ᐅ Bette Floor shower tray flush-mounted at floor level – not recommended

Hello everyone,

Just before the screed is installed in our house, our plumber advised against a flush/threshold-free installation of the shower tray Bette Floor, despite our prior agreement. He says there would be an unattractive silicone joint between the tiles and the shower tray because the tray has a rounded edge at the top.

According to the manufacturer, it is suitable for a flush installation. I have now noticed that our plumber plans to install the shower tray with the minimum shower tray support on the screed. According to the manufacturer’s drawing, this is only possible with a raised tray installation, meaning about a 25mm (1 inch) threshold. For a flush installation, a universal support is recommended, which sits directly on the concrete slab and can be adjusted to the screed afterwards. In my opinion, this also allows setting the height of the tray so that the rounding slightly overlaps the tiles, with the tiles just fitting under the rounded edge.

The plumber says that for a flush installation, the screed must be leveled precisely, which is difficult and can also go wrong. Of course, he is using the non-height-adjustable installation method.

Has anyone installed this tray flush or have an opinion on the approach? Our screed is scheduled for tomorrow, and I feel like this call a day before is more of a tactic. We are building with a general contractor on a turnkey basis, and the flush shower tray was included in the contract from the beginning and also in the bathroom selection.

HnghusBY schrieb:

Has anyone installed this shower tray flush with the floor or have any advice on how to proceed? Our screed is going in tomorrow, and I feel like this call the day before is more of a tactic. We are building with a general contractor on a turnkey basis, and the flush-mounted tray has been part of the contract and bathroom selections from the start.

I don’t have the tray myself, but I would stay calm in your situation. The tray is part of the contract. The question is more whether you can accept the silicone joints and if there will be disagreements about that...

Addendum: One phone call is not enough to raise concerns. If he has doubts, he should please submit them in writing, stating that he believes he cannot deliver the contracted work. Then you can discuss it together. Phone calls are always problematic because the content is hard to verify, and in the end, everyone remembers different details.

We had our Bette Floor shower tray installed as an open, walk-in design 9 years ago and are still satisfied with it.
The only negative aspect I can mention so far is the drain. I think because of the combination of the drain clogging quickly and the slight slope (the drain is installed in the center and empties toward the narrow side), it needs to be cleaned weekly; otherwise, water tends to accumulate. I’m not sure if the same applies to linear drains. Also, it should be noted that although the tray feels solid, it is still a tray with a corresponding hollow sound. This was somewhat surprising at first.

During installation, good coordination between the tiler, plumber, and drywall contractor was necessary because we installed the shower tray on three sides. On one hand, there was no landing area to support the tray, and on the other hand, there was limited space. For this reason, the bottom row of tiles on the partition wall was installed only after the shower tray was in place.

Here are two more pictures of the shower tray.

SoL schrieb:

I don’t have the shower tray, but if I were in your position, I would stay calm. The tray is part of the contract. The real question is whether you can live with the silicone joints and if that might lead to a dispute...

Addendum: A phone call is not enough to raise concerns. If he has doubts, he should submit them in writing, stating that he believes he cannot deliver the contracted work. Then you can discuss it together. Phone calls are always problematic because they are hard to verify content-wise, and in the end, everyone remembers different things.

A silicone joint is essential, even if I let the shower tray stand on or above the floor level. A silicone joint around the corner is better sealed and looks neater. What really concerns me is that the manufacturer’s instructions are not being followed and that an unsuitable support is going to be used for installing the tray flush with the floor. I’ve now also received the report from yesterday’s expert inspection, which clearly states that if the tray is installed flush with the floor, it needs to be placed on adjustable feet – which confirms my thoughts. It’s frustrating as a layperson to have to consider these issues when ordering a turnkey house. In my opinion, the plumber is not handling this properly, especially with his statements to me – it seems like he’s trying to discourage me from going with a flush floor installation.

I always document everything in writing – the plumber also informed me in writing that I’m acting against his advice 😀

Musketier schrieb:

Here are 2 pictures of the shower tray.

That is really helpful, especially the pictures. Thank you very much! It reinforces my belief that it can work without any problems.

Interestingly, these are the joints in my house that have not cracked or come loose yet. In many other areas, I had to renew the joints after a few years due to settlement cracks, and in some cases, they need to be redone again already. I don’t know if it’s because of a different type of silicone, better adhesion to the shower tray, or because the silicone never dries out from shower moisture. Perhaps it’s also because the stress can spread over large areas, as the shower tray only rests more or less loosely on the support.