The Case for a Curbless Shower

stitchify I am so glad you are a contributor. I really appreciate the thought that goes into your posts! Great job!

catra7000 some of these showers don't have doors! i don't know how other people shower, but I splash water all over the place! dislike!

Tervola Designs I love curbless showers and use them whenever possible in my designs. As far as a shower door, I prefer not to use them either as long as the space is large enough. Great ideabook Paul.

sweetchaos We're remodeling our master bath and putting a curbless, doorless shower in. Can't wait til it's finished!

hgrada I've never used one of these before; they're beautiful but I have to wonder how cold I'd be while using it.

sdfarmer I love curbless showers and would like to use this design in the redo of our master bath. Question? How much do you need to build up the remaining floor to achieve the curbless shower and still get a proper sloped drain?

Amy Laroway Dislike as well...I think showers with curbs, minimal at least, are more practical over the long-term.

ckrichter love the look, dislike the experience of curbless / doorless... it gets cold and wet.

amanda fox I really love the look of the curved teak deck next to the tile floor. Gorgeous.

bepsf Love curbless showers, sans doors or curtains!
Combine this with a heated floor, a ceiling-mounted rain showerhead, and a linear drain, enabling the use of larger format tiles, and this would be the start of a perfect shower!

Paul Anater Thank everybody and thanks Stitchify particularly. Curbless showers take a lot of room and a lot of planning to pull off and they don't work in a space more often than they do. They're easiest on slab-constructed, first floor baths. They're not a DIY project, this one needs to be left with the pros.

They're not for everybody, and Bepsf said it right. In most parts of the world, they need to go into baths with heated floors, adequate showerheads and above all, adequate space.

nenamarci I love curbless, showers! Also I love doorless showers - one less thing to clean. I intend to have one in my bath remodel along with the Quick Drain system. Thanks for the inspiration.

Ella Johnson I do like the look of curbless and doorless showers, but, to be honest, I feel like I'm just standing in a room taking a shower. I'm a bit old fashioned (!) in that I need a door or other containment in order for me to feel like I'm taking a shower. Great post, though.

denise1234 We are currently building a private curbless 9'x5' shower with bench. The floor had to be dropped almost 5 inches to accommodate a hot-mop and mortar bed. This bathroom is in two sections. Through a pocket door from our bedroom, two 5' vanities are bookended by wall space, one wheelchair accessible on the left and one on the right with more storage. Through a 4-1/2' opening in the wall space beyond the vanities is the shower on the left and the toilet on the right. This area will be completely tiled and has two awning style windows to bring in plenty of light. When you enter the bathroom, the shower and toilet have privacy behind the two walls but are open to each other. We placed the toilet on the wall between it and the vanity so my husband can slide onto it from his right side and there will be plenty of grab bars in this tiled area as per ADA guidelines. As for aesthetics, we decided on gray floor tile with undertones of brown and 4"x13" white subway wall tile for a contemporary but hopefully a timeless appeal. Dark brown shaker cabinets with contemporary hardware completes the design. We can't wait until it's finished and are able to use the space. I hope it won't be too cold as ckrichter says above.

Becky Shankle I heartily applaud both curbless and doorless shower design, especially those with linear drains. None of us are getting any younger, (though I haven't even hit the half century mark yet!) and aging in place is a definite consideration for those of us attached to our homes. Nice post, as always, Paul!

Richard Martin - West Coast Home Design Assoc. Thanks for this excellent article on barrier-free showers. I believe we will see more and more of this style as our population ages and as you demonstrate, accessiblity CAN be beautiful.

The fully open style is visually appealing, but not practical where comfort is concerned.

lkornell Beautifully designed but definitely not for the visually impaired (or the terribly hung-over :-)). I would like all those clear glass walls and shiny surfaces better if they had some pattern or etching or other visual demarcation and I think an all-glass shower should have grab bars. You fall in there, you're going to really, really hurt yourself.

