If any manufacturers or contractors want to chime in here on the linear drains, please do. If your drain is superior, or can eliminate this maintenance issue, I’m all ears I absolutely love the look of them!
Laticrete has a different design that doesn’t have legs to catch hair. Also I think the outlet (circle) drain should be closest to the most flow, like next to shower head so hair has less to travel
Have installed a few linear-drains, you probably would[n't] have that problem if you just had a stainless steal grille insert instead of tile insert, and with the "hair-catcher" right in the center of the drain unit.
@@ourd0gseven it does seem the shorter ones with metal grates are better. No exposed thinset layer. And like many are saying, having it on shower faucet side would wash things down better. This 5 ft drain definitely doesn’t have much pitch to it
NOOOOO!!! We love our linear shower drain, it is not high maintenance at all. It just needs cleaning from time to time but is a piece of cake! Just remove the linear drain cover with a key or something similar, even a butter knife works, in the center is a small plastic basket that has captured all the hairs and soap residue, thus backing up the water after awhile. Clear the little basket into a trashcan, rinse it off, wash out the drain area using a little brush like a toothbrush, rinse the drain, replace the little basket and then pop the cover back on! Our cover doesn’t have all the little legs and stuff mentioned in this video so I’m guessing design has been improved since this video was made. We have a 2023 Schluter Closed Linear Drain. Love it!❤
I look at it as a benefit, not a problem. I've had hair get clogged in the trap of a traditional drain. The hair with this lineat drain gets intercepted before it can clog a pipe. Seems like it is easy to clean, IMO. Use a cleaning wipe to pick up most of the hair and scum off the cover and trough, then spray them with bathroom cleaner and finally, use the hand held spray wand to wash it down the uncovered drain. Nice looking modern shower BTW. Green subway tile accent wall, but still mostly white and bright. This has given me inspiration for my future home, including the linear drain.
One thing not mentioned is the big reason people want linear drains is to have continuous large format tiles to create a unified floor all the way across your bathroom and into the shower. It’s a great look, makes a bathroom look larger, and the reason I did it. It’s not about the look of the linear drain. People don’t seem to get that. If you go with a normal round drain then you must switch to small tiles in the floor of your shower to be able to conform to all the curves and slope surrounding the drain. You obviously can’t do that with large tiles. Linear drains allow large tiles to just slope one direction and direct water flow along a single long line rather than curved around a point.
Thats exactly why i want install linear drain as i love big tiles on the floor.. but after seeing this video im gerting hesitant, I need to weight between the look and the practical aspect. Hard choice.. do you happen to have a linear drain. If yes, Pls share your experince in regard to the practical aspect
Iv installed large format tiles with small square drain in the middle of the shower no problem, looks great and beautiful you just have to cut the tile in a few triangular shapes to get the slope. You don’t loose the cohesive look of large tiles depending of the grout color and tile style.
Yep. That's exactly right. Especially realtors that push this stuff. Lol. Forget about privacy while showering. Why not opaque glass and or a partial wall.
@@bob8776 right, homeowners see a novel feature in a design magazine and they assume a legit engineering team conducted thorough research and development. But the entire bathroom is only a demo display and has never, nor will ever function like a real bathroom. I let them know that I will try anything they wish provided they sign my indemnity agreement, but who knows if a signed piece of paper will provide me the protection that I assume it will
I found your videos last night, while looking for information on the linear drains and how to install them, and now I see your point on cleaning issues. As a woman who has cleaned more then her fair share of showers, but never a linear shower drain, I believe I would rather deal with the linear then the standard. I would much rather be able to open the linear drain cover and clean out the build up than dig blindly into the standard drain, sometimes fighting the standard drain cover as well, to get out the built up hair and yuck that collect in any drain. I see that precautions would need to be taken to kfrom cutting my hands on the linear drain covers underside, but all of that is just done with a scrub brush and a vacuum cleaner. When I have my new bathroom built I will be going with linear shower drain. Thank you for showing all of the issues with this product.
