I'm in the middle of remodeling my bathroom, and am about to tackle putting up the shower walls. My house was built in the 1930s, and thus most of the walls are lath slathered with mortar that holds the plaster wall.
The bedroom is on the other side of the show, and I would like to keep its plaster intact. My problem is that I would like to install shower niches (for shampoo, soap, etc.) in the wall. However, the mortar holding the plaster on is brittle, and if it comes off, so does the plaster. I was planning on putting a piece of plywood for the back of the niche. However, I'm worried I'll lose at least a 1/2" because the of the mortar pressing against the back of the plywood (not to mention potentially being destructive to the wall behind it).
Does anyone have any suggestions or experiencing dealing with this type of configuration?