Nat I like the idea but would wonder about the placement of some of those toilets and vanities - no doubt they get splashed on. We are putting some into our house when we renovate the bathrooms but we live in a warm climate and would include louvred windows to help dry the floor off (kind of like this one).
Another option is an idea I came across which is a sunken bath/shower (see attached)

Paul Anater Nenamarci: Thanks!

McDowell: Thanks for your feedback. Everybody's different and thanks for stepping out of your comfort zone to appreciate something you'd never do!

Denise: Your bath sounds spectacular.

Becky: Thanks and yes, none of us are getting any younger. I remind myself of that every time I look at my own bathroom. Hah!

Drummond: Comfort is a subjective term and for me, the thought of a free shower as they're called, appeals to me on all levels instantly. I enjoy being in the open for things like showering and I think that's an extension of the fact that I live alone.

Lkornell: Since all of this is custom work, installing grab bars is just a matter of requesting them. Most frameless showers I've seen have them.

Natcus: The toilets and vanities that you see in the splash zone are variations on the theme of a wet room. Many bathrooms in Europe, Italy in particular, are wet rooms. They have a shower on the wall, a drain in the floor and everything's made to be waterproof. Wet rooms tend to be smaller than traditional baths and they're a solution to getting a shower into a small bath. Thanks for those images, they are beautiful baths. Step downs look great but heaven help you if you're ever mobility-impaired!

fadhma We have been trying to figure out how to transform our bathroom to make it handicap accessible but still fashionable; you just answered our questions! Thank you!

jaycee As a project manager in residential housing projects, I can vouch that curbless showers are the trend these days. We're even doing one now that is not only curbless but also has only a glass partition as shown in some of the photographs. Thank you.

Irene Turner at Home I agree Paul. I only put in curb less showers for clients these days as part of the Universal design/aging in place trend. It's here to stay for several decades so definitely a good investment. The trick is finding a contractor who knows what he is doing. At the beginning there were several who wouldn't do it. It's easier to find now, thank goodness.

sfgirl75 I love the vanity in the first photo. Where is it from?

We are redoing our master bath and im having a hard time finding vanities which dont look generic and cheap. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

nwbecca These are fabulous, and common in the UK, where you can go to most any big box home supply store and get a DIY shower room kit. A complete bummer they're so rare here in the US, and that they therefore cost an arm and a leg to install. You don't have to have a huge space either---obviously requires a lot of pre-planning, but you can "tank" the whole room, tile it, and the entire bathroom is now a wet room.

My in-laws have a fully waterproofed wet room and it's so cozy--covered with creamy tile, and complete with a towel warmer and instant hot water in the form of a tankless shower by Mira (also not available in the US). Wish I had a picture of the room to share. Splashing on other fixtures (the toilet, the sink, etc) is extremely minimal. You can also install a retractable curtain from the ceiling to minimize splashing, although they can definitely interfere with the aesthetics of the room.

mlholeman When my in-laws decided to move closer to us because of Alzheimer's, we put in a new mobile home for them with a "handicapped shower." That so-called handicapped shower has a curb, which quickly rendered it unusable. I think these designs are fantastic. Thanks for showcasing them.

truzwell We are currently designing a home to retire into, and I would love to put in a curbless shower wet room, but if you are planning it thinking you will be in a wheelchair, don't forget to leave enough turning space, and preferably have a wider than normal door. Although I don't particularly like the toilet next to a shower, it can be most helpful to have it there if wheelchair bound, or partially disabled, and let's face it, if the lid is down, your toilet gets cleaned on the outside regularly! Lots to think about if you are heading into old age, having these facilities keeps you in your home for longer.

jam666 Just love the curbless and doorless showers. Heated floors are a must. The time saved in cleaning glass and corners is fantastic plus the look is so clean and uncluttered.

maryphil Curbless is the way to go. No more cleaning soap scrub off glass doors or dealing w shower curtains. Also as we age, perfect for wheelchairs or any physical disabilities. Thank you for the great posts and ideas.