They do look great! Can’t beat the look of them. And if it’s a shorter drain than mine (60”) then you’ll most likely have less issues since they are a bit more steeply pitched. Thanks for sharing your opinion here 😊 👍
Great feedback. There is no way out of cleaning something. I think everyone wants a perfect solution to all. That is, look good and no maintenance. No such thing. I think your correct. At least the linear drain is easier to clean out vs the mystery grab inside a typical drain. Linear drain like laminate floors. Unlike carpet that is a dirt and germ catcher. laminate floors forces you to stay clean like linear drains do. You may think ...omg I have to clean all the time vs in essence using other type floors or drains that just builds and builds till one day.....omg....where all this crap from. Lol
We just had a linear shower drain installed in our bathroom remodel and I'm pretty sure the floor wasn't sloped correctly. The drain is at a higher elevation point and the low spot is a few inches in front of it...we get a big pool of water sitting in front of the drain. Pretty sure that's a bad install.
I went with a Schluter non-grid full stainless steel linear drain with no tile on the top. Very sleek, smooth and easy to clean. I prefer to have the ability to lift that up and clean it. My old standard round drain use to smell funky and I could never get in there to clean it. My new linear drain has a little strainer to catch hair so I don’t have to worry about my sewer pipes getting clogged. I love my new stainless linear drain. Mine is up against the entire length of the back wall so the water drains away from the shower glass. I wouldn’t change a thing.
can you post a link to your purchase? We are in the process of buying a linear drain also. We prefer the stainless steel look also. Thanks for your consideration.
Schluter was the only mistake. There are other brands of linear drains that are pan designed to hide the tile edge all around and rubber-hard plastic stand off feet
As a plumbing contractor and a general contractor and a clean freak the linear drains are bad for so many reasons they just end up smelling like pond scum we’re in San Diego California….very picky people want very beautiful nice things and that’s fine so I recommend against the linear drains knowing full well whatever kind of linear drain they choose it’s going to be offensive at some level at some point….. beautiful shower by the way I like the heated floor idea in the shower and the LED lights in the niche
Thank you! Fully agree too 👍 someone mentioned having the linear drain in my orientation would be the hardest to keep clean. Under the faucet wall would be best, thanks 🙏
I put my first linear drain in 3 yrs ago. The client (single male) never looked at the drain. After a year, we pulled it up (same style as yours) and there was very little in the drain portion much to my surprise. I put the drain (55” schluter) under the shower head end where I figured it had longer area to drain as opposed to how you ran it. It has worked flawlessly.
The key to your finding is ''single male''. Even if he shaves weekly under the shower, which I do, there will be little residue. With two ladies in the house, I clean the drain bi-weekly.
Just googled “how often should I have to clean my linear shower drain” and your video came up. Wish I would have watched this a year ago before we did our bathroom remodel. We took out our unused tub in the master bathroom and installed a larger glass shower with bench and linear drain. We love our shower but hate the linear drain. Someone needs to design a fix for this. How about you😉. Thank you for putting my mind at ease that we’re not the dirtiest family in the universe lol.
In Germany we had a stainless steel grate - all smooth and very easy to lift out- superior engineering of course. It was right under the shower not at the entrance But yes you still had to clean out the drain weekly although it only took a minute. Grates are the way to go.
The Laticrete horizontal drains are FAR SUPERIOR to the Schluter. It's a solid piece of stainless steel . It's shaped like a flattened letter I with flat sides that sit along inside the tray. Very little gets caught.
Cost is $539 - outrageous! Schluter is just as bad at $300- $400! Stop this extortion. Use regular drains. It is sick to pay so much money for a damn drain!
@@BathroomRemodelingTeacher Did you fix the issue yet? Curious to see what solution you came up with. I'm thinking in addition to a more effective horizontal drain what if you also tiled over about 2 feet of that drain area from the wall so there is less drain area and more of the hairs will flow closer to the actual piping portion of the drain. Not sure if that would cause water to puddle though.
Whoooaaaaa! Glad I saw this. I'm a occasional DIY guy. I am working on a 5' shower project now. I saw this and went eeewwww more cleaning workload! Looks like cleaning and bleaching effort on this. The plan is to use a 24" in the center or rethink to have a center drain. EDITED-- yea. I started to look at the drain parts and realized the center tiled section standoffs will catch everything passing by and will need constant cleaning... moving back to a standard decorative drain!
