Better Bench 17"x17"x24" Triangular Innovis

I have to say, I was extremely skeptical about this bench. Having exclusively 5-star reviews and being recommended by tile pros online in various forums though, was enough to convince me to at least buy one.Tools needed: Hammer drill with 3/8"/10mm masonry bit, silicone caulk, Phillips screwdriver, torpedo level, 1 55lb bag of shower floor mortar, steel trowel, margin trowel, and cement-mixing tools (see below). You can use a shovel or use a high-powered mixer. Again, see below. Bucket and spray bottle for water.It's made of thin but robust aluminum alloy that is supposed to be rust-proof. It is to be mounted with the supplied hardware, which is also very robust, albeit a little fussy to install.The screws are the same type of galvanized cement-backerboard screws used to mount Hardibacker and Durock-type CBUs. But they're long. Probably 2 1/2" or so. The anchors are very hard plastic and I ended up using 5 of the 6 included because I was able to hit at least one stud.If your walls are flat and square, you should have no problem installing this unit. Mine were a touch out of square and since the anchors stick out a little from the wall when installed, it was a little tricky to convince the unit to line up to get all the screws in. But I managed to get them all in and tight. Be aware that if you have to (or want to) you could technically drill 1-2 holes on the long sides to have your fasteners hit a stud. I wanted to try out the anchoring system so I used most of them. This bench screwed solidly to the wall and felt extremely rigid, even before adding a speck of mortar to it. Squeeze some silicone caulk into the screw holes before anchors/screws and then again along the top exposed line of the unit and it looks to be watertight. I plan to paint some waterproofing membrane a couple inches on the wall around it and a little on the top seam just to make sure. It has a weep hole on the bottom.Next, I filled it with shower base floor mortar (dry pack mud) from Floor and Decor. Took almost a full bag, so about $8 bucks in cement. A tip if you've never used mortar before - either get a low-rpm, high powered mixer drill from Harbor Freight and a mixing paddle or use a wheelbarrow and hoe/shovel to mix this stuff up. DON'T USE A REGULAR DRILL. You will burn it up. I did that. Don't do what I did.After you have the mortar mixed, it's very easy to fill the unit. Just have a plan before you start if you've never done it. Fill the unit from the back with a steel trowel and start packing up to the rim of the shelf. Move your way to one outside corner, then the other, then fill the center. If you level the cement, simply throw a torpedo level on top and give yourself a "full bubble" slope. Pack mortar to the rear of the unit until the spirit level bubble has made its way all the way to the non-level, shower wall side. That way the water will drain into the shower and not make its way against the wall!The front is the most challenging part; at least it was for me. You need a wetter mix of mortar there. A spray bottle is handy for adding more moisture to your mortar mix while it's in the bucket prior to application. It will be messy. Do the best you can to pack it on there. Take your time. This will likely not be easy if you've never done it before. This is supposed to be fun! Once you're finished filling and screeding, leave it alone. It will probably want to sag a little in the front area. Wait 20 mins then pack it back on there if it does.After that, you're done! Tile this beast and enjoy.Normally I'm not so long-winded on reviews but I thought this warranted something entertaining.

After a 40 year career in home building, I don’t know how I got off to such a dumb start with this thing, thinking somehow that obviously the flat side went up. No, it doesn’t. But I didn’t realize that until after I set my 2x4 blocking behind my Durock, about an inch too low. What now? Well, I decided to use the wall anchors supplied (something I’ve always had zero faith in), and then drill additional holes about a inch below those to get screws into my 2x4 braces. TIP #1: If you use the screw anchors supplied you MUST glue them in place and wait for glue to dry before screwing the pan in place or yes, they will spin in the hole. But, I was really surprised at how sturdy these screws and hollow wall anchors were . So I finally get it double screwed in place, right side up.TIP#2: Don’t just go to Lowe’s etc and buy a bag of mortar that looks like it might work. Call your local tile supply house and tell them you need mud for a Better Bench and they will know exactly what you’re talking about. Buy what they recommend from them. I used 209 Floor Mud from Laticrete. TIP #3: Get your wheelbarrow out and mix up the entire bag with the amount of water specified in the instructions or you will likely get it too dry or wet. Better to throw away half a bag of mixed mud than get this consistency wrong. Tip #4: when you fill the pan with mortar, pay attention to the front edge because it will flex out in the middle. The last thing you want is to try and lay tile to your seat with a bow in front. And finally, TIP #5: Don’t worry when you come back the next day and your cured mud has bulged out the large front holes a bit. You can easily shave it flat again with a putty knife etc.Once installed properly, I could not believe how sturdy this seat is especially when you begin with something so light weight and floppy. Incredible strong. Just make sure you install it FLAT SIDE DOWN!

