If you've been browsing bathroom remodels lately, you've probably noticed a design that keeps showing up again and again: a shower with no step, no lip, no barrier at all — just a seamless floor that flows right into the shower space. It looks clean, modern, and open. It also happens to be one of the smartest accessibility upgrades you can make to a home.
At Century City Baths, we install curbless showers throughout the Chicagoland area, from Oak Park bungalows to Naperville new builds to high-rise condos downtown. Here's everything you need to know before you decide if a curbless shower is right for your bathroom.
What Is a Curbless Shower?
A curbless shower has no curb or step at the entry. The bathroom floor runs straight into the shower, and the shower floor slopes to a drain that carries water away. It is also called a zero-entry, walk-in, or barrier-free shower.
Quick answer: A curbless shower replaces the traditional raised curb with a gently sloped, recessed shower floor and a carefully engineered waterproofing system. Instead of a dam holding water in, the slope and drain placement move water out — fast enough that it never has a chance to escape onto the bathroom floor.
Traditional showers rely on a 4- to 6-inch curb to contain water. Curbless showers rely on design. That means the planning and installation matter far more than they do with a standard shower pan — which is exactly why this isn't a DIY weekend project.
The Pros of a Curbless Shower
1. True Accessibility — Now and Later
This is the biggest one. A curbless shower eliminates the single most dangerous obstacle in a bathroom: the step over a wet curb. For anyone using a walker, wheelchair, or cane — or anyone recovering from knee or hip surgery — a zero-entry shower is the difference between independence and needing help.
The CDC reports that a large share of fall injuries among older adults happen in the bathroom. Removing the curb removes a major trip hazard.
And here's the thing we tell every client: you don't have to be planning for mobility issues today. Curbless showers are the cornerstone of aging in place design. If you intend to stay in your Chicagoland home for the next 20 years, building accessibility in now costs a fraction of retrofitting later.
2. A Bigger, More Open Bathroom
Visually, a curbless shower makes a small bathroom feel significantly larger. With no curb breaking up the floor and often a single continuous tile running from the doorway into the shower, your eye reads the whole room as one space. In a tight city bathroom — think a Lincoln Park condo or a Chicago two-flat — that effect is dramatic.
Pair it with a frameless glass panel (or no glass at all, in a wet room layout) and the openness multiplies.
3. Dramatically Easier Cleaning
No curb means no curb-to-tile joint collecting grime. No lip to scrub. No awkward corner where mildew likes to hide. You can mop or squeegee straight through the shower and out. Large-format tile and linear drains cut your grout lines down even further.
4. Design Flexibility
Curbless showers work beautifully with:
- Large-format porcelain tile
- Linear trench drains along a wall
- Continuous flooring from bathroom to shower
- Wet room layouts where the tub and shower share a waterproofed zone
- Built-in benches, niches, and handheld sprayers
5. Strong Resale Appeal
In the Chicagoland market, modern, accessible bathrooms show well. Buyers notice curbless showers. Even buyers who aren't thinking about accessibility respond to the clean, spa-like aesthetic. And for the growing number of multigenerational households in the suburbs, a barrier-free bathroom is a genuine selling point.
The Cons of a Curbless Shower
We believe in honest expectations. Here's the other side.
1. Higher Installation Cost
A curbless shower typically costs more than a standard curbed shower. The additional expense comes from:
- Recessing or modifying the subfloor
- More extensive waterproofing
- Linear drain hardware
- Precise slope work
- Potential plumbing relocation
Expect curbless installation to add meaningfully to your project budget compared to a prefab pan or standard curbed build. The exact premium depends heavily on your floor structure — more on that below.
2. Structural Requirements
To keep water contained, the shower floor usually needs to sit slightly lower than the surrounding bathroom floor, or the entire bathroom floor needs to be built up. On a wood-framed floor, that often means notching or sistering joists — work that needs to be done correctly and, in many Chicagoland municipalities, with a permit and inspection.
