Pros and Cons of Curbless Showers

There’s something about endlessly browsing Pinterest for latest bath décor trends, even if you’re not planning on remodeling soon, but just the satisfaction of looking at a monochromatic, minimalistic bathroom with a curbless, rain head shower does something to my chilly little heart.

The latest craze in the bath décor trends is the appropriately titled curbless shower. The reason it’s called a curbless shower is that it gets rid off that one ugly step that you have in your bathroom that divides the shower area (even in a walk-in shower) from the rest of your bathroom.

This single step might make all the difference in your bathroom to get that spa-like treatment in your home.

While curbless showers might surely be visually appealing to you, they have many practical features.

Pros of Curbless Showers

Cleanliness

We are completely aware of the disgusting slimy filth that accumulates near your shower step that nobody wants to clean. A curbless shower indeed makes the case of good hygiene practices. The curbless shower makes it easier to clean your entire bathroom floor in one go without having to clean a small area of the bathroom while banging your elbows here and there.

Accessibility

The shower, without any hurdle, is completely practical for members of all ages in your household. From a kid to a grandparent or anyone that might be visiting you, these showers eliminate the need for you to step over a hurdle early in the morning (like the picture above) without that strong cup of coffee.

A curbless shower might even seem like a very sensible idea if you have anyone in your family with some form of disability.

Here is a video how to build a walk-in (curbless) shower:

Keeps Your Bathroom Dry

This might come as a surprise but curbless showers are designed to keep a majority of the portion of your bathroom dry.

These bathrooms are sloped towards the drain which encourages water to travel towards your drain. The smarter positioning of the shower head and accurately sloping your bathroom floor towards the drain is all it takes to maximize the efficiency of curbless showers.

Luxurious

One of the benefits of getting a curbless shower has to be the kind of luxury it adds to a simple bathroom.

The interior doesn’t necessarily have to be top of the line for your bathroom to look like one of those bathrooms from House Hunters. Just a simple decision of going curbless can remove all barriers in your bathroom making it look wide and spacious.

It’s true that a curbless shower doesn’t always have to be one without a glass door, however, there are a few variations depending upon what kind you would prefer along with how much you’re willing to invest in remodeling and decorating your bathroom.

Cons of Curbless Showers

Keeping in mind these aforementioned factors that make an appealing case for the curbless shower, you might want to examine the following before installing one.

Privacy

Privacy can be a key factor if you have people traipsing into your bathroom while you’re taking a shower.

A shower curtain or door might make the entire point of a curbless shower moot, so if you’ve got that kind of a family then maybe installing a curbless shower might not be the wisest decision (or just start locking the door).

Heat

This is one of the drawbacks that actually concerns me. Without a shower door, a lot of the hot water might not seem as hot because of the openness of a curbless shower and in states where temperatures can drop quite low, I would be reluctant to drop the towel myself, to say the least.

Water Leakage

Despite of your contractor’s best efforts of making sure the slope of your bathroom floor is perfectly right to dispose off that extra water, some water might always get out of the splash zone and if that is a major cause of concern for you, then sadly, you might have to say goodbye to your dreams of getting that aesthetically pleasing bathroom.

Do not get me wrong, I am an avid fan of curbless showers. They unquestionably add a flare to your bathroom in the most minimalist way. Keep in mind that draining the water properly is the key element of the curbless shower.

Consulting a few contractors before-hand and doing your due-diligence will make the installation process easier. While installing a curbless shower will most definitely require a good amount of planning, the end product will be absolutely worth it.