Frame the Shower Niche After Tiling Starts So It Lands on Full Tiles

The Problem

Shower niches usually get framed and waterproofed before the first tile goes on — their position fixed by whatever studs were convenient. Then the tile goes up, the courses land where the math says they land, and the niche edges fall mid-tile: L-cuts, slivers, and a focal point of the shower framed in the worst-looking cuts on the wall. The niche was placed before anyone knew where the tiles would actually be.

The Technique

This tile crew reverses the order — the niche waits for the layout:

1. Waterproof the wall solid, as if there were no niche at all.
2. Tile up the wall normally, stopping about two rows below where the niche will sit.
3. Now the layout is real, not theoretical: you can see exactly where courses and grout lines land. Size and position the niche so its top, bottom, and sides fall on full tiles and grout joints.
4. Mark it, cut the waterproofing open, and reframe the opening to those exact dimensions.
5. Waterproof the niche box, and keep tiling — every tile meeting the niche is a full tile or a clean grout-line termination. No slivers.

Framing the niche first and hoping the layout cooperates defeats the purpose — two rows of real tile is what turns the niche's position from a guess into a measurement.