Curbless Shower Installation St. Paul & Twin Cities | Precision Tiling MN
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Curbless showers engineered from the subfloor up.

A curbless shower removes the threshold entirely, so one plane of tile runs from the room straight into the glass. Getting there takes structural work, a recessed slope, a linear drain, and certified waterproofing that runs unbroken across the whole wet zone. The work sits inside our $35,000 to $60,000 Primary band and comes standard in Spa Builds at $60,000 and up.

Zero ThresholdLinear DrainsEngineered SlopeAges With The House
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SVC. 05 / CURBLESS SHOWERS
Published Pricing · East Metro

What does a curbless shower cost?

Curbless work sits inside our Primary band at $35,000 to $60,000 for a full bathroom rebuild, and it comes standard in Spa Builds at $60,000 and up. The structural work and the engineering are included in the written number rather than added later.

How a true curbless shower gets built

Everything that makes curbless work happens below the tile. On a wood-framed floor we recess the subfloor between the joists or sister in new framing, which drops the shower plane low enough that the slope has somewhere to go. On a slab we build the surrounding floor up instead and reach the same result from the other direction. Then a certified Schluter or Wedi system runs across the shower, the transition, and well into the surrounding floor as one continuous barrier, and the whole assembly gets flood-tested before tile.

The linear drain does the rest. Placed at the back wall rather than in the middle of the floor, it lets the entire shower pitch in one direction, which is what keeps a large-format tile floor reading as a single flat plane rather than a bowl with 4 slopes converging on a center point.

SVC. 05.L / THE REAL QUESTION
Asked By Everyone, Answered By Few

Do curbless showers leak?

A curbless shower built correctly does not leak. Water is held by an engineered slope that pitches the whole wet zone toward a linear drain, and by a continuous certified membrane that extends well past the shower opening into the surrounding floor. Failures come from shortcuts in those 2 things rather than from the absence of a curb.

This is the question that stops people from choosing curbless, so here is what actually keeps the water in.

01

A curb was never what held the water

On any shower, curbed or not, water is contained by pitch and by the membrane underneath. The curb is a backstop for splash. Remove it and the pitch has to do the whole job, which is why curbless is an engineering problem rather than a demolition decision.

02

The membrane runs past the opening

The waterproofing does not stop where the glass stops. It carries out into the bathroom floor beyond the wet zone, so the transition area is protected even on the day someone leaves the door open and stands there toweling off. That extra material costs very little and it is the first thing a rushed installer trims.

03

The drain placement decides the pitch

A linear drain at the back wall lets the floor fall in a single direction away from the room. A center drain in a curbless shower forces slope toward a point, which puts one of those slopes running straight at the opening. Where the drain goes is a decision made on paper long before demo.

04

Splash is handled by geometry

The shower head gets aimed into the space rather than toward the opening, the glass panel gets sized to the layout rather than ordered as a standard piece, and the wet zone gets enough length that water loses energy before it reaches the edge. Built that way, the floor outside stays dry.

05

The flood test happens before tile

We plug the drain, fill the pan, and let it sit before a single tile goes on. On a curbless build this matters more than anywhere else, because the assembly is doing more work. A leak found on that day costs an afternoon.

SVC. 05.D / THE DESIGN CASE
Aging In Place Without Looking Like It

Is a curbless shower only for accessibility?

Curbless is a design choice first: one unbroken plane of tile running from the room into the shower. The accessibility benefit comes along with it, which is why homeowners planning to stay in the house choose it 20 years before they need it.

Nobody wants a bathroom that announces a future problem. These 4 decisions keep the room reading as a spa while the function sits underneath.

01

One tile, one plane

Large-format tile carries from the bedroom door through the shower without a break in material or a change in height. The eye reads a continuous floor, and continuous floors read as expensive rather than as adapted.

02

The drain disappears at the wall

A linear drain tucked tight to the back wall in a tile-in or slot style vanishes into the floor pattern. What you notice instead is that the floor is flat, which is the whole point.

