I love mine. Tile guy suggested the design to compliment the shower. I mostly use it for shaving my legs, but my husband has some other ideas LOL.

We had a shower bench in our old bathroom. Neither of us ever sat on it, but I did use it as a foot rest while shaving my legs.

In our new bathroom I put a small corner "better bench", that's too small to sit on, but is great for using a foot rest.

The top of our bench is in granite, as is the shower curb and the two niche shelves. The total effect is great.

Sorry, no pictures to post yet, but hopefully soon.

Instead of sitting, most will use it to hike their leg up while they shave, hence the smaller "benches" in alot of showers:

This one's a steam shower, so the bigger bench makes sense:

This one's an exception to the rule. This was done for the owner of a showroom I've done alot of work for over the years:

This is the Better Bench that you've seen me talk about:

The problem with a bench is it's too darn cold to actually sit on in the shower. We have one, a big one, and used it with the handheld to sit on when we were dressed and giving the kids a shower (we called it a "car wash"). I'd vote for smaller bench and more floor space. To us it is a waste of space.

Very informative. It looks like I need what Bill calls a "better bench"...I actually don't like the look of the triangular one for some reason, but a shallow bench should do the trick.

Redrose-- check out the following link. For reference the one I showed you is the BT 17

Here is a link that might be useful: Better Bench

Because our shower isn't the largest in the world (36" X 66"), I decided against a tiled in shower seat/bench. We are also using slate, and for the life of me I could not imagine sitting my anything down on a cold stone seat for any reason! Mind you I do live in the land of ice fishing, snowmobiling, and frigid frozen winters, but still can't convince myself that there is any redeemable feature in any of those occupations, so that may have shaded my decision to a degree!

What we did decide on, is a teak shower bench that is removable. Once the shower is built.. (my contractors motto is: Rome wasn't built in a day.. grrrrrrrrr lol) I will be able to test this lovely bit of wood, but I have linked a pic to the site I ordered it from. It's really solid, well built, and a nice wide seat for those of us who are fluffier so to speak! Good luck with your decision!
Kym

Here is a link that might be useful: Teak Shower Bench

That link is awesome Bill. I'm stepping into a whole new world here, coming from the Kitchens forum to the Baths forum. I thought all we'd need is a sink, toilet and shower. Who knew there were so many other fun things to research and keep myself busy with??

Kym - Thank you! I think your teak bench is similar to what my DH had in mind. I'll show it to him. If we do decide for some reason that we want the option to sit on the bench (you know, just to hang out LOL) then it would be much nicer to sit on a warm wood bench than a cool stone one!! I guess you could do radiant heat to keep the tush warm. Okay, I'll stop there...

Just thought I'd mention that my granite topped bench is cold, but all it takes is some warm water from the hand shower to warm it up. Trust me.

I trust you Ladycfp. I won't write off natural stone. Thanks for your post.

I used a bench similar to countrycottage's above. I move it into the shower when I want a steam shower, and take it out to use as a regular bench the rest of the time. It came from Smith & Hawkin.

We just put in our master and haven't even used the shower yet, but our shower is not the biggest and we opted for the corner triangle thing in the tile. In hind sight, I wish I had done a bit more searching prior to that and used a wooden bench that was movable and removable. Our shower is not that big and I think I have given up some valuable real estate.

My vote is for the better bench products...topped with a piece of granite or marble versus tile. The floating bench gives the shower a roomer feel over the built in versions that go to the floor. The better bench product is a very good system. In my home the bench never gets sit upon...it is just a foot rest or a place for the kids to leave things. I personally do not see how one can sit in a shower, I tried it, but just do not get it. I guess it is me. If I did my shower over again, I would just make a niche lower down for a foot rest upon.

I've been following this thread with interest. Any comments or thoughts on whether this is a good thing for elderly people?

We haven't finished our first bathroom reno yet, but plans are to put in a teak bench like ccklutz showed (I bookmarked that site). We will have both a regular showerhead, and one on a bar that I envision using while sitting down to shave legs. But, maybe I'll just prop my leg up on it? Will find out shortly! (I hope)

Can foresee it being a useful option if incapacitated due to injury or age.

We just remodeled our master bath and I wanted a bench, but was worried about eventual leaking around a stone/tile bench and also only had room for a 36x60 shower so didnt want to take up too much room for something that would get some, but not lots of use. I wound up getting a folding teak bench. it mounts to the shower wall and then folds down to about 1 1/2 inches from the wall when not in use. It is much warmer to sit on when I shave my legs, but again like the idea of not having it up taking space. i mounted a hand held shower head by it on a slide bar so it could be used as a second shower head or have it move down for the perfect height for shaving my legs. It is ideal for us. If you are interested I can try to get some pics. I haven't done that yet. Good Luck!! Oh and by the way it is rated to over 250lbs and it is 30" wide so it is great for actual sitting not like some of the corner or triangular seats. They did have different sizes and make custom too.