I really like the linear drains for water management, and because they allow larger tile. Larger tile means less water getting into the thinset, which contains cellulose. Cellulose holds extra water (that’s why it’s in thinset) and also molds (it’s organic, so mold can eat it). Thinset also breaks down from constant water exposure. Cement does as well, but thinset deteriorates more.
Its gets super gross because the moisture is trapped under the closed top if you had a grid metal drain that is open to the top then it could dry out properly and will not get that gross.
Interesting. I’ll have to follow up on the other showers I’ve done with the grates. The tile-able drains having the ridges on the bottom will always catch hair though 👍
I'm not sure if a grid would solve the problem. It would help with drying, but hair and scum would still build up on the 'feet'. I like the idea of a linear drain, but I don't like the idea of creating a cesspool. A traditional 2" drain has limited area for bacterial growth, and is being heavily flushed with every shower. I suppose you could pour a litre of hydrogen peroxide into the linear drain every week, but who wants to do that?
Dilute bleach into a spray bottle and your all set. Bleach works miracles in my opinion and is under utilized nowadays thanks to all the marketing for fancy new cleaners and such. Thanks for the great info. You got a sub from me
We used the same tile ready linear drain. I absolutely hate it! It looks pretty, but gets so dirty and gross underneath. I was actually looking for a way to retrofit a regular drain when I came across this video. Wish I would have know how badly this would build up gunk before we designed the bathroom (whole wet room with tub in it as well).
Hi Steve! This is Larry from ebbe America. I really like that you've shown the real-world cleaning issues Linear Shower Drains have always had. Thanks especially for mentioning our INNI linear Shower Drain on the TileCoach session last night! We took notice! As you may already know, the INNI Line drain solves all the problems you mentioned in your video. Quickly and easily cleaned. No full-length Tiled cover to remove etc. No stink and no gunk! Sloped flow surfaces inside. Always installs fully from wall to wall because it is site-sizeable. We have sold over 14,000 of them in the past few years. No failures. I wish more people knew they existed. Keep up the great work!
We had a shower remodel several years ago and did the Moen version of the shower head. It was absolutely wonderful! Had a huge rain head, and hand held. The hand held came in handy when my husband had hip surgery and couldn’t stand in the shower. He was able to sit on the built in bench while using the hand held.
Yes.... That is the biggest problem with linear drains. With the usual center spout drain the area is smaller and water rushes down. The linear drain has a huge surface area and the water runs slowly not carrying away the scum. They look cool, but Im thinking of going back to the center drain.
I heard about this problem from watching videos, so I went with the standard drain on my remodel! Love the full glass tile install!! I’ve learned a lot from your videos, THANKS!!!!
Standar drains are just as gross but you have to pick the hair out and you can't even get below the drain to clean. That leaves a sizable area between the drain and the P trapped water where mold and algea can grow along the sides. With the linear you take the insert outside and pressure wash it then use a bottle brush to clean deep inside the drain.
I searched the comments but couldn't find a similar thought to mine: does the linear drain cover NEED all those legs? It's probably not an ideal solution, but what if you were to cut off some of those legs that hair and debris catch on closer to the shower maybe leaving like 1 out of every 5 legs? Keeping just enough to keep the drain cover lifted?
It is made with all those legs for the purpose of catching any hair before it goes down your drain and clogs up your pipes. You want the hair to be stopped from going down into the drain itself.
Thanks for the post. I found the price tag pretty offensive as it adds about 700 to the price of the shower just on parts. I have enough things I have to upkeep to worry about my 3 showers.
Installed a Nobel linear drain in my shower 8 years ago. It is a SS grate that does not have all those little legs like the Schluter drain in this video. That being said, it is still a lot more maintenance than a regular shower drain. It gets pretty mucky. They might look cool but I think this is an inherent problem with linear drains. I certainly do not encourage my clients to go with them and if I ever redo my shower, I will probably go back to a regular drain.
No, the chrome grates are no different. Our shower clogged up for the first time today after we had it remodeled with a Schluter Linear Drain only a month ago. Disappointed is an understatement.😢
I feeling really good about my DIY curb les shower right about now. I got cheap drain off Amazon and haven’t had any problems in the 13 years they have been in use. That raw edge is killing you. I would cut out some of the raw edge to allow more water and hair to flow without obstruction. Or a new cover with no teeth. But I’m not a contractor just a DIY guy.
