Curbless Shower Floor Slope Calculator
See how much floor drop a curbless shower needs, and what that means for your floor.
Estimates use typical installed prices and standard measurements. They are not a quote. An in-home consultation sets your exact price.
How a curbless shower keeps water in
Without a curb, the shower floor itself does the work. It slopes toward the drain, about ¼" per foot, and sits lower than the surrounding bathroom floor so water can't run out. That means the floor in the shower area has to be recessed: cut down into a slab, or dropped between floor joists in a wood-framed floor. The calculator above shows how much drop your shower needs.
Linear drain vs. center drain
- Linear drains run along the back wall or the entry. The floor slopes in one direction, so large-format tile works and the entry stays flat for wheels.
- Center drains need the floor sloped in four directions, which works best with small mosaic tile.
Curbless in Tulsa homes
Most Tulsa homes are slab-on-grade. For those, the shower area is saw-cut and jackhammered a couple of inches down, the drain is reset, and the recess is filled with a sloped mortar bed under waterproofing. Pier-and-beam and second-floor bathrooms are recessed between joists, or the rest of the bathroom floor is raised slightly to meet a low shower pan. Pre-sloped low-profile pans make some conversions much simpler.
Design details that matter
- Waterproofing that extends past the shower into the bathroom floor
- Glass panels sized and positioned to contain spray (see glass doors)
- Slip-resistant floor tile
- A fold-down seat, handheld shower on a slide bar, and grab bars
- At least 60" × 30" for roll-in use, larger if a caregiver assists
Typical cost: a curbless conversion usually runs $1,500–$4,000 more than a standard low-curb shower, with complete projects often in the $8,000–$18,000 range.
Curbless Walk-In Showers across the Tulsa metro: Tulsa, Midtown Tulsa, South Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks & Bixby, Sand Springs, Sapulpa, Glenpool, Coweta.