Mikki Marshall YES to curbless roll-in-showers and wall mounted sinks. As a wheelchair user, it is a matter of quality of life, but to all who view it, my modernized, accessible bathroom is a thing of beauty! I have to agree.

Paul Anater Fadhma: Thanks for the thanks!

Jaycee: Curbless with a single pane of stationary glass is my favorite combination.

Irene: Thanks! And you're right, a good bath design needs an equally good contractor.

SFgirl: I can tell from looking at it that it's made from modular cabinetry. Any decent kitchen and bathroom can design you something just like that.

NWBecca: I love a wet room. I first fell for them in Italy and I wish they weren't so uncommon in the US.

MLHoleman: You are welcome. It's easy to forget that curbs are there until the time comes when they become a barrier.

Truzwell: You bring up a good point about turning radii for wheelchairs. It's important to work with a designer who knows how to design for universal access and then with a contractor who can make it all a reality.

Jam: I'm with you. I'm one of those always cold people and radiant heat in a bathroom is heaven sent.

Maryphil: Thanks for the thanks!

Mikki I love your bathroom! Thanks for posting those photos.

poorgirl We are currently designing a doorless shower in the cottage, the space is only 4'L x 3'W.
We are looking at using glass block and 2 blocks of radiused blocks that will wrap into the shower so this will help with the splash. Also looking at putting the shower head higher so the splash doesn't go out as far. We will also put a linear drain by the 22" walk in opening. I would appreciate comments weather you think this will work or be a big water mess.

poorgirl Beautiful showers. Over time, I would think the matts would loose there nice finish due to water, soap, residue. Wood and water together at all times.

laNeva Artsan Tile We have one traditional shower in our main bath and one wall-mounted hand shower in a very small (45"x 70") bathroom, which is common in many parts of the world. The entire room is tiled and while it gets a little wet, with only a toilet and pedestal sink, it dries quickly and is perfect as a secondary bathroom.

If planned properly, the small splashes won't hurt (unless you're the wicked witch) and this space is perfect to shower the adults, kids or even use as a glorified dog-wash area. A small space means it is comfortable for the users (no showering-in-the-open feel) and no curb means that it will be functional for a variety of users. It's not a glamorous bathroom, but very comfortable and a valid option for small spaces.

ajeskin I love the look of the design, however ... you need to reconsider clear glass doors and floor drains. Although I don't use a shower (I prefer a bathtub), my husband uses one -- currently one with a "curb" and a rippled glass door. Although the door isn't too difficult to clean, the interior tile (walls and floor) are a nightmare! they attract mold that spreads to the drywall and baseboards just outside the shower. Isn't there some way to invent/install a vacuum inside the shower that would dry it and kill bacteria and mold immediately after use?

mamamona These are common here in Egypt. There's a drain in the floor and you use a big squeegee to push the water after you shower.

printer 2 years ago we remodeled our master bath and had a huge jetted tub taken out. We now have a 4'6" x 7' shower room. We were able to achieve separate vanity areas as we had a standing corner shower stall also removed. Fantastic project, worth every penny, and hope this will allow us to continue the enjoyment of our own home rather than "assisted living" as we age.

skatermom printer..do have pictures of your shower...we are doing the same thing but it will 7'10'' x 4'6". Anything you love or would do differently?
thks!

skatermom Paul...how difficult is it to do this in an upstairs bathroom..I am just thinknig about the floor joists...do you elevate the whole floor and the bathroom and drop down to the drain or can put the floor right on the exisitng subfloor and then just drop it down?

loboryan Placing a slotted mat or base over the floor and drain is a good idea to camoflage the slope in the floor but the underside of the mat tends to get mouldy and in some cases leads to a roach problem especially in warm climates.

Paul Anater Thanks everybody for the feedback on this IdeaBook.

Skatermom: It's hard to pull off but it can be done. Talk to a couple of contractrors and be prepared for some stickershock.