To deal with the specific linear drain issue you are having in your specific shower I wonder if aiming the handheld shower head directly over the linear drain at the end of each shower would help? Or even install a water spout in the drain to flush it after each shower.
Sorry but it should go without saying that you have to clean these things regularly it’s not rocket science they aren’t self cleaning maybe if they were oval shaped but they are not - we have to clean ours out very couple weeks it takes 2-3 mins I just do it while I’m showering ? No biggie
I don't understand this linear drain fad. It doesn't drain anymore water than a normal drain because it is attached to a normal drain. You also have this giant gap that makes it look like the person who id the tile screwed up and gut all your tiles too short, then tried to pit the pieces back on. Then you have the problem of a dark wet area with lots of things to snag hair. It's just a recipe for disaster. I've never been one for trends. They come and go, but the classic looks will always be in style.
Thanks for a great video and information. I was going to do a hidden drain, but after watching your video, I realized some of the short comings of any kind of drain that isn't strait into the stub out. I really like the lighted shelf, is there a video or information on where to get the lights, and how to install it? Thanks Sir.
You bet! I’ve installed many of them and never knew the issues till I put one in my own home. From what others have mentioned here, having it on plumbing wall under shower would be better, and have a grated drain cover verses a tiled one would make a difference. I think the tile coach just came out with a video on the lighted shelf. I don’t have one presently even though this is my bathroom (I don’t have access to videos from other site I was a part of) but they are great 👍
Very Informative…..I’m in a “sooner than later”….I’ll use your video as my guide…less strain..This 10 - 15K ….Like & Sub…very informative..Thank you for giving such an informative video…before I went down the “STUPID ROAD”….Thank you😎
I've done a few of those , they are beautiful but heavy. I show the customer the how to remove and clean but I wouldn't want to do it. The Schluter system is the easiest for me, never a callback Love you your work. Ohh thanks for mentioning shower door guys drilling in the membranes. I've repaired a couple of shower curbs over the years because of fasteners into the substrate without any sealant.
That edge of tile could be polished and glazed with some ceramic resin coating and am sure that it wont get gritty like that. Yet another custom-detail to think about but its a solution. And for the drain pan, perhaps #Schluter could take a note of this and actually engineer something that would solve the issue. I guarantee you that such issue is non-existent in Germany. My bet would be to increase the fall inside the drain, from edges towards the drain hole (in the middle) so any gunk has better chance to flow away. I also think that if different material (smooth pvc) is used, flushing of dirt would be better or more efficient at least. Great work and thanks for sharing.
Did you actually try this? I’m thinking of trying a caulk coating along the edges of my tiled drain to smooth it out. When I pull the drain cover I don’t notice the hair sticking on the steel stands as much as catching on the edges of the stone tile and grout.
@@judithwilliamson357 I personally did not but was a first hand witness to it as a young plumber in Germany working hand in hand with master tiler. Caulk wont help I am afraid. You will create even more inviting environment to anything to be caught on it. No matter how smooth you manage to pull it off. Even just super polished tile might be better then caulk. And if you decide that rout use 100% silicone. Caulk is a no-no in water prone environment.
Linear drains looks nice give a awesome finish on the floor but requires upkeep each time is install a linear drain I recommend to my clients to rinse the drain once in the while It don’t take much to lift the cover and rinse it … otherwise the will happen exactly on your video
Our contractor sold us on the linear drain for our curbless shower. At first it was great. Now it smells like a constant sewer backing up. I cannot take off the top of the entire length of the pan because he only put in a 1/4 inch gap between the wall and the tile, sealing in the pan. The hike is accessable and that's it.. There is no way to clean the drain system. I am constantly fighting to try and get the hair out of the tiny horizontal holes with a brush auger, but it seems to shove the hair further up to the ends. I'm ready to call in another contractor to fix this as the last one moved out of state. Word to everyone - stick with the standard drain. Thanks for your video.
