Does anyone have a Curbless Shower with shower curtain?

5 years ago

I have a small bathroom (approximatey 8' x 5') with a shower and want to update for aging in place.

I of course am considering a curbless shower but am wondering about the shower doors. The shower opening will be about 59-60 inches wide and 37 inches deep, but the toilet is on one side where a fixed glass pane would be. (i'm not planning on moving the toilet, just trying to use current configuration). If I put in the beautiful glass doors I am worried that this will reduce the accessibility on one side...e.g. could I safely navigate a walker (if I ever needed one) around the fixed glass panel. It seems like shower curtains would be easier for accessibility. I'm just wondering if anyone has installed a curbless shower but used a shower curtain instead of a glass door. How difficult is it to contain water in a curbless shower using a shower curtain? If anyone has pictures, that would be great. Thanks!

Featured Answer

jslazart

5 years ago

last modified: 5 years ago

Works just fine. In addition to making the shower accessible, I'll take washing a shower curtain occasionally to washing glass constantly any day of the week.

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Comments (78)

User
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Quit while you are behind mark.
Susan Liles thanked User
Mr. Memes
5 years ago
And by the way. Those are large format tile enveloped to pitched to drain. Totally different then a linear drain.....#eyesroll
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Nala 123
5 years ago
We are in the process of remodeling two bathrooms with Roman showers. One shower is 4 x 3 ft. The shower panel is on the 3 ft wall. We plan on having a 2 ft opening to walk in to the shower. By code opening has to be 24 inches. If this shower does not work out we will add a glass door since that is the last to be installed.
The master bath shower is about 3 x 6 ft and the shower panel is on the 3 ft wall. We will have a half wall with glass on one side. This shower will have about 2 1/2 ft opening into it. So far both showers passed plumbing inspection. Both showers have a 3 inch curb to walk into it. We did not want to cut the joists below shower. I will post photos when we are done. I’m estimating about 2-3 weeks.
Susan Liles thanked Nala 123
jeannetteburgess
5 years ago
We have a curbless shower with a central drain. There are no doors or a shower curtain. The water stays in the shower. We do have a wheelchair user in our house and if you are planning for aging in place, my feeling is to plan for an eventuality. I can post pictures tomorrow.
Susan Liles thanked jeannetteburgess
Susan Liles
Original Author
5 years ago
@jeannetteburgess Is your entire bathroom waterproofed?
Nala 123
5 years ago
We also installed both showers with a central drain. I didn’t like the slope needed to install a linear drain on the side in the larger shower.
Susan Liles thanked Nala 123
jmm1837
5 years ago
Mr. Meme:

" A liner (sic) drain will need to be installed."

" Those are large format tile enveloped to pitched to drain. Totally different then a linear drain. "

Yes, obviously, it's a different system. But it works (I know, because I have that system in my own shower.) So you don't actually have to have a linear drain after all, now do you? You do have to have a skilled tile setter, though.
Susan Liles thanked jmm1837
jeannetteburgess
5 years ago
@Susan Liles, no, the entire floor is tiled in the bathroom but walls are drywall, except in the shower, of course. Sorry I forgot to do the pictures, will try to do tomorrow.
Susan Liles thanked jeannetteburgess
jeannetteburgess
5 years ago
Also, ours is new construction.
Susan Liles thanked jeannetteburgess
User
5 years ago
I don't know if anyone mentioned that your bathroom might be too small to do what you want...

In a smaller shower, there is a lot of water running down the walls and not all of that is contained by a curtain unless the curtain is literally stuck to the wall.

In other words, it's not really the floor water that creates the problem.

Plus when you clean the shower it's going to go outside of the shower space.

We just installed 2, one with a curb and one without. The one without is a pita. If I had a larger shower area, or if we had a tiny shower head, it might be better, but it wouldn't be a case of no water outside the shower.