The surest way to keep one of these showers clean is to use RainX on the glass and on the walls. Water and soap can't stick to RainX.

Ajeskin: It sounds like you have a construction problem, that shouldn't happen.

Lanevatile: You just described every other bathroom in Italy. Where are you?

tractormama Very nice. I'm building a new house with a doorless, curbless handicapped accessible shower (and heated floor). Question: Hadn't considered a linear drain -- where do you find them or how make them?

Paul Anater http://www.quickdrainusa.com/

Residential Resurrections Wanted to do my latest project curbless, but house physics weren't right for the budget (I-beam joist where linear drain at front would be) I did use a Proline channel drain. Also allowed me to use 12x24 tiles IN the shower (due to single slope)

Danielle Love curbless, doorless showers...definitely my preference.

A & D Glass Inc. Please DO NOT install a grab bar on a shower door or panel - walls only.

cocodesign Great ideas. We are currently planning to renovate for a wheelchair accessible shower in our home. The house has in-floor radiant heat. Is it possible to drop the floor and maintain the radiant heating? The bathroom will also be the guest bath so the challenge is to make it look good and function as a barrier free shower as well. I had an opportunity to visit a home that had recenlty done a barrier free shower - the tile job was not impressive. The tiles were so obviously slanted to allow for the drain slope that it made the room look like a home-owner done job, but a so-called professional barrier free contractor had done the work. I like the ideas here, especially the channel drains and those under the wood slats. Has anyone used the rubber dam that a wheelchair can roll over but is supposed to keep the water contained? Thanks.

John Whipple - By Any Design ltd. Great Ideabook. I have my own here on Houzz.com and if you want to look at another 70 pictures the link is here.




John Whipple
By Any Design Ltd.

www.no-curb.com

wxboy As the baby boomers age and have to accommodate walkers and wheelchairs they are going to be common

teacher1995 Love the curbless showers, but I'm unsure if I can do it in my remodel. I'll have a 6'X6' square shower, with one corner at a 45 degree angle with a glass door. Faucetry will all be on the longer, back walls...... NOT adjacent to the door. I'd like to have a glass door, but no curb. Can I do that, or do you think water will be seeping out the doorway?

Cindy Hannon I tried to get this into my bathroom...instead I had a contractor who argued it can't be done that way. This was four years ago... lesson to those viewing, don't let the contractors talk you out of what you want, find one that is current and up to date. These are all beautiful!

Morgan Daniels I am surprised to never see anything like the bathroom in the tv show JAG. It was beautiful, curbless and had lots of light. Yes, it's up there on a dream shower list for me. lol

tompaul the flush floor is outstanding for perception of space, ease of use, installation etc etc. i have eliminated the 24" door in favor of a 48" fixed panel partially enclosing the 72" wide shower opening. splash by is minimal. it is drafty. the entire bath, including the shower has a heated floor. we always feel a cold draft while in the shower and are seriously considering adding the door. it does not bother me as much as it does my wife...but it is absolutely noticeable and has to be considered in the decision. the curbless floor is not the issue as much as the issue of how to design these creations to be comfortable in every day use by the customer. i am renovating two other bathrooms and will use flush floors in both. both will have full, clear glass doors and panels closing in the shower space.....no questions about it.

by the way, regarding channel drains and the ability to use larger format floor tiles in the shower.......fewer grout joints can lead to an extremely slippery surface in a wet shower unless those tiles have significant texture. i love the larger tiles for expanding the perception of space but would be extremely reluctant to try them in shower floors. my $.02 only.

marlene59 I want to have a curbless shower, but will need a step-up entrance to the bathroom. Will this look bad?

Neal Dodson Love the curb less showers! My partner is disabled and when we remodel, curb less is the only way!

Sharon Williams Curbless is included in our new bath to be constructed soon as part of an addition. I'm sure it will make a smaller sized bathroom look more open. It will be all enclosed with glass, however, to help contain the water. Also using a trench drain along the glass doors. Look forward to stepping in, not up, to the shower!

k_8ie how do you keep the water from going everywhere?