I was hoping this was a very old video and Schluter had fixed the problem because one of these linear drains are being installed as I type. I guess another cleaning task is being added to the housekeepers list. I guess it makes since that it would get dirty there. What does the in side of a drain look like. I am constantly pulling my wifes hair out of the shower drain anyway.
New barhroom since March . Installed a long drain with metal slots. Once a week i remove the top ( with a butter knife) , to clean it of hair that get caught on it . The trough is clean, because a lot of water runs over/into the drain . First time i have one .
I have a mega walk in shower/jettub(72 inch linear drain, 7.5x13 foot enclosed), i clean it monthly, never had build up like that, something aint right. That said every week i spray it down with a cleaner. Like scrubbing bubbles or just vinegar, then shower. Again zero build up, maybe its not sloped right or something.
I was all sold on a linear drain and I heard the Tile Coach guy say the same thing but he glossed over that it clogs. Now you! Thank you for your honest review. I'm going with a reg drain.
Yes it's a great idea, I love mine and it allowed me to slope my floor outside the shower from the sink to the drain so if/when I overflow my bathroom sink it goes down my linear drain at the shower entrance.
The design is the problem - if it was on top of two raised side pieces coming up from the floor instead of the L shaped legs, there wouldn't be the impedence for the water flow - mind you, there should be a small hole on the end for water to be squirted in for easy cleaning. The bottom of the trough should be super smooth with a very low coefficient of friction.
I'm in the process of rebuilding my master bathroom and I decided to go with the standard drain. After seeing this video I am now real glad I didn't go with the linear drain, for the very reasons you stated. WOW, a nasty averted. My shower is 5'4" by 34" seamless but I elected not to buy any shower doors. Wide open! I don't see much of an issue with water on tile floors. Yea me. Hospitals don't have shower curtains or glass doors so why not.
Beautiful job on that shower niche and shower stall! Wish I had you as my contractor! Interesting insight into this long shower drain - I wanted to install one in my RV due to difficulty of water draining out, but after this...! Good to know, thank you! I have to remodel my RV shower stall. Not sure what I will find behind the preformed one piece plastic shower stall. I was going to use Palram Vinyl tiles on wall due to low weight over ceramic tile. Not sure what to do about shower pan - possibly build a custom pan from wood and epoxy it, then tile it. Hard to find a match and they are all pricey for thin plastic junk. Do you have any recommendations for shower pan and wall waterproof coatings - Red Guard? Anything better? Schluter makes a Kerdi membrane but so pricey. Any other brands cheaper?
I talked to my tiler today. My drain is 5ft long, like yours, but it’s placed on the wall where you have your niche. I’m so disappointed in me for not looking into it further. My tiler did a great job, It looks amazing, my bathroom looks expensive …but the inside of that drain is so bad. I can’t clean it easily. It’s awkward and heavy! The hook that Schuyler includes to pull it up picked on the tile grout and it loosen it up. I loved how easy it was for me to clean my old drain daily. Now, it’s a true chore. Question: how easy would it be to go from linear to regular drain?
Sorry to hear that. I was just as disappointed….they do look great, but a chore like you said. There’s really no going back now though. The whole system would have to be redone. The waterproof system for these are set in a certain order and for a standard drain would require pitching of pan to drain from all sides.
Crap system. Sorry but good old fashion round drain and p-trap under. I have done a few custom shower bases , but now recommend prefab base you can tile. . The standard plumbing connection you use and leak- proof hook up. Too many horror stories on failed custom made shower pans.
Yes I absolutely hate my linear drain because it has the same problems you described. And to make matters worse, we have natural grouting, not epoxy, and textured tiles so that I am finding it very difficult to almost impossible to keep things looking nice. I am also thankful to have one glass panel and no door, and the shower is curbless. The glass had some kind of coating that was supposed to make it easier to clean but that has also proved to be a disaster and I can not get it clean no matter what I try. Mind you I keep a really clean house so it is upsetting to say the least. my next bath is going to have a one piece shower floor and no glass, regular drain!
I know this is an old video, so has anyone come out with a better channel drain system? Couldn't you take that cover to the grinder and file off 80% of those teeth??? Do you really need 25 teeth on each side?!? How many teeth do you think would be sufficient for support? Maybe 4 on each side? What if you installed a metal grate type drain underneath and then the tile would have to somehow rest on top of it. I don't know, but I'm glad I saw this video because I'm renovating my master bath and I was 100% onboard with using this style drain and now I'm definitely second guessing that decision.