Just my experience.
Susan Liles thanked User
jeannetteburgess
5 years ago
Finally, here are the pictures.
Susan Liles thanked jeannetteburgess
jeannetteburgess
5 years ago
Finished space in the wet area is about 4 x 6 with 10 foot walls.
Susan Liles thanked jeannetteburgess
Susan Liles
Original Author
5 years ago
Jeanette, that is very nice!! I think I’ve decided not to go with glass doors. But the configuration of my bathroom is different from yours. My toilet is right next to the shower. I could possibly do a half wall. Do you remember the name of the tiles you used? Very pretty!!
jeannetteburgess
5 years ago
Thank you Susan. Have you considered making the entire bathroom a wet space? Not sure if that is the correct terminology) The tiles are from Interceramic but they are porcelain tiles. I am not sure of the name.
Susan Liles thanked jeannetteburgess
Susan Liles
Original Author
5 years ago
Jeanette, yes I am thinking about that now. All depends on cost.
artemis_ma
5 years ago
I have a roll-in shower with a shower curtain. The walls are nicely tiled, the floor is made for roll-in use, with a rubberized "lip" to keep the water from sloshing out, but a wheelchair could readily go over it.

I'll post a photo shortly.
Susan Liles thanked artemis_ma
artemis_ma
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
Here: (Colors are completely off but you aren't looking at that...)

Bathroom shower edge.

An advantage is that having it done this way would be less expensive than doing the entire floor as a wet room space.

Another option could be (if available???) doing just the strip, and having a nice mosaic on the floor in the shower. I don't see why it would be impossible.

At any rate, if it ever comes down to it, I can remove the rugs and just roll on in. (Hopefully will never be necessary.) I have a teak bench stored just to the far side of the toilet, stable enough to use in the shower if/when I get to an intermediate stage of needing access.

I do find that the strip with the curtains keeps about 99% or more of the water IN the shower pan. I picked a heavy enough liner/curtain combo that the thing doesn't billow.

(All bars, including those holding shampoo/soap, are rated for grab bar use.)

One reason I also did it this way is that I have heated floors in my bathrooms, which have been wonderful this winter.
Susan Liles
Original Author
5 years ago
Artemis-ma, thanks! Nicely done! What is the shower floor/pan made of? Is that a Kohler solid surface? I’ve been thinking of doing something like that, tile the shower walls but use a solid surface shower pan.
artemis_ma
5 years ago
Susan, I will ask my GC and get back to you on that.
Susan Liles thanked artemis_ma
kimiata90
5 years ago
WOW, this sounds exactly like our situation! Susan, we installed the exact same thing in my elderly parents' bathroom (ripped out the tub, tiled the walls and installed a shower pan in the area that was the tub). It's horrible! It's almost impossible to keep the water from coming out on the floor. The area is about the same 37" depth as yours, and also the same 59" wide. Our shower pan has a long trench drain going across the outside edge to catch the water before it flows out onto the floor, but parts of the vinyl curtain will often curve out past that drain, and when the water hits the curtain (which it will because the shower isn't deep enough), it runs down and lands outside the drain area and onto the floor. I wish we could have figured out a way to have some kind of shower door, but we needed to be able to get a wheelchair-type chair in there. Oh yeah, the 37" is just BARELY big enough to set the rolling chair in there. I guess the main thing you need to know is that 37" just isn't deep enough for a curbless shower. It's too hard to keep the water from hitting the shower curtain, even if you use a hand held wand. I came on this site while looking for a way to keep the shower curtain tight so it won't curve out beyond the trench drain. The solution for you, though, is to have a small curb on your shower. Just a 3 or so inches high, but it would probably keep the bottom of the shower curtain and all that water where it belongs. I wish we had done that. Good luck with your remodel!
Susan Liles thanked kimiata90
Susan Liles
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks kimiata90. I’m beginning to think maybe a small curb is the way to go. I really don’t want glass doors. Still getting some more opinions.
rachelathome
5 years ago
This is long but we successfully did exactly what you are talking about. We remodeled, took out a large whirlpool tub, and installed a shower without a glass wall or curb. Our 50 years old home is slab construction. Plumber jackhammered part of the foundation (to make area a little wider and longer) and installed new concrete at a lower depth than the rest of the floor. Done in one day and is common practice. Plumber also moved the drain forward (tub drains are too close to the wall). Then tile guy did his work to get the proper slope and then installed a Schulter Kerdi System over that, then tiled. We did not use a linear drain. The circular drain is about two feet from the inner shower walls (front and side). Hubbie is 6'5" and he splashes a LOT.