I have the larger triangle better bench and I LOVE it. I actually went to the store and tried sitting on the smaller one and it was not comfortable. Fine for putting one leg up but not actually sitting unless you are tiny!

We used granite for the curb, vanity, bench top and even the window sill. I like that it all matches and pulls together to create a unified look. It is not cold when you run the hot water over it a minute.

I have a handheld on a slide bar above the bench and a fixed on the opposite wall and they can both wash over me when I sit on the bench. The handheld can slide down to spray on my hair when I am really tired and I love it. I love the better bench because there is nothing to stub your toes on and it is a nice clean look and doesn't seem to take away from floor space or look cluttered.

I looked at every bench I could find and there are a ton! There are fold down teak seats and clear acrylic modern seats, all kinds but what sealed the deal for the better bench was it can hold something like 400 lbs! Not that we are that fat but I never worry about it coming off the wall and my little girl likes to shower with me and we both fit on the bench!

Make sure that you get it at the right height when installed. They wanted to put it too low and I tried all the seats around to find the exact right height counting in the height of the shower base itself. Mine also has a slant down so all the water rolls right off-no maintenance at all! Did I mention that I LOVE it?! Along with the panasonic heater and glass floor, the bench is my favorite thing!

Just looked up the info for the folding teak bench and it is at teakworks4u and is rated for 300lbs. Just FYI

One vote here for the removable bench vs. a built in. You have much more flexibility with a removable bench.

When my husband had a hip replacement, I was glad we had made the decision a few years prior to put in a double shower with NO built in bench or seat. While he was hobbling around, first with a walker and later on crutches, it was much easier to have a removable bench in the shower that we could position exactly where he needed it. And the hand held shower I use for shaving my legs was also a Godsend at this time.

In case you think you are too young to be concerned about this sort of thing...my husband was 48 when he had his hip replacement. And I sure could have used this set-up when I tore my ACL in a skiing accident many years ago.

I am trying to decide between buying a Kohler Memoirs recepter versus a shower seat built out of tile. One bathroom designer says the receptor is ugly and institutional looking, another says they look fine and they never leak. I am weighing every decision for cost vs. function vs. looks. It's so hard!

ging9, that's just what I want to do. I hope you get a chance to post a photo of your setup. I went to the site you suggested, and it had good pictures too, but I'd really like to see where you have the bar with the adjustable shower mounted relative to the bench.

We're still progressing with the bathroom.. granite is going in as we speak! Just wanted to share the pic of our freestanding bench that I linked a pic of earlier in this thread.

It's lovely and warm, nice to be able to remove it for rinsing down the dog, and all in all it does just what we wanted it to!

This is also an option. Not sure if link will work, but if it does scroll to bottom to see their fold-down bench

http://www.mrsteam.com/templates/product.aspx?id=976

Bill, thanks for the great shower pics! Very helpful as I'm just tackling a new shower.

Yesterday, the carpenter built a triangular, corner bench in my 4x6 open shower. Suddenly I thought, what about the wall behind the bench? There's a little space behind the bench to squeeze in some 4-6 mil plastic over the wall studs and from there I'm guessing I Kerdi the walls and contiguously (is that a word) over the bench.

Also, we're laying Pex tubing in the house followed by a 3" concrete floor-pour for hydronic heat.

So, in the shower which has wood subfloor but was not sloped in the foundation process, would the appropriate
process be:pex tubing, concrete floor, Kerdi application per Mongo-Bill-John recommendations, thin set & tile?

Also, my concrete guy (love him!) stated he could form the shower slope with the concrete. I'm going "curbless" come he_ _ or high water!

Countrycottageklutz, I covet your awesome slate shower! What is on the floor? same slate?

Appreciate any feedback; I repeatedly review previous posts re: Kerdi showers, wall, floor, ceiling preparation for tile, etc! I absolutely adore this forum & lose a lot of sleep because of it!

Thanks!

definately put some kind of bench in there, or plan for a removable bench of some sorts. I am also in my 30's, but had a m/c accident 3 years ago and became a below the knee amputee (i finally lost those few extra pounds I wanted too :) anything can happen to anyone no matter how old or young you are. The bench is alittle cold, but just spray the hot water on it for a few minutes and no problem

luvhorses-- you're going to need to pick up a Kerdi drain before you pour the concrete, then. It takes a specialized drain, so that the Kerdi can be attached to it and make it one big integrated system.

Also, if you're going to Kerdi the shower, then NO PLASTIC behind the cement board. The Kerdi will take care of that from the surface.

