You need 2 drains for something that large. And many more water outlets. Otherwise, what on earth is the point in having an 80” shower with only one head?

We just built a shower with almost those exact dimensions, and I want to strongly encourage you to consider a 6" shower curb entry for water control. We, too, wanted to lower the threshold as is so popular with modern showers, but what happened to us and can happen in any situation, is that the floor itself that is to be tiled may need some leveling work before the slope can even be considered. This can quickly eat away at your necessary lippage to keep water out. At least be prepared going into the build that this could be a possibility and that you may need to adjust mid-construction. Even following the proper dimensions for slope, it's a long way for that water to drain, so kicking up the slope a little wouldn't hurt. It doesn't look weird at all. It's totally necessary to get that slope in there so the water won't be sitting over the long surface.

Also, at only 80", I think you're going to need some sort of curtain or door to keep water from spraying out the end where your entry is. There are specifications on that somewhere that I've bookmarked, so let me know if you haven't planned a door or curtain into your design, and I'll look it up and link it for you so you can confirm if needed. We used a unique metal coil shower curtain for ours and love it, from Cascade Coil.

For our build, we used the Schulter pre-formed shower drain pain and curb forms. The shower drain pain was the longest commercially available, then our tile setters had to build out extra slope to get the full length. If you haven't considered Schluter, please look into it. It's an excellent waterproofing system, and putting this much into a shower renovation, you'll want to be sure it won't ever need to be repaired due to leakage. I believe they have systems to accommodate the linear drains as well. Ours was a re-design of an existing shower into a post-tensioned slab foundation, so we couldn't upgrade to the linear drain but would have if our foundation had allowed for it easily.

Also, please look into some version of pre-sealed grout like Mapei. Our tile setters used a standard non-sealed grout, and with that much tile, cleaning is already a problem. We're needing to apply some sort of sealant going forward to help our grout situation. It's a lot of tile to keep clean, but you'll enjoy the space!

Justin, is this a framed floor or concrete? If framed you might consider running your drain across the back wall, if the floor joists allow it. I am working now on a similar size shower, 4' x 7' with zero entry with trench across the back. I am here now researching. Mine will be for a granny suite, with plenty options for aging parent. If you pitch to the back wall your looking at less pitch needed. OuickDrainUSA has panels that set the pitch for you I have used similar system before.

A option to Mongos point. If you wish to eliminate the slope being visual consider a contrasting floor and use it as a first row. Set to the height of the curb. The eye will now be drawn to the level horizontal change of tile and the slope barely noticeable. Just a tile guys point of view.

photo #! floor sloping left to right.

Custom Shower Manchester · More Info

Photo #2 sloping right to left

A tile 'baseboard', lol

Yep it does the trick:)

Reading everything on linear drains to learn as much as I can. Any good link for a lay man to learn about linear drains?

We are building a modern home, so we were thinking of linear drains for our curbless showers (instead of the center tiny round or square drains in the shower - which have worked beautifully for the past 30 years and will for the next 30!).

First time in the market for a linear drain. Trying to figure things out about linear drains! My head is spinning!!

Do all linear drains drain into a central circular hole? So will there be standing water under the grate where I cannot see? Do linear drains have a sloped ridge under the top grate - so there is no water standing? Some photos I saw have a linear drain/grate and then a 4" square adjacent to it - Do all linear drains have that 4" square next to them?

Reliable manufacturers and brands that I should buy so I don't buy a bad brand or a knock off?

How do I test if my tile guys knows what he is doing? If he knows all the correct vocabulary and knows how to make sure that water is not standing under the linear drain where I cannot see etc.

Read a few posts and a lot of words in my head! "Butech Edging"; "Schluter tile profile"; "Nobel Sealant 150"; "IAMPO"; "UPC"; "flood test"; "pre-sealed grout Mapei"; "ACO Linear drain"; "tapered trim from Blanke".

Lots more to learn!! I know linear drains is what we designed for in our current build but wonder if it is too late to switch to the central circular drain that I'm used to for the past 30 years!

@paddykk You may get more responses if you start a new post since this is an old one. Definitely look into Schluter for your shower construction needs. It is one of the leading-edge companies that creates whole-shower solutions to minimize the risk of future failure of your waterproofing measures. Schluter provides linear drain options as well. You will be fine using a linear drain, but what you may not be fine with is not having any type of curb. I know it is a modern approach and can be a lifesaver if you have something like a disabled family member who needs to roll into the shower with an assistive transport device. However, you need to plan for and expect a large splash zone and possibly even standing water creep. This is even with the recommended slope in place. I have used numerous no-lip showers for weeks at a time at a Marriott hotel where I stayed for a total of about two years for work and absolutely hated them for this phenomenon. After this experience, I would never put in a zero-lip shower into my home. Even a one-inch or inch-and-a-half lip would make a huge difference over nothing at all. If you have a large wet zone surrounding your shower--and I am talking a minimum of five feet in radius not including the actual shower area--then you could possibly consider zero lip.

Starting a new thread for Linear Drains 101.