# low or no curb shower framing



## JohnFRWhipple

*Proline drain install by Bluemoon*

Would love to see your finished pictures Bluemoon!

I had the chance to tour the Quick Drain USA Show Room in Denver this month and they have this exact set up but with a 5' channel drain and a large slab for the shower base instead of the multiple slope.

I have used this multiple slope for many installs and as you've drawn it would work great.

Did you slope the remainder of the bathroom back to the drain as well or did you just "Cheat" the entry?

What are your impressions of your new drain so far? My clients love theirs!

JW






Bluemoon1 said:


> For those still interested. Using a drain like the flush drain from prodrain would work well. Attached pic.
> The drain can be set at the threshold location in this example and the shower tile can be sloped outward. The prodrain is installed flush with the subfloor and some modifications might need to be made to the floor joists, but minimal. It has worked great for us.
> Hope this helps for an idea in the future



Here is a picture of one of my low curb installs.


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## valparaiso

is this the product you are referencing? i have a zero clearance shower i need to install.


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## JohnFRWhipple

*Low Curb Shower Construction - Bricks or Wood?*


Here is another low curb shower build in West Vancouver. These are common grey bricks that we recycled from a fireplace demolition years back. We cut them in half and set them down with modified thin set.

For this project we left two spaces so we could run a heating circuit in and out.

Once tiled and finished the curb will be under 2" in height and make access very easy for my clients.

JW


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## JohnFRWhipple

JohnHomeMatters said:


> ... if possible on the new shower in a bathroom remodel. Floor trusses below, so I don't see how to modify the framing to lower the section under the shower floor to allow slope to drain. Ideas?...


Did you find a solution to your problem? There are many ways of achieving your low or no curb shower.

Having a low curb is the simplest but with some more effort the curb can go completely. 

Have you worked yet with a linear drain or the Noble Flex Flashing product? AKW has a shower pan that mounts over the floor joists as a third option. Between these three systems one is bound to work for you.

This is a barrier free shower built over 2"x10" floor joists. We recessed a common three piece clamping drain below the floor joists and installed a CanPlas Drain and Noble Flex Flashing.

All grading done in the primary wet zone with Mapecem Scrred mortar and in the dry zone we just used good old thinset and Mortar Mix. That we will top with Durval Uncoupling membrane.










*Barrier Free - No Curb Shower*












*Grading approach*


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## JohnFRWhipple

So we set the grading on another no curb shower project yesterday.

With this current no curb shower renovation we dropped the framing in the primary wet zone about 3". This was an easy thing to do since the old bathroom was built over slab construction.

A few hours on the tools and we had a nice recess. I gained a little extra elevation outside the shower by installing a second layer of 1/2" plywood and we have designed a slight grade up from the bedroom entry to the main level area of the bathroom and then it will grade down to the shower.

I have one of my setters installing natural stone in the bathroom but I recommended that we not use the same stone in the shower. My clients wanted to badly and I suggested they do a soak test.

After two days of soaking and two days of drying the stone showed noticable changes in appearance. 






JW


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## fiveash

Maybe you could re-frame the floor in the shower area below the existing floor and go from there. Just an idea.


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## acrwc10

JW your work looks really good. I'm sure by now the OP is finished with his shower, I hope it worked out well.
I wanted to point out that the building codes have been changing in the last few years to acomidate for accessible showers, requiring less slope and clearace then in previous years. In California we have been on the UPC for years and they require 2" from the top of the drain to the top of the curb minimum. What is nice about that is, if you have the distance to get the fall, there is no need for a step. Or you can use a very small edge to get the curb, like in JW's photos.
Always ask you building dept. what they require before you commit to doing it one way or the other, because there may be new changes that make it easier.


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