I think your right, no need for that much support It’s primarily these really long linear drains being a problem. Shorter ones have a better pitch. Look into ebbe drains. I plan to install one soon. They look like a way better design 👍
Thank you for your videos. Much appreciated. I want to remodel my bathroom but I’m paralyzed because I’m afraid of hiring the wrong contractor. I’ve watched Mike Holmes. LOL. From one teacher to another, what advice would you give to protect myself from disaster. Thanks. 😷✌🏽🙏🏽
If you can find a contractor that is part of the NTCA, they are serious and should know the latest methods. I’d start there. Here’s a link, they have a contractor member look up www.tile-assn.com/
well there it is, I’ll do a regular drain instead of linear and save a bunch of money. Guess I’ll try doing the envelope cut for the larger tiles instead of mosaic tiles. Thank you for this review!
I redid my bathroom with these last year and it has been an absolute nightmare to clean. I have three girls living in my house and the amount of hair and sticky shampoo that gets caught in that drain is incredible. I have to clean the drain out twice a week just so I don’t get an overflow of water. It looks very nice but I hate it. Your bathroom looks awesome thank you for the video.
Better in the drain hair catch strainer than in the actual drain. In a traditional drain or tub hair is going in the drain and will clog your pipes. You should make the people who are using the shower to take turns cleaning
excellent video this is a great discussion to consider when designing the shower drain, im also looking to do a curbless/walk in shower, glass pane and with linear and considering the options out there
It was something I'd expect to have to do wouldn't you? Maintain and clean your shower? I mean big whoop you picked up the cover and clean out the hair. I think people are too soft. They want the luxuries and don't even want to clean it beyond wiping down their glass pane. Sad day
Very interesting...I am a contractor and certified with Schlueter products and have installed linear drains but have never had the experience or feedback from any clients for maintenance and cleaning but I can see how this can be an issue and will mention this video to any future clients requesting linear drains. Most clients change their minds when they see the price difference between linear and standard 4"x4"... It is also possible to use a standard drain on a curbless set up as long as you level up the floor with the Schlueter shower tray or base... I truly appreciate work well done...how many bathrooms I have had to correct or even demolish because it wasn't done properly, usually a question of money and trying to save a few dollars... There are many ways of saving money but very important to spend that little extra to protect your investment and have peace of mind with the ditra and kerdi membranes and especially using a power grout a bathroom always....I've seen showers that had to be demolished after not even 5yrs because of not using the correct grout or membrane which then causes water and mold issues... Not sure what you can do to make it easier for cleaning all the hair it does sound nasty...but cleaning any drains really is never any fun lol Thanks for sharing
you have these issues because you used the wrong drain. Like you said yourself the thinset is exposed to the water and that's why it breaks down over time. You should have used a closed drain cover and then you would not have these issues. You also NEVER place a drain against the wall like you did here. That's asking for problems. Also, that underside of that drain isn't it. You should have looked at it and seen it straight away and find a better solution. This is just fear mongering. I never had an issue with Schluter drains in 20 years. But I install them correctly and I also know what drain to use for different circumstances. Also the lines don't match up with the floor regarding the drain. That is quite amateuristic.
Great craftsmanship. Are the tiles on the wall 3 by 12 or 4 by 16? Looks really very cool..(My guess is 3 by 12 based on the dimensions of the shower you mentioned).
As a bathroom remodeler, I show this video to my clients during the design phase. I am not a fan of linear drains, we did two in our home and boy do we regret it. It is constant cleaning!!! I'm building and ADU now in my home and you could not pay us to install a linear drain. We call them "high maintenance girls!"
If it was me I’d simply use the hand shower and shoot a stream of water directly over the border/crack of it, concentrating on the ends and that should prevent the regular cleaning. ??✌🏽😁
I agree about linear drains, wish they would give them a decent pitch. Love the look but nobody wants to clean it out. Maybe make your own "receiver"? to get that pitch? Otherwise- your work looks great
I’m doing an ADA bath house and thought about using a linear drain but can’t cut out structural subfloor or mess with joists. I’m thinking of using a mono slope parallel with the joists and at the end just use multiple standard drains which are recessed slightly - wall furred out. They make linear drains without those legs but the cost is ridiculous.