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.Abraham LincolnNovember 19, 1863

This has to be the easiest way to create a bench in a tiled shower. I'm a DIY'r and this hardly added any time to my shower install. Maybe ten or fifteen minutes for initial instal and five or ten more minutes when I had the deck mud already mixed for the pre-slope. I had intended to put up stud blocking behind the backer board to tie into, but I completely forgot. After a bit of hesitation I went ahead and installed it only into the backer board with the supplied fasteners per the instructions. The end result was solid as a rock and looks great. We tiled the top with one piece of marble tile (started with an 18" X 18") and used the same material for the front. Don't forget to angle towards the front for water drainage. I added about a 1/4 inch back to front and probably could have done a little more. The size is not really comfortable to sit on, but that was not the goal. It is a great place for my wife to rest her feet for shaving. I beleive they sell a larger size as well.Innovis has a great video on their website to help you better understand the install process and a visual representation of what the deck mud should look like if needed.

Was actually very straight forward to install. Couple of notes though. I added a couple of mounting screws to it as I just could not believe it is strong enough to hold that much weight. Maybe overkill but after the cement was done and dried, this thing feels super solid. Happily surprised about that.Also, and maybe I missed it in the instructions or made some mistake but there is a roughly one inch hole in the base of the unit. Probably for moisture drainage. Well, once the cement was all done, I went back to it and the concrete had fallen through that hole so I now had a hole from top to bottom. Had to mix a little more up and fill that in using tape underneath to plug the hole. Seems OK now though.I guess time will tell but overall, this is a very simple solution for what seems to be a very sturdy shower bench.

This is one of the only such corner seat kits I've seen. I'm going to install it tomorrow, but I'm not real confident it is sturdy enough. The workmanship is very nice and of high quality. However, the aluminum looks pretty thin. I inquired with the manufacturer and they assured me it will hold 400lbs when installed properly. We're going to find out soon because I weigh 396 lbs.Update - I decided to reinforce the two long sides of the isosceles triangle, the sides that mount to the wall. I had an old aluminum road sign that I cut into 16 1/6" strips and used them inside the tray and ran the mounting bolts through. Although it may have been strong enough as is, I'm confident now that it will hold fast.3/14/13 Update: worked perfectly and now it's "part of the wall."

I was having my master bathroom tub/shower removed, and a walk-in shower added in its place. My contractor had built me a solid wood bench, but I hated how much room it took up in the shower. I found this on-line, and ordered it. My contractor had never used anything like this in his 30+ years (he's a little old school); but he really liked how easy it was to install! I think he'll use this type of product again. From a labor perspective, it takes much less time than building one with a wood base. I'm happy with how great it looks.

I needed a small bench in my already completed shower. I say this product on Amazon, and decided it looked like it would work. The instructions show (and explain) how to install in a shower still under construction (and not yet tiled), but there is a little info on retrofitting an existing shower with it. (I would recommend the manufacturer include more information on the retrofitting use of this bench, so people like me would know for sure it would work),The installation is very easy, and sturdy, with the included fasteners and screws. I had the installation and mortar done in an afternoon. After letting the mortar set for a few days, I proceeded with the tilling and grouting, and it was ready to use.The aluminum construction of the shelf pan is very sturdy, and I'm sure it will last as long as the shower.

My tile setter recommended this brand as the one he most likes to install as part of a new tiled shower. This one fit the bill perfectly.

Easy to install, Sturdy, accepted tile without an issue.

Love these. Got a couple for bathroom remodel. Really like these much better than regular niches.

I'm an avid diy'r and I used this as a last minute addition to a tile shower build and I'm impressed with how solid it is, even with not having wooden backing blocks between the studs. I'm 220 lbs and stood on it while tiling, an it didn't even feel like it had any flex or give to it. It mounts easy with the provided hardware if there is no stud available. My only note for the install is that it may use more deck mud than you would expect when filling the seat area.

Very easy to install. Used mortar bed mix to fill seat. Love the results.

Used to create a corner bench in our new tiled shower. Love it!

When it was all installed and cured, I jumped up and down on it and it was Rock solid. I changed up the installation to use very long coated structural lag bolts instead of the little hardibacker screws they give you. But once you mix the mortar to their specs and trowel it in, you can just see that this corner unit is going to be stable. Tile stuck right to it too.