It's been close to three years since our bath was done, and I'm glad we included the bench. It's Corian, so it's not as cold as granite or tile, but it's used mostly as a foot prop, radio ledge, and and cover for our "secret drawer" which is great to have.

Here is a link that might be useful: blog post with pictures from '06

We have a bench in the shower for the master bathroom, which is the one my wife uses. I don't use that shower (or shave my legs!), but my wife absolutely loves that bench. She does use it to shave her legs, but also just to enjoy the shower a little more. She told me that she often sits on it at the end of a shower and lets the water rain down on her. I am also on notice that when I eventually remodel that bathroom that the new shower enclosure WILL have a bench. And looking at the ones you people have been kind enough to share, I now have a lot to choose from. And who knows, one day I may be sharing my bathroom remodeling with everyone.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabinet & Furniture Trends & Information

Any tips would be much appreciated!

Planning a shower bench is a big step in any shower renovation. The type of bench, the height, how many levels and on and on all can affect other things with the shower build. Like what waterproofing steps you take. Where you place the drain etc.

I often point my clients to this Ideabook of mine to get a feel for what they like.

SHOWER BENCHES - 150 DESIGN IDEAS

Sporting Baia Hotel **** · More Info

My favourite shower bench image ever.....

We have a small corner bench in our new shower. So far I've only used it to prop my foot on when I'm washing my toes. It does seem cold when I've tried sitting on it, and perhaps a tad too small for comfort? I thought it would come in handy earlier this year when I had a knee replacement, but when I needed the bench, I was too tired to spend much time in the shower, so I didn't feel like making the effort to sit down and then stand up again! By the way, it isn't just the elderly who have physical problems. I spent a great deal of my time in my 30s dealing with sports related injuries - could've really used an accessible bathroom during those years.

Maybe there was a spam post above yours that was removed, but if not, why are you bringing up a 2009 thread, John Whipple?

For whatever reason old threads are resurrected, there's always someone that can benefit from seeing it for the first time :) We were on a cruise in Feb. We were "upgraded" to a handicap room that had a roll in shower with a fold down bench. There is one pictured in John's link. We loved it! If we had a large shower, I'd definitely want a bench large enough to sit on, not just for ease of shaving. BTW John Were DID you find that picture of me!? I thought I took it off the web (g)

Great photo Monica. You can model for any of my shower photo shoots in the future if you like. Such a tasteful shot showing what I think is a tiled Wedi shower bench.

This shower Bench has inspired a lot of my lighting work over the years. Made from Slumped Glass and back lit with LED's. An awesome example of cool shower lighting.

Christa Young-TY Design · More Info

I don't check the date codes on these discussions. Just what is relevant to the info I have handy. This week I'm designing some benches for a couple in the US and their future steam shower. I did some goggle research and this discussion came up.

I think it's easier for people searching online to find lots of info in one place.

Modern Bathroom · More Info

I get asked a lot how I made this bench. The truth is I did nothing. The builder installed some Metal cleats left and right and the stone guy dado'd the stone to lap over top. I only waterproofed this shower, build the floor, set the drain and designed the safety net...

White Marble Curbless Shower - Vancouver West Side · More Info

This is one of my favourite benches. Because it is so far from the shower heat we decided to heat the entire thing. So when you sit down on this bench even your calves, butt and back are warm. I love the stain glass in this space. Nice touch with the old school marble tile.

We put this bench at the end of our shower for 2 reasons. One, because in the back corner, there is a drain pipe going into the concrete floor (this is our basement bathroom). So to hide the drain pipe, we built a bench. Two, because our master bath shower is teeny and there is no place to put my leg to shave, so I wanted a big shower with a comfortable place to shave. I put the handheld (second source of water in this shower) over the bench so the person sitting on the could also be covered in warm water. I have found that I turn the handheld on slightly for a short time, while I'm standing under the main water, to warm the bench before I sit on it.

What do people do with shower benches other than prop up a leg for washing or shaving? (For the record, I had a bench in my previous home that we never ever sat on, and I can't even figure out why we'd want to). My favorite design is a ledge for foot-propping, rather than a bench.

This is the "spa" bathroom for me, so I love to sit on the bench and soak in the warm water in our shower. Also, my daughter made me a peppermint sugar scrub for Christmas, and I like to use it on my legs, while sitting on the bench, legs propped up and back against the wall. It's a very relaxing place for me.

If you are on crutches/nonweightbearing, you can sit on the bench while washing, rather than struggle with crutches while trying to also wash yourself. I've been nonweightbearing; if it's for a short time and especially if I am in a lot of pain, I'd rather skip the shower. Too much effort and pain. On the other hand, once I was nwb for 8 weeks and actually felt okay. A shower with a bench would've been wonderful! We had a tub, which was a pain, and a small shower - no bench or room for crutches.