Tony LaMartina Plumbing Company, Inc. @K_8ie : bathrooms like these will typically have sloped floors - very subtly of course - that will direct the water into well placed floor drains. They are beautiful showers and give bathrooms a wonderful look and feel.

shasta123 LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!

kristinebelamisca As an occupational therapist, I specialize in helping to design accessible homes and bathrooms and I have a pet-peeve about accessible homes that look institutional. Thanks for posting some beautiful pictures of what accessible design can look like! Also a reminder to others reading the article to consult an occupational therapist if you are designing a barrier-free bathroom for a person with a disability or for an aging in place home to ensure that the user's individual medical needs will be accommodated in the design.

gatorohm We are adding a master bath on our second floor over the area that used to be our rear stairs. Since we are having this floor newly framed anyway, we have the option to slope the floor if necessary for a curbless shower. We are adding a 48" X 42" curbless shower on one end of the bathroom. It will not have a door, but half of the length (48") will have a glass wall.
We planned on having a infiniti floor drain almost the entire length of the shower.
Does our contractor need to slope the joist? This forum/comment made me think about this...we haven't discussed that the shower is curbless.

Thanks for help/suggestions!

cocodesign We had an accessible shower installed. Ours is 60" x 44" with a Schluter channel drain. It works great. With in floor radiant heat, we were concerned about having to rework the heating system. The contractor removed the first layer of concrete that had the tubing embedded in it and was able to move the lines outside of the shower footprint. They did not have to cut the heating lines. I have also seen a similar shower done (not radiant heat) where they cut into the joists to lower it for the shower area. For the 44" of depth, the slope is 3/4" finished slope to the drain. I preferred the channel drain on the outside wall as it reduces the angles that a center drain requires. We used a 3" x 3" black slate for the shower area - it works great - not slippery. For the main part of the bathroom we used a 12" x 24" dark grey quartz. The placement of the shower head (we used a Riobel with thermostatic temperature control - on a sliding bar) is important if the shower is open. We put in a fabric shower curtain. I didn't think I would like it at first, but it works great. It keeps the water in, it reduces draft, and allows for more flexibility if a helper is needed to assist with showering. I would think twice about installing a glass wall with a wheelchair - you need 5 feet of turning radius and the glass will scratch or break if hit by a wheelchair. Our bathroom is small (only 7' x 9') so we wanted as much open space as possible. We took out a closet from the laundry room beside the bathroom and were able to add that to the bathroom area. The toilet is in the recess space. We chose the Kohler Purist grab bars in polished stainless and they are beautiful. They do not look like the institutional grab bars. Good luck with your project.

gatorohm "cocodesign"...thanks for your comment! We are not designing our bathroom to accommodate a wheelchair, as it's on the second floor up a set of stairs that turns twice with two landings...
I need to learn more about heated floors & the cost. Or a heated overhead light.
Thanks!

lisajay How much space is needed for a cureless shower?

World Contracting LLC @ lisajay

There is no simple answer to the question of how much space is needed. There are many factors that need to be taken into consideration about the framing under the floor prior to determining the best approach to achieve a barrier free/ curb less shower. The size, direction, and type of floor joist as well as existing floor height creates unique scenario's that an experienced installer will have to determine how to approach the build. Additionally, if is is for handicap access and needs to be ADA compliment, there are some size minimums you will have to consider too. there also may be additional local codes that may need to be implemented such as a floor drain....

Sorry i cannot answer your question, but i can add that you can build as small as allowed ( i believe 30 x 30 is minimum?) or as large as you want.

gharatani One thought I have to go curbless without a shower door for myself is to design a shower in an existing tub/shower combo space, then add a half wall between it and an adjacent toilet and place a ceiling tracked curtain, isolating those 2 fixtures from the rest of the bathroom. The half wall (with glazing above) would minimize splashing onto the toilet and I could have an opening into the shower (without a door) and a full height hospital privacy type curtain could protect the rest of the bathroom and be pulled aside (even into a recess) when not in use. Here's an idea I'm toying with for my own bathroom. Please forgive the lack of polish. (I like using Sketchup to quickly test my ideas.) I'll post finished work when/if it's successfully done. Great community here btw.

lazidazi Hi Paul ~ Appreciate this great post of yours.