Length: The water splashes no more 4 to 5 feet forward and the entire shower area is about 10 feet long. We have a tiled sitting area with room for a supply cabinet, hanging rack of towels, towel warmer etc. Water never gets there.

Width: Shower is about 52 inches wide. We do have a side curtain, water would definitely splash out without a curtain unless we were just using the hand-held. We have two curtains hanging from stainless ceiling installed rods. One rod holds a clear plastic liner which is a few inches longer than floor length and an adjacent rod (facing the rest of the bath area) holds the "pretty" curtain (Not a shower curtain but rather a real curtain...it's a nice look). The clear plastic curtain rolls a bit onto the shower floor and effectively stops any water. We used Kohler fixtures and installed the handles in the "dry" shower area so we do not have to get wet turning it on. We have both rain head and hand held. A rain head will minimize splash and forward pitch of water.

No glass wall to wipe down, no irksome curb to roll (or stumble) over, and if we ever need to "roll in" we will just pull the curtains back, and then we can close the curtains (or just the plastic one) if we need to. It's great and I highly recommend. Zero regrets. Note: My mother's room in assisted living also had a no curb, no glass wall shower much smaller than ours and there was no water problem on the floor (using a hand held shower).

There are linear collapsible water barriers (collapse when you walk or roll on them) you can install along the length of the shower if you later decide you need it. And I understand there are clear plastic inch high barriers used with frameless showers that you can also install. You could also build a pony wall and tile it. My only recommendation...our shower is 52 inches wide but the outside slope begins several inches into that, if I were to do it over I would increase the width of that slope area because water does sit a little on a few inches of floor inside the shower curtain. We love the shower and after a year would not consider installing a glass wall. But bottom line, your original idea of a no curb, no glass wall shower and using a curtain, should work. Ours sure does. Hope this detail helps.
Susan Liles thanked rachelathome
rachelathome
5 years ago
Susan, your area is a little smaller than ours described in my long comment, but I still think you could do it if both plumber and tile setter understand your goal and make appropriate slope, maybe even exaggerated a little. Use experienced people...real experienced. That's the key. We do not have a wet room. And we did use a longer extension from the wall (15 or 18 inches I think) for the rain type shower head. We have enjoyed that extra space and not being crammed against the front of the shower wall as you often are with a regular length extension. Also when I was researching our shower construction, I found there can be roll-in tiled curbs that make it easy to roll over if ever necessary. We also looked at the Kohler shower floors and think they are probably the most "fool-proof" for a longer period, but they exceeded our budget and the "look" would not have been as seamless as with the all tiled area we have. "Look" over long time function alas sometimes wins! But we are older, so hopefully the floor will last as long as we do!
Susan Liles thanked rachelathome
sfoxdc
4 years ago
For a clean look, you can also install two parallel ceiling mount curtain tracks across the shower entrance and hang your liner and curtain from them.. See e.g. https://roomdividersnow.com/products/ceiling-track-sets?gclid=Cj0KCQiA9orxBRD0ARIsAK9JDxQ4HGHZngOC8IJquA1s951Nqpvrca57n45QY5bOw_gTRd1QM_EN7S8aApwFEALw_wcB&variant=16602658694 That would avoid the need to visually break up the space with a shower rod and shower curtain rings.
Susan Liles
Original Author
4 years ago
Thanks for the suggestion!
Brenda Hagel
3 years ago
@Susan Liles what did you eventually do? I'm looking at much the same :)
Susan Liles
Original Author
3 years ago
Brenda, I didn’t do anything! I put it off a year and then Covid hit. Still have my ugly bathroom!
I think when I get around to it I will have as low a threshold as possible with a shower curtain. I don’t think glass doors will work well on my bathroom.
kimiata90
3 years ago
Susan, my mother hates her curb free shower so much that she has talked us into getting her a walk-in tub. We're waiting for them to call to tell us when the installation will be. I hope she likes that better than the shower. I'm not very hopeful, though, lol.
Susan Liles
Original Author
3 years ago
Kimiata90, I thought about that too. But you have to sit in the tub and wait for it to fill up and then sit in the tub while it drains out don’t you? I don’t think I would like that.
tangerinedoor
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
@Susan Liles and @Brenda Hagel I have a curbless shower. I love it. Like the OP, I'm planning on dying (ahem, aging) in place. The odds of having an accident with any kind of tub are colossal. You can also take a walker into a curbless shower (wheelchair, too). You can have bars all around. They are super easy to clean; I sweep or vacuum half the time, lol.