On a concrete slab (common in ranch homes and many condos), the slab may need to be cut and recessed. In high-rise condos, slab modification may not be permitted at all by the building association, in which case we build the floor up instead using a low-profile system.
3. Water Management Must Be Perfect
With no curb as a backup, your waterproofing and slope are the only things keeping water in place. A quarter-inch of error in the slope, a poorly sealed drain flange, or a skipped waterproofing membrane can lead to water on your bathroom floor — or worse, inside your subfloor.
This is where installer experience genuinely matters. We've been called in to fix curbless showers installed by general contractors who treated them like regular showers. The repairs cost more than doing it right the first time.
4. More Splash and Steam Spread
Open showers let more water vapor and occasional overspray reach the rest of the room. That means:
- Your bathroom exhaust fan needs to be properly sized and vented outside
- Nearby vanities, cabinetry, and baseboards should be moisture-tolerant
- A longer glass panel or a well-placed showerhead reduces splash considerably
5. Heat Loss
Open showers don't trap steam the way enclosed ones do. In a Chicago winter, that can mean a chillier shower experience. Solutions include a partial glass enclosure, a fixed panel that blocks drafts, in-floor radiant heat (a client favorite here), or a ceiling-mounted heat lamp.
How a Curbless Shower Is Installed
Here's a realistic look at the process we follow at Century City Baths.
Step 1: Assessment and Planning
We evaluate your floor structure — joists, subfloor, slab — and your plumbing location. We determine whether we can recess the floor, need to build it up, or should use a low-profile ramped approach. We also confirm drain type, slope direction, and any permit requirements with your municipality.
Step 2: Demolition
Old shower, tile, pan, and sometimes a section of subfloor come out. We inspect for existing water damage, rot, or mold — which we find more often than homeowners expect, especially in older Chicago housing stock.
Step 3: Structural Prep
This is the step that makes curbless work. Depending on your home:
- Wood frame: We recess the subfloor between joists or sister/notch joists to code to create the needed drop.
- Concrete slab: We cut and recess the slab, or build up the surrounding floor.
- Condo/no-modification: We use a low-profile pre-sloped tray system and a very subtle transition.
The target is typically a 1/4-inch-per-foot slope toward the drain across the shower floor.
Step 4: Drain Installation
We install either a linear drain (a long, narrow trench, usually placed along the back wall or at the shower entry) or a center point drain. Linear drains are the preferred choice for curbless showers because they allow a single-direction slope, which works far better with large-format tile and creates a cleaner look.
Step 5: Waterproofing
This is non-negotiable and where we don't cut corners. We install a continuous waterproofing membrane — sheet membrane or liquid-applied — across the shower floor, up the walls, and extending beyond the shower opening onto the surrounding bathroom floor. Seams, corners, and the drain flange get special attention.
We then perform a flood test: plug the drain, fill the pan, and leave it for 24 hours to verify zero leakage before a single tile goes down.
Step 6: Tile and Finish Work
Tile goes down over the waterproofed, sloped substrate. For curbless showers we recommend:
- Smaller tile or textured large-format tile in the wet zone for slip resistance
- A DCOF rating of 0.42 or higher for the shower floor
- Matching or complementary tile running continuously into the bathroom for that seamless look
Step 7: Fixtures, Glass, and Final Details
Showerheads, handheld sprayers, thermostatic valves, grab bars, benches, and glass panels go in last. We also verify the exhaust fan is properly sized and venting outside.
Typical timeline: Most curbless shower conversions run 2 to 4 weeks depending on structural work, material lead times, and permit schedules.
Designing for Real Accessibility
A curbless entry is step one. If accessibility is a genuine goal — not just an aesthetic preference — build in these features from the start:
Clear floor space. A wheelchair-accessible roll-in shower generally needs a minimum 60" x 30" interior, with 60" turning space in the bathroom.
Doorway width. A 32" clear opening minimum; 36" is better.
