain, gives a clean edge that’s easy to wipe.

Prefabricated niche inserts are an option, and they make the waterproofing simpler. A framed niche lets you pick any size.

Other storage ideas

• A corner shelf set into the tile
• A bench that doubles as a shelf for bottles
• A ledge along the top of a half wall
• Two smaller niches instead of one big one

How it fits the whole shower

Glass and niches work with your tile. A niche lined with an accent tile is an easy way to add some personality. Our guide to choosing bathroom tile can help there.

If you’re converting a tub, read our tub-to-shower conversion guide for drains, curbs and waterproofing. For the budget side, see what drives bathroom remodel cost.

Get it planned right

Call or text (626) 684-3505 for a free in-home estimate. We’ll measure, check the walls and help you pick glass and niche spots that fit how you shower. See our bathroom remodeling page for more.

Planning a bathroom or kitchen project?

We’ll come out, look at the space and give you a written estimate. Call or text (626) 684-3505, Mon–Sat 8:30 AM–7 PM.

Call for a free estimate or request one online