If any manufacturers or contractors want to chime in here on the linear drains, please do. If your drain is superior, or can eliminate this maintenance issue, I’m all ears
I absolutely love the look of them!
What if you put slope in the drain, it would be a wide V but then you’d have to modify the insert as well.
@@hanzcastillo6553 more parts or sources of water more points of failure. - ME turned entrepreneur
Laticrete has a different design that doesn’t have legs to catch hair. Also I think the outlet (circle) drain should be closest to the most flow, like next to shower head so hair has less to travel
Have installed a few linear-drains, you probably would[n't] have that problem if you just had a stainless steal grille insert instead of tile insert, and with the "hair-catcher" right in the center of the drain unit.
@@ourd0gseven it does seem the shorter ones with metal grates are better. No exposed thinset layer. And like many are saying, having it on shower faucet side would wash things down better. This 5 ft drain definitely doesn’t have much pitch to it
NOOOOO!!! We love our linear shower drain, it is not high maintenance at all. It just needs cleaning from time to time but is a piece of cake! Just remove the linear drain cover with a key or something similar, even a butter knife works, in the center is a small plastic basket that has captured all the hairs and soap residue, thus backing up the water after awhile. Clear the little basket into a trashcan, rinse it off, wash out the drain
area using a little brush like
a toothbrush, rinse the drain, replace the little basket and then pop the cover back on! Our cover doesn’t have all the little legs and stuff mentioned in this video so I’m guessing design has been improved since this video was made. We have a 2023 Schluter Closed Linear Drain. Love it!❤
Meaning you can go back to your work years later and your work is in good shape is a sign you are an excellent remodeler. Keep up the good work!
I look at it as a benefit, not a problem. I've had hair get clogged in the trap of a traditional drain. The hair with this lineat drain gets intercepted before it can clog a pipe. Seems like it is easy to clean, IMO. Use a cleaning wipe to pick up most of the hair and scum off the cover and trough, then spray them with bathroom cleaner and finally, use the hand held spray wand to wash it down the uncovered drain.
Nice looking modern shower BTW. Green subway tile accent wall, but still mostly white and bright. This has given me inspiration for my future home, including the linear drain.
One thing not mentioned is the big reason people want linear drains is to have continuous large format tiles to create a unified floor all the way across your bathroom and into the shower. It’s a great look, makes a bathroom look larger, and the reason I did it. It’s not about the look of the linear drain. People don’t seem to get that. If you go with a normal round drain then you must switch to small tiles in the floor of your shower to be able to conform to all the curves and slope surrounding the drain. You obviously can’t do that with large tiles. Linear drains allow large tiles to just slope one direction and direct water flow along a single long line rather than curved around a point.
Thats exactly why i want install linear drain as i love big tiles on the floor.. but after seeing this video im gerting hesitant, I need to weight between the look and the practical aspect. Hard choice.. do you happen to have a linear drain. If yes, Pls share your experince in regard to the practical aspect
They're a headache, period. There isn't any way around what he is saying with hair etc. They look great but perform like shit.
@@samial2341 if you install linear grate drain instead of tiled drain, it won't have the "prongs that snag hair and dirt.
Iv installed large format tiles with small square drain in the middle of the shower no problem, looks great and beautiful you just have to cut the tile in a few triangular shapes to get the slope. You don’t loose the cohesive look of large tiles depending of the grout color and tile style.
This video just sold me on a standard drain. Thanks.
People seem to be way more concerned with just staring at their showers than the functionality of what its even there for.
Yep. That's exactly right. Especially realtors that push this stuff. Lol. Forget about privacy while showering. Why not opaque glass and or a partial wall.
Agreed
Form must follow function
It’s the instagram effect. Everything has to look a certain way regardless of how functional it may or may not be
@@bob8776 right, homeowners see a novel feature in a design magazine and they assume a legit engineering team conducted thorough research and development. But the entire bathroom is only a demo display and has never, nor will ever function like a real bathroom.