Grab bars. Install solid blocking in the walls during framing, even if you don't mount bars yet. Retrofitting blocking later means opening walls. Blocking is cheap insurance.
Handheld shower on a slide bar. Essential for seated bathing and for caregivers.
Fold-down or built-in bench. Placed within reach of controls.
Controls near the entry. So water can be turned on and temperature adjusted before entering.
Anti-scald thermostatic valve. Protects against sudden temperature spikes.
Slip-resistant flooring. Throughout the wet zone, not just in the shower.
Lever handles, not knobs. Easier for arthritic hands.
Good lighting. Including a light inside the shower area.
Is a Curbless Shower Right for Your Home?
A curbless shower is likely a great fit if you:
- Plan to stay in your home long-term
- Have or anticipate mobility needs in your household
- Want a more open, modern bathroom
- Have a small bathroom that needs to feel larger
- Are already doing a full gut remodel (the ideal time)
You may want to reconsider or adjust the plan if:
- Your condo association prohibits slab modification (we can usually work around this)
- You're on a tight budget and your floor structure makes recessing expensive
- You're doing a cosmetic refresh rather than a full remodel
- Your bathroom has no mechanical ventilation and adding it isn't feasible
In many cases, there's a middle path: a low-curb or ramped-entry shower that gets you most of the accessibility benefit at a lower cost.
Curbless Showers in Chicagoland Homes
A few things we've learned working in this market specifically:
Older Chicago homes — bungalows, two-flats, Victorians — often have undersized bathrooms and joist layouts that complicate recessing. They're still great candidates; they just need careful planning.
Suburban ranches on slab — Naperville, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights — frequently require slab cutting, which adds cost but produces excellent results.
Condos and high-rises — Streeterville, River North, Evanston — usually can't have slabs modified. Low-profile systems with a built-up floor are the answer here.
Winter considerations — Our climate makes heat retention worth planning for. Radiant floor heat under a curbless shower is one of the most-requested upgrades we do, and clients consistently say it's their favorite part of the finished bathroom.
Permits — Requirements vary by municipality. We handle permitting and inspections as part of our process.
Common Questions
Will water run out onto my bathroom floor? Not when it's installed correctly. Proper slope, correct drain sizing and placement, and adequate waterproofing beyond the shower zone keep water where it belongs. A glass panel adds further insurance.
Do I need glass? Not necessarily. Many curbless showers use a single fixed glass panel; some wet rooms use none at all. It depends on your layout, showerhead placement, and tolerance for a little splash.
Can I convert my existing tub to a curbless shower? Usually yes — tub-to-shower conversions are one of our most common projects. The tub alcove often provides a good footprint, and removing the tub frequently makes structural work easier.
How long does it last? A properly waterproofed curbless shower should last as long as any tiled shower — 20+ years with reasonable maintenance. The waterproofing is the critical component, and it's hidden, which is why installer quality matters so much.
Does it add home value? Bathroom remodels consistently rank among the better-returning home improvements, and accessible, modern bathrooms show particularly well in the Chicagoland resale market.
The Bottom Line
A curbless shower is one of the few upgrades that's genuinely beautiful and genuinely practical. It makes a bathroom look bigger, cleans easier, and removes a real safety hazard — all at once.
The catch is that it has to be done right. There's no curb to forgive a sloppy slope or an incomplete membrane. The difference between a curbless shower that performs flawlessly for decades and one that causes water damage in year three comes down entirely to planning and craftsmanship.
That's the part we take seriously.
Talk to Century City Baths
Century City Baths designs and installs curbless showers, walk-in showers, tub-to-shower conversions, and full accessible bathroom remodels throughout the Chicagoland area — Chicago, the North Shore, the western suburbs, and the south and southwest suburbs.
We'll come out, look at your actual floor structure and plumbing, and give you a straight answer about what's possible in your space and what it will cost. No pressure, no guesswork.
Contact Century City Baths today to schedule your free in-home consultation.
