San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
Kick your old shower to the curb
Does your bathroom have what it takes for a curbless shower?
Seamless, smooth and simple: These are the facets homeowners commonly desire nowadays in their remodeling projects. One way to accomplish all three goals in the bathroom — and improve the functionality and look of your lavator y — is to opt for a curbless tiled, walk-in shower.
A curbless shower, explained Stephanie Gillin, president of Grande Decor, Inc., in Springfield, Pennsylvania, “has zeroentry obstructions so that the main floor of the bathroom flows right into the shower. The shower will not have a four- to six-inch-high ledge or curb that you have to step over to enter the shower.”
The benefits here are plentiful. “A curbless shower is safer, especially for older family members who can eliminate the trip hazard of the threshold you normally have to step over. Also, it can be easier to clean because there are fewer corners and long grout lines, and it makes it physically easier to kneel and scrub the floor clean,” Gillin added.
Additionally, the curbless shower adds panache and cache to your bath.
“It gives a more expensive and custom look to the washroom,” noted Kelsey Findlay, a real estate agent with Homelife Benchmark Realty in Whiterock, British Columbia. “It adds a more spa-like appearance to the room, which can increase resale value and make it par ticularly appealing to home shoppers when it’s time to list and sell your home.”
If your shower can drain properly, a curbless shower may be accomplished without the need for a shower door, which is helpful in smaller bathroom spaces.
However, curbless comes with some compromises.
“Whether the shower is designed with or without a door, it may be possible for water to get out into the main area of the bathroom,” Gillin cautioned. “Although tile is impermeable and won’t be damaged by the water, this can create a messy, slipper y, and potentially harmful situation that can lead to accidents and injuries and damage other mate
rials like your wood vanity.”
To prevent this, it’s important to get slope the shower floor properly to the drain.
“It’s easiest to create a curbless shower when you build from the ground up since you can accommodate the shower pan slope before the floor is covered,” noted Jeff Fiorito, interior designer and owner of Fiorito Interior Design in Santa Cruz.
“You can still achieve a curbless shower as a retrofit, but it can present challenges — especially if your bathroom is on the second stor y of a house. Sometimes the way the joists are running prevents this installation, and sometimes there’s simply not enough room to shore up the joists to keep the structural integrity of the floor. If using a linear drain, the position of the drain may have to move, depending on which direction the joists run,” he said
Gillin recommended that the minimum dimension of your shower should be 30 inches wide by 60 inches long to accommodate a curbless design. However, the actual space needed will depend on the drain location and floor joists below.
Due to these structural challenges, the cost to install a curbless shower can be higher than a shower with a curb.
“Price will depend on each home and situation. But you can likely estimate paying an additional $1,800 to $2,300 for a curbless feature,” said Sarah Nelson, interior designer for S.J. Janis, based in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin.
Before investing in a curbless design, “consider the longevity of this feature and how it may improve your quality of life and independence, especially if you plan to age comfor tably in place,” Nelson added.
Also, ask yourself impor tant questions.
“Does it make sense to have a door? Will I track water out of the shower, causing other issues? Will I still be living in this home as I advance in age? And will I be able to fit a wheelchair in the shower if necessar y?” Gillin asked.