And, yes, mine has a shower curtain, 'cos I did everything on a budget. I was resistant at first, but I'm super happy. The biggest advantage of a shower curtain is that you can have someone help you wash.

I have used just a clear shower liner in lieu of a shower curtain for about 40 years. It keeps the bathroom light and doesn't chop up the space like a regular shower curtain does. I get a new one maybe once a year: $5.

I don't get water on the floor. It just doesn't happen.

I have a rain shower. This might actually help water stay in the shower and not go onto the floor.

My whole shower combination was surprisingly inexpensive (I'm thinking turnkey $800, including grab bars, curtain rod), and they come in many many different sizes.

I can wash my dog in it if I want.

I can't even imagine having a "walk-in tub". They are "sit in and freeze to death" tubs. Not to mention death traps: you still have to step over a rim, deal with a door, scooch to control the taps....

PS I've also had a handicapped shower with a low threshold. It got waaaaaay more water on the floor than my curbless shower.

One other tip..... install a light above the shower. They can get shadowy. This, too, could result in an accident.
Brenda Hagel
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
@tangerinedoor great information, thank you! Our bathroom is pretty small (7' x 7' - alcove bathtub/shower on one wall that's 60" x 30", with the toilet and vanity on opposite wall. In-between the tub and toilet is a window, and below that the furnace vent. So I suspect that's something I'll need to keep in mind too. I'd love curbless, but I wonder if my space is just too small for it. Whatever we do, I want a shower curtain and not glass like @Susan Liles.
tangerinedoor
3 years ago
@Brenda Hagel I went to measure.... My bathroom is actually 7x8. It has a big space in the middle because I wanted full wheelchair turnaround. Buuuut.... this was the key: it has a barn door, so the door doesn't require any room inside the bathroom.

I believe you can get curbless showers in a kit that are 60x30.
Nancy in Mich
3 years ago
I have a curbless shower that is 37.75 x 63. It Is by Transolid (buy it at Bath1.com). I did add a sloped bathroom floor that slopes to a floor drain in order to be safest, though. It is about 2.5 years since it went into service and I have flooded the floor twice. Once, I did not check the drain first and hair had clogged it, and the second time the hand-held sprayer had hit the shower curtain and moved it out so water got out. I mostly use the rain head, but use the hand-held to rinse and when I am sitting on the stool and rinsing a conditioning treatment out of my hair. Hubby uses the wall-mounted shower, but is a medium-sized guy and never touches or aims at the shower curtain. I looked at the Swanstone 30 x 60 showers and found them too narrow, but I am extra large. No wheelchair will be able to turn into position in such a narrow space, I figured.
Susan Liles
Original Author
3 years ago
Very nice!!
lecarey
2 years ago
I am replacing a tub with a shower and briefly considered a curbless shower until I read these comments. My bath is only 5'X7'4". I am probably going to use a 32" Carstin shower base as I also don't like the feel of tiny tiles under my feet or the mold potential in the grout. I wondered if anyone has used a cultured marble such as Carstin. I too will use a shower curtain as glass panels and doors are too much for such a small bathroom. Glass is not flexible for cleaning or turning on the water.
Jeff Meeks
2 years ago
I agree with your shower curtain comments. I have a shower with a curb and a shower curtain. I got quotes for glass but went with a simple white waffle cotton curtain because