I let them know that I will try anything they wish provided they sign my indemnity agreement, but who knows if a signed piece of paper will provide me the protection that I assume it will
I found your videos last night, while looking for information on the linear drains and how to install them, and now I see your point on cleaning issues. As a woman who has cleaned more then her fair share of showers, but never a linear shower drain, I believe I would rather deal with the linear then the standard. I would much rather be able to open the linear drain cover and clean out the build up than dig blindly into the standard drain, sometimes fighting the standard drain cover as well, to get out the built up hair and yuck that collect in any drain. I see that precautions would need to be taken to kfrom cutting my hands on the linear drain covers underside, but all of that is just done with a scrub brush and a vacuum cleaner. When I have my new bathroom built I will be going with linear shower drain. Thank you for showing all of the issues with this product.
They do look great! Can’t beat the look of them. And if it’s a shorter drain than mine (60”) then you’ll most likely have less issues since they are a bit more steeply pitched. Thanks for sharing your opinion here 😊 👍
Great feedback. There is no way out of cleaning something. I think everyone wants a perfect solution to all. That is, look good and no maintenance. No such thing. I think your correct. At least the linear drain is easier to clean out vs the mystery grab inside a typical drain. Linear drain like laminate floors. Unlike carpet that is a dirt and germ catcher. laminate floors forces you to stay clean like linear drains do. You may think ...omg I have to clean all the time vs in essence using other type floors or drains that just builds and builds till one day.....omg....where all this crap from. Lol
You’ll regret it.
We just had a linear shower drain installed in our bathroom remodel and I'm pretty sure the floor wasn't sloped correctly. The drain is at a higher elevation point and the low spot is a few inches in front of it...we get a big pool of water sitting in front of the drain. Pretty sure that's a bad install.
I went with a Schluter non-grid full stainless steel linear drain with no tile on the top. Very sleek, smooth and easy to clean. I prefer to have the ability to lift that up and clean it. My old standard round drain use to smell funky and I could never get in there to clean it. My new linear drain has a little strainer to catch hair so I don’t have to worry about my sewer pipes getting clogged. I love my new stainless linear drain. Mine is up against the entire length of the back wall so the water drains away from the shower glass. I wouldn’t change a thing.
can you post a link to your purchase? We are in the process of buying a linear drain also. We prefer the stainless steel look also. Thanks for your consideration.
Schluter was the only mistake. There are other brands of linear drains that are pan designed to hide the tile edge all around and rubber-hard plastic stand off feet
As a plumbing contractor and a general contractor and a clean freak the linear drains are bad for so many reasons they just end up smelling like pond scum we’re in San Diego California….very picky people want very beautiful nice things and that’s fine so I recommend against the linear drains knowing full well whatever kind of linear drain they choose it’s going to be offensive at some level at some point….. beautiful shower by the way I like the heated floor idea in the shower and the LED lights in the niche
Thank you! Fully agree too 👍 someone mentioned having the linear drain in my orientation would be the hardest to keep clean. Under the faucet wall would be best, thanks 🙏
I put my first linear drain in 3 yrs ago. The client (single male) never looked at the drain. After a year, we pulled it up (same style as yours) and there was very little in the drain portion much to my surprise. I put the drain (55” schluter) under the shower head end where I figured it had longer area to drain as opposed to how you ran it. It has worked flawlessly.
Good to hear! It’s my wife’s hair then, 😆
At the plumbing wall the wet wall it will flood itself out better than along the glass they’re still gross
@@GradiorDignus another good point! It would be better in the shower head side 👍
The key to your finding is ''single male''. Even if he shaves weekly under the shower, which I do, there will be little residue. With two ladies in the house, I clean the drain bi-weekly.
Sorry, but was he bald?
Just googled “how often should I have to clean my linear shower drain” and your video came up. Wish I would have watched this a year ago before we did our bathroom remodel. We took out our unused tub in the master bathroom and installed a larger glass shower with bench and linear drain. We love our shower but hate the linear drain. Someone needs to design a fix for this. How about you😉. Thank you for putting my mind at ease that we’re not the dirtiest family in the universe lol.
In Germany we had a stainless steel grate - all smooth