I'm putting in a corner shower bench, strictly for shaving. I think the tiled benches are cold, I wouldn't put my tush on a cold wet bench. You'd have to have the water running for a while on it to warm it, no? If water is running on it, hard to shave as it will rinse away any cream. If I did a bench to sit on I think I'd try teak or something. Just my 2 cents.

Maybe I am too simple here but why not just use a plastic stool when you want one in the shower (e.g. shaving legs) - when you don't you leave it out.

Nice looking steam shower MFB. I hope great care was taking waterproofing and vapour proofing around the windows and the plumbing fixtures.

I love the ledge on the long wall. That is a nice touch.

Those steel pipes are temporary so I would hope some provisions have been made to make a vapour proof seal later there.

Hi John - yes, waterproofing/vapour proofing has been a top priority with our contractor -- especially after I've been showing him your various posts. We *think* we have all bases covered

@ mfb237 - Sadly none of the makers of these vapour proofing systems have a complete system to use. The tie in from the vapour proofing to the windows the hardest to make.

Do you know if they sealed the vapour proofing to the windows?

I did this on my current steamer.

Used some Laticrete Hydro Ban Sheet Membrane to tie into the window. Since Laticrete has no "Kerdi Fix" like product I used Kerdi Fix. I pretty sure Laticrete does not like this at all. I would guess Schluter hates it also. I however found that they work quite well together.

The Kerdi you see on the floor was later ripped out and replaced with Hydroban Sheet membrane. The perm rating the main reason for doing so. Once ripped out I found some foam under the kerdi. That got ripped out as well and replaced with concrete.

Does anyone know where to get teak shower benches in Merry Old England? Perhaps somewhat cheaper also?

A couple of nights last week my MS had me too weak to get myself in and out of my 19" tub. DH climbed in the attic to fetch his shower seat we bought for him during is open heart surgery recuperation (his DIY bathroom remodel was barely out of the gut stage so he was using my tub with only hand held shower), I was able to shower sitting down in his tub/shower combo. It was no luxury size shower with full body jets but oh man, I felt so pampered with my shower bench :D

We had a built in at our last home and I only used to prop foot for shaving legs. Too cold to sit on! This house, I opted to buy teak stools for all the shower. Bought the master at Smith and Hawken, and the others at Target (outdoor section). Finished the Target stools with a clear coat due to the legs leaving marks o the tile (even though it cleaned off - didn't want the hassle).

We just added a new guest bath and put in a built-in tiled corned bench that's used for shaving legs and extra shampoo bottle storage. I'm going to use a stand alone teak bench for the master shower we're doing now though.

We're finishing up remodeling for resale and I don't want any extra work that will take DH longer to finish. Plus, this gives me an opportunity to try both ways to see what I prefer before remodeling our next house.

Hello everyone! I'm designing my parent's bathroom and they will be having a 100cmx100cm shower space. I did some research and since my parents are getting older they may need a shower bench. I rather not have them the foldable wooden bench and have a granite top, tiled wall bench instead for permanence and safety. But when I added a shower bench on the floor plan on the far end 100cmx30cm(is the depth enough to sit on?) leaving them only 100x70cm space for standing and showering, isn't that too small or would that still be fine? Any suggestions? Thanks!

We're considering two floating corner benches in our new shower. If you have a floating corner bench, are they hard to clean underneath? Do you ever hit your shins on it? Trying to decide between benches that float or go to the floor. Would love to hear your experience.

Patrick, even though our shower is of a decent size, I wanted the ability to completely remove/flip up which ever seat I finally chose, both for cleaning, and for space, should you not want to bang our knees on said corner bench if we became physically less adept. The bench I chose has stood up well, is warm when wet, not slippery, and is sturdy enough to use to stand on to change lightbulbs in the bathroom ceiling!

I will say that originally I wanted a teak flip up bench/seat, but the costs were astronomical for the interior wall bracing, brackets, and teak seat. I'm of a heavier weight, and didn't want to pull the darn thing out of the wall, hence the extra bracing I refer to. The seat and brackets (stainless, and hinged brackets were what I was considering) were only going to be available to me from a boat building/marine grade store, and they saw me coming with my wallet open! As you've read, I finally just purchased a really nice, sturdy bench, which is perfect height for washing dogs, shaving human legs, and just sitting to towel dry hair etc after showering.

Take your time, give this some thought, and realize that propping one's butt up on a slippery bit of granite should you choose it, gets old as you get old! :) I did use a cardboard box to generally get the idea of size and height I wanted for my bench...give it a try! Good luck with your project! You'll love the new shower, regardless of seating!