03

A bench that reads as design

A floating bench in the same stone as the walls looks like a spa detail and works like a seat. It is the same object doing 2 jobs, and only one of them is visible to a guest.

04

Blocking now, hardware later

We frame solid blocking behind the tile where grab bars would eventually go, and then we install nothing. The walls are ready for the day the hardware makes sense, and until then the room shows no sign of it. Adding blocking during the build costs almost nothing, and retrofitting it means opening a finished tile wall.

SVC. 05.P / A CLIENT’S WORDS
★★★★★

“Shawn and his son remodeled our master bathroom. It was a big job… Shawn spent a lot of time making sure everything was done the way we wanted it. The bathroom is beautiful… They did an excellent job cleaning up when they were finished.”

Nancy K. · Google Review, Oct 2025
SVC. 05.G / THE WORK
Curbless Entry · Linear DrainPROJ / A
One Plane · Bedroom To GlassPROJ / B
SVC. 05.A / AT A GLANCE

The curbless build, summarized

Investment
Inside the Primary band at $35,000–$60,000, and standard in Spa Builds at $60,000+. Engineering included in the written number.
The engineering
Recessed or built-up subfloor, engineered slope to a linear drain, continuous certified membrane past the opening, flood test before tile.
On a wood floor
We recess between joists or sister in new framing to drop the shower plane.
On a slab
We build the surrounding floor up to reach the same result from the other direction.
The look
One plane of tile, a drain that disappears at the wall, a floating bench, and blocking behind the tile for hardware you may never install.
Who chooses it
Homeowners planning the next 20 years in the house, and anyone who wants a floor that reads as one surface.
2026 Cost GuideWalk-In ShowersSpa BuildsPrimary Bath Remodels
We look at your floor structure and tell you which method your house allows.
Book a Design ConsultationOR CALL / TEXT (855) 799-9606
SVC. 05.Q / QUESTIONS
Answered Straight

Curbless questions, answered straight.

Do curbless showers leak?
A curbless shower built correctly does not leak. Water is held by an engineered slope that pitches the whole wet zone toward a linear drain, and by a continuous certified membrane that extends well past the shower opening into the surrounding floor. Failures come from shortcuts in those 2 things rather than from the absence of a curb. The 5 reasons above break down what keeps the water in.
What does a curbless shower cost?
Curbless work sits inside our Primary band at $35,000 to $60,000 for a full bathroom rebuild, and it comes standard in Spa Builds at $60,000 and up. The structural work and the engineering are included in the written number rather than added later.
Is a curbless shower only for accessibility?
Curbless is a design choice first: one unbroken plane of tile running from the room into the shower. The accessibility benefit comes along with it, which is why homeowners planning to stay in the house choose it 20 years before they need it.
Does my floor structure allow a curbless shower?
Most homes allow it. On a wood-framed floor we recess the subfloor between joists or sister in new framing to drop the shower plane. On a slab we build the surrounding floor up instead. We evaluate your structure at the Design Consultation and tell you which method fits your home.
Does water splash out of a curbless shower?
Splash is managed by geometry rather than by a curb. A linear drain placed at the back wall pulls water away from the opening, the shower head is aimed into the space rather than toward it, and the glass panel is sized to the layout. Built that way, the floor outside stays dry.
Can you add grab bars later?
Yes, and we frame solid blocking behind the tile during the build so you can. Nothing gets installed until you want it, and the blocking means the day you do, the hardware goes into solid backing rather than into a hollow tile wall.
BOOK / THE DESIGN CONSULTATION
In Your Home · About An Hour · No Cost

Start with an hour in your own bathroom.

Shawn looks at your floor structure and tells you exactly how curbless works in your house, or tells you plainly when it does not. He measures the space, walks your selections, and gives you the number before he leaves.

STEP 01

Tap the button and tell us about your project in a quick 2-minute form.

STEP 02

Pick your consultation time right on the calendar, on the spot.

STEP 03

Your confirmation arrives instantly, and we show up ready to measure.

Book a Design Consultation OR CALL / TEXT (855) 799-9606

We answer Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM CST, and Saturday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

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