ᐅ Shower tray or tiled shower drain?

Hello,

we are currently deciding on the fixtures for our bathroom. We are considering either a relatively shallow shower tray or a tiled floor drain. Which of these two options is more practical and less prone to issues? The following points should be taken into account:

• Watertightness (among other things, because the shower tray will be subject to localized pressure).

• Maintenance for pipe cleaning (with tiles, only a narrow slot is open. The drain should be designed as a channel).

• Tile grout (is bacterial growth a concern?)

• Tile grout (if the shower is not used for some time, can the grout dry out and crack?)

• Is a sealing lip installed on the floor, or how is it prevented that water leaves the shower area? The door has to close a few millimeters above the floor.

• What is more cost-effective?

• With the tiled solution, can I use a large tile to minimize grout lines?

Thank you in advance.

Both options have advantages and disadvantages.
During our renovation, we installed both. On the upper floor, a 2.5 cm (1 inch) low-profile shower tray that protrudes only 1 cm (0.4 inches) above the floor. On the ground floor, a tiled shower with a 60 cm (24 inch) tiled channel.
However, under the ground floor shower, we did not use screed but a tileable shower base. The advantage is that the waterproofing is practically integrated. The slope is already correct, so only proper tiling remains.
The tiles can be as large as the slope allows. We used a four-sided slope, but there is also the option of a two-sided slope.
With a two-sided slope, theoretically, two tiles of appropriate size could suffice.

First of all, thank you for your contribution. Maybe a few more points to clarify:

How long ago was it for you?
Did you have both installed by a professional?
Were there any noticeable issues with the grout in the tile areas?
Is it actually possible to have a slope on just one side?
In the end, which option was more cost-effective, and which one are you overall more satisfied with?

In terms of cost, both were roughly the same. Both were installed by professionals. Both were installed only in March of this year.
So far, the joints look normal.
Just search on Google for tileable shower elements. You can see what options are available. A single-sided one should actually work as well. In that case, the channel would need to be as wide as the shower.

Hello,

we debated for a long time whether to use a low-profile shower tray or tile the floor directly. On the ground floor (room width 1.4m (4.6 feet), shower curtain as splash guard), there was no real alternative – with a shower tray, a significant dirt gap would have formed, which we wanted to avoid. Also, it would have limited the bathroom’s usability too much. The solution was a floor drain placed centrally in the shower area with a ‘spider web’ tile grout pattern.

Upstairs, to enhance the sense of space, we decided against a shower tray and installed a long linear drain with tiles. The shower door has a sealing lip at the bottom and lifts slightly when opened. From a cleaning perspective, we have had no issues so far; both solutions are easy to clean around the drain. Using a shower curtain results in a bit more water splashing outside, so you just need to squeegee it after showering (only a few seconds of extra effort).

So far (experience of 11 months), we have not found any reason to avoid a tiled shower.

Cost aspect: surprisingly low – both showers together cost about 150€ (~$150) more for the tiled version, mostly due to the tiling work.

Regards
I.

Thank you very much for your experiences. I have now contacted two plumbing companies. Let’s see what comes out of it.