1) it saved me $3k,

2) with a curtain there's no drilling into the curb...and through the waterproofing,

3) it makes turning on the water from outside the shower easy,

4) as it goes inside the curb, the curb does not get wet,

5) its easier to keep clean than glass as it just goes in the laundry each week.
jmm1837
2 years ago
@lecarey - there's no necessity to have tiny tiles and lots of grout on a shower floor. Our tiles are 24 x 24 with a good anti-slip rating. Just saying, don't limit your options unnecessarily.
Michelle McElroy
2 years ago
Although this is an old post, I thought I’d add to it, as we have experience with a no-curb roll in shower/shower curtain combo. It worked beautifully and water stayed in the shower area because it was graded so that the water all went toward the drain. It has to be done during construction so that the shower pan is lower than the floor. We did this so that my mom could use the bathroom and shower when visiting, in a wheelchair. It was a small bathroom so that’s the only way we could have made it work.

My husband and I ended up preferring to shower in that bathroom because it felt so open and comfortable (even though we’re not big people) with the shower curtain. I feel the shower curtain is the way to go: hides all the shampoos, and razor blades and allows maximum maneuverability! That’s what we plan to do in our new bathroom for ourselves, with aging in place in mind.

Having traveled with my wheelchair bound mom, and having used various accessible bathrooms with water dams on the floor, I can say with certainty that if you aren’t going to lower the shower pan, you WILL get water all over the bathroom!

When we did this shower in 2010 the builder had never done a roll in shower, but now, because walk in showers with glass doors are popular, I think most builders have experience with them, and with linear drains, etc., so it shouldn’t be a problem to do it.

We used smaller tile in the shower area so that the water could be pitched towards a center drain and it worked beautifully.
paddykk
8 months ago
last modified: 8 months ago
Great post - we have a 5'x8' bathroom and the curbless shower is 5' by 30". We have a linear drain on the 30" side under the handheld shower that moves up and down on a 24" bar. Right next to the shower is the toilet and then the small vanity next to the toilet. Looking to do shower curtain instead of a glass door. From what I remember its been hot mopped a few inches outside the shower pan area (not the entire bathroom). The entire bathroom is tiled.

What shower did you end up using that don't blow with the spray of the shower water? @Susan Liles

Thanks
Susan Liles
Original Author
8 months ago
Paddykk, unfortunately I never did that bathroom. I’m currently working on an unplanned update for my guest bathroom which had a toilet leak. There is a tub/shower in that bathroom , so I don’t have to decide on curbless or curbed shower. By the way there is good group on Facebook called “Bathroom Remodeling Ideas” that is very active. You have to join to participate. It’s been a good source of information and ideas for me. Good luck!
Ruth -Ann
6 months ago
We're close to starting a bathroom reno for my parents; will have a curbless shower. Questions for those of you using a shower curtain:

1. What height did you position the rod?

2. What length curtain do you recommend? Should it just touch the floor or have a bit of "bundle"?

3. What shower curtain (or liner) do you use and like?

4. Where did you buy it? Local stores in my Canadian city don't seem to have many options and "heavyweight" doesn't seem very heavy to me. It would be nice to have both a liner and a fabric curtain (for a bit of style) but...

@Nancy in Mich @jslazart @tvq1

Thank you!

