Curbless Showers: Pros, Cons and What to Know Before You Remodel

If you're planning a bathroom remodel, read this first. Curbless showers have taken over modern bathroom design. A regular tub or shower has a curb you step over; with a curbless shower, you simply walk in. It makes the bathroom look larger and brighter, and it can be safer for the people who live in your home.

Don't go overboard

If you plan to sell, removing every tub can turn away buyers with young children. If your home has only one full bathroom, a tub and shower combination may be the better choice. With more than one bathroom, you could:

• Replace the tub in a guest bathroom with a curbless shower.
• Keep the tub in the primary bathroom for resale.
• If this is your forever home and nobody uses the tub, replace it.

How much space do you have?

An open, uncluttered bathroom simply feels calmer. In a small bathroom, a walk-in shower can help: a standard tub takes about 15 square feet of floor, a curbless shower around 12. Three square feet makes a difference in a small room.

Who will use it?

Stepping over a tub wall is easy for some people and hard for others, whether because of age, an injury or a disability. Think about the people in your home now and in the future. Many homeowners choose a curbless shower so they won't need another remodel later. A bench and backing in the walls for grab bars are worth adding at the same time.

The pros

Continuity

You can run the same tile from the bathroom floor into the shower, which makes the room look bigger.

Easy cleaning

Porcelain and ceramic tile don't feed mold or bacteria, but soap scum can, especially in our humidity. Run the bathroom fan, clean regularly, and use a neutral cleaner made for tile and grout. No curb means one less corner to scrub.

No shower curtain

A well-built curbless shower doesn't need a curtain or door, though many people add a fixed glass panel. Curtains collect water and soap scum; door tracks are hard to keep clean.

Show off your style

Curbless doesn't have to mean modern. With no curb or curtain in the way, the tile itself becomes the feature.

The cons

Water where you don't want it

Built badly, a curbless shower can send water across the bathroom. Built well, it won't:

• The floor slopes away from the entrance toward the drain.
• A linear drain at the entrance or along the back wall catches the water.
• A rain showerhead keeps the spray in a smaller area.
• The waterproofing extends beyond the shower itself.

Less privacy

Lock the door.

Building one on a Florida slab

Most homes in Pinellas County sit on a concrete slab. To get the floor to slope to the drain without a curb, the slab in the shower area is usually cut out and re-poured lower. Where that isn't possible, the bathroom floor outside the shower can be raised instead. We'll look at your slab and plumbing and tell you which option fits.

Conclusion

A curbless shower can make your bathroom feel bigger, calmer and easier to live with as you age, and low-maintenance tile keeps it easy to clean. If you're thinking about one, request a quote or see our waterproofing and curbless showers page.

Sources: Why Tile, The Spruce, Make It Right