A curbless shower is a shower with no raised edge to step over. The tile runs from the bathroom floor straight into the shower, so the room reads as one open, continuous space. Homeowners choose them for the clean look, for easier and safer access, and for the freedom they give a bathroom design.
Planning a bathroom remodel? Download our bathroom remodel buyer's guide and try our bathroom remodel cost calculator to see where a curbless shower fits in your project.
Key points
A curbless shower, also called a zero-threshold or barrier-free shower, has no step or lip at the entry. In a standard shower, a curb 4 to 8 inches high holds water in. In a curbless shower, the floor itself is shaped to carry water to the drain.
People often mix up a few terms, so here is how they compare:
| Type | What it is |
|---|---|
| Standard shower | A curb you step over, usually with a glass door or curtain |
| Walk-in shower | No door, but it may still have a low curb |
| Curbless shower | No curb at all; the floor is continuous into the shower |
| Wet room | The whole bathroom is waterproofed and the shower is open to the room |
The biggest design effect is the continuous floor. With no line across the doorway, the eye reads the bathroom as one larger space, which is why curbless showers are so popular in small bathrooms. Large tile, a single glass panel, and a linear drain along the wall keep the look clean and uncluttered.
A curbless shower is the most accessible way to enter a shower, but whether it works for a walker or wheelchair depends on its size, slope, and threshold. Home bathrooms are not required to meet ADA rules, but the U.S. Access Board's ADA guidance is the clearest benchmark for accessible design, and many homeowners use it as a target.
Source: U.S. Access Board, ADA Guide: Bathing Rooms.
In one recent Lamont project, we replaced a tub and a tight layout with a curbless walk-in shower so the homeowner could age in place. The floor slopes subtly to a linear drain along the back wall and sits flush with the bathroom floor, with grab bars and a widened pocket door for easier access. See the full aging-in-place curbless shower bathroom.
These are the looks we see homeowners ask for most often. Each one works with a curbless design.
Running the same tile across the bathroom and into the shower makes the room feel seamless. See our vintage pink bathroom, which uses a zero-threshold shower pan for seamless walk-in access.
A long drain along the wall lets the floor slope one way, so you can use large-format tile with fewer grout lines. Our aging-in-place bathroom uses a linear drain along the back wall.
A single clear panel keeps spray in and leaves the entry open and easy to walk through.
A tiled bench and niche keep products off the floor and make the shower comfortable to use for years.
Removing the curb in a small bathroom can make the whole room look bigger.
A different tile or a thin metal strip shows where the shower is without adding a step.
Want more ideas? Browse our bathroom remodel portfolio, or see the curbless shower in this Southeast Portland primary suite renovation.
A curbless shower looks simple, but the work happens under the tile. Because there is no curb to hold water in, the shower floor has to slope toward the drain, and the waterproofing has to extend beyond the shower. That means a curbless shower is planned at the start of a remodel, alongside the floor structure, the drain location, and the tile.
The right approach depends on the house. Many Portland-area homes are older houses with wood-framed floors, often over crawl spaces, where the shower floor can usually be lowered between the joists or the surrounding floor built up. Condos, townhomes, and some newer homes sit on concrete, where the floor is recessed by cutting the slab. Lamont Bros. designs and builds curbless showers for homeowners in Portland, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Beaverton, and Oregon City. Learn more about our bathroom remodeling services and our Portland bathroom remodeling work.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| No step to trip on, good for aging in place | Costs more than a standard shower with a curb |
| Makes the bathroom look larger and more open | Often needs structural or floor work |
| Easy to clean | Needs careful waterproofing and slope |
| Works with large tile and a linear drain | Not every floor can be lowered or built up |
Because the shower floor is also the bathroom floor, choose a tile with a slip-resistant finish. Smaller tile has more grout lines and more grip; large tile works well with a textured finish. To care for it, keep the drain clear of hair, seal grout and natural stone as your installer recommends, and wipe the floor dry near the entry. A new grout crack or a soft spot is worth a call, because water that gets under the tile can cause damage out of sight.
A curbless shower usually costs more than a standard shower because of the floor work, drain, and waterproofing, not the tile. The biggest factors are the floor structure, the drain type, the size of the shower, and whether plumbing has to move.
To see how a curbless shower fits into a full bathroom budget, use our bathroom remodel cost calculator or read our guide to what a bathroom remodel costs in Portland. You can also get the bathroom remodel buyer's guide for a full walkthrough of the process.
A curbless shower is a good fit if you want a more open, modern bathroom, if you plan to stay in your home for years, or if anyone in your household has trouble stepping over a curb. It may not be the right choice if your floor cannot be changed, if the bathroom is so small that spray will reach the toilet, or if the budget is better spent elsewhere. In those cases, a low curb or a small step-down is a good compromise. We walk through these options with you during design.
Yes, Lamont Bros. often designs and installs curbless showers as part of bathroom remodels in Portland, Lake Oswego, West Linn, Beaverton, and Oregon City. One cohesive team handles each project from start to finish, including the design, structural review, waterproofing, and build.
A curbless shower has no curb at all, while a walk-in shower has no door but may still have a low curb. In a curbless shower the floor is continuous with the bathroom floor and slopes to the drain, so water stays in. Many walk-in showers are not curbless.
No, a curbless shower does not leak more than a standard shower when it is built correctly. The difference is that the waterproofing membrane must extend past the shower onto the bathroom floor, and the floor needs a consistent slope of about 1/4 inch per foot to the drain.
Yes, a curbless shower is one of the most practical aging-in-place upgrades because there is no step to climb. It is easier to use with a walker or wheelchair, and it can include a bench, grab bars, and a handheld shower head for added safety and comfort.
A curbless shower costs more than a standard shower with a curb because of the floor work, drain, and waterproofing, not the tile. Use the bathroom remodel cost calculator to estimate your project.