One of the issues you stress is the need for plenty of space when building a frameless shower enclosure without a curb.

I would much appreciate your assessment of my plans to build a frameless shower enclosure without a curb:

Bath Space is but 8.5' x 9.5' and will include stacked washer/dryer. Placing the shower into corner walls, I do not plan to build an additional barrier wall, nor do I plan a curb. Modifying floor joists [to structural specifications required], I plan to lower the shower pan 2-3" from floor grade. Am also considering putting a slight slope [toward shower] on the entire bath floor [ceramic/porcelain tile]; and if I don't put waterproof membrane over the entire bath floor, I will at least extend this membrane a good ways directly outside the shower pan.

Shower area will be 32" x 48" and I expect to utilize a curtain.

Do you see any flaws with this plan?
Will much appreciate your views.
Thanks much!

teacher1995 We did do a curbless, WITH DOOR shower (I described my shower above) and we LOVE it! I wanted the door to keep in warmth/steam. The faucets actually can hit that door if they're situated just so..... but usually they hit the adjacent wall. The floor slope starts exactly at the door and then down to the linear drain on the back wall. The glass door opens both ways, and the key is that there is a tiny, imperceptible, clear plastic sweep along the bottom. It is flush with the floor outside the shower. Again, in the rare instances that the faucets are right on the door or on the nearby bench, a little water might seep thru the vertical gap between door and adjacent glass. Outside floor is waterproofed, and it's literally a few tablespoons that are easy to wipe up. LOVE the feel.... look.... cleanability of curbless/glass door/linear drain shower!

wendyarnold I've used curbless showers with minimal glass separation and I find them a great design and use of materials. Thought needs to be put into where the drain is as well as making sure the floor of the rest of the bathroom is slightly higher and slopes about 1/8 inch per three or four feet towards the shower...you want all the water that gets out to return!!

Actually, the dog is the one that causes the most escaping water...the humans have no problems. I like this design a lot..no doors..no extra surfaces to clean.

sheilacowell Thanks for lots of good ideas for us aging folk! I am thinking of renovating my bathroom, and can add on another 6 X 7 feet. I am struggling with splitting the space with a 6 ft tub on one side and steam shower on the other, but would need doors on both sides for access, and am not sure of using the shower area as a hallway area with the bathroom side being curbless. Also, is it possible to have heated floors in a shower area? and what are some of the problems with a steam shower? Thanks for you help! Sheila

cdpearman Can you tell me how large the curbless and doorless shower should be to avoid water on the rest of the floor. ie. what is the approximate "splash zone"? We are building in the spring and have palanned a 3 x 7 ' shower, but I am hoping it is large enough?thanks

Ariadne Monfalcone We are presently renovating (and expanding) a very dated 1950's bath for my 3 teenagers to share. We designed it so that the toilet is in it's own small room with a door, there is a central area with double vanity and linen storage, and we created a separate "shower room" with a door separating it from the other two spaces. The room will have a wet and dry area within it for changing. In designing the shower room, my goal was to keep it glass and shower curtain free, to keep the cleaning to a minimum. The contractor I selected had no problem with a curbless shower, and that's part of why I picked him. He had confidence he could make the pitch work, and I am indifferent between a traditional drain or a linear drain, so he knows he can use whichever option is necessary to make the design work. My feelings are that in this type of "room" with no glass partition, a curb would be more of a trip hazard than a help. We also plan on heating the floors and possibly using a heat lamp to keep the space warm. Does anyone have thoughts on Linear vs. standard drain and using heated floors in a "shower room" environment? Would love your feedback. Thanks!!!