Ruth-Ann
gigi121
6 months ago
I just stayed at an inn with a curbless shower and a shower curtain. What a mess! The bathroom basically became a wet room with water splashing everywhere.
Nancy in Mich
6 months ago
When my shower was built in 2018, I had the builder position the curtain rod so that it just touched the shower floor. I did still have the rare wet floor, and the two floods, as above. The floor drain REALLY became important, though, when the shower curtain we were using finally bit the dust. Apparently, it was longer than normal. It was a heavy vinyl one that I bought from the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog. The replacement one from there was not nearly as heavy. And it was shorter. I was surprised to learn that the first curtain must have been extra long, because ones I have had since are all shorter. I do not want to move the rod, though, and put more holes in my solid surface walls. I got a heavy cotton canvass one from the Vermont Country Store catalog. It is also too short, but after months of wet floor after every shower, I finally bought some Sunbrella-type fabric meant for outdoor upholstery. It is mildew resistant. I added a stripe of fabric to the bottom of the curtain and a stripe further up, so it does not look like I just added fabric to make it longer. I left a flap of the original curtain bottom behind the added piece, too. This made the bottom stripe longer (looks better), but it also gave me an inconspicuous place to add magnetic curtain weights. I got big ones on Amazon, extra heavy. They keep the fabric curtain from billowing in during a shower and pretty much in place where I place the curtain at the start of my shower. My curtain skims the shower floor after washing and drying, but pools a bit on the floor as it stretches with use and shower curtain weights. No more wet floor. I am disabled, so do most of my shopping online. I have used the Vermont Country Store canvass shower curtains for maybe 30 years. I did like the clear top of the vinyl one from Hammacher Schlemmer, but seeing out was not worth the light weight of the newer curtain.
bouncy5
6 months ago
My walk-in shower has a small transition piece that’s about 3/8 inch tall. You could easily roll a wheelchair over it. I use a water resistant shower curtain liner that has weights on the bottom to keep it in place. I did purchase a pack of extra weights and added 2 more. It is hung to just barely touch the floors. It does a very good job of keeping water off of the floor. My curtain is Mainstay from Wallmart. It is white and a waffle weave. Very simple. I think spa like .
Ruth -Ann
5 months ago
Thanks @Nancy in Mich and @bouncy5. Nancy, I don't blame you for not wanting to move the rod after installation; I want to avoid that scenario too. Most curtains I see are 72" long so I guess we'll need to ensure that the rod is placed at a height to allow for about an 1-2" gather on the floor. In addition to fabric curtain, we've typically used heavy weight liners (which, as you have experienced have gotten lighter over time). They no longer seem to include magnet weights so I'll have to try and buy extra as you did.

Oh, I just did a quick amazon check - there is quite the variety! It's hard when some reviewers indicate that the magnets fail after a few months but other reviewers simply say they're great (and don't indicate how long they've used them). Any recommendations?

I may ask if the contractors can procure the rubberish dam/thresholds just in case. They know how to grade for this type of shower but you never know what might actually happen. I am trying to remember where they said the linear drain will go - I think they said outside the curtain but that doesn't make sense to me.

bouncy5, what material is your transition piece? Is it flexible? I'm pleasantly surprised to hear that that your Mainstay curtain is doing a good job. Do you also use a vinyl liner or just the fabric? I thought it would be too lightweight.

I saw that Moen has magnetic rods that would hold the two ends of the curtain rings; it can either be drilled or tension-mounted but it's curved and mom doesn't want that. No straight rod options.
bouncy5
5 months ago
My shower floor is cultured marble and the transition piece is also cultured marble. I just have Mainstay curtain. It has magnets on the bottom to weigh it down ,but I thought it needed a little more weight. I ordered some magnetic weights to ad a couple more. Our curtain rod is not permanently installed.
Ruth -Ann
5 months ago
@bouncy5 interesting about getting such a low transition. No transition for this reno - partly because of the shower location and small bathroom size. I'll look for magnets; any ones in particular that work well over time (and don't rust or demagnetize)?
Nancy in Mich
5 months ago
These are the magnet weights I have. They are big, heavy, and very magnetic. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08J81Z1JT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00
bouncy5
5 months ago
I ordered them on Amazon. Supforce 4 pairs magnetic shower curtain weights,silicone covered . After reading reviews ,I chose these. They work well and won’t rust. Good luck on your remodel.
Ruth -Ann
5 months ago
Thank you @bouncy5 and @Nancy in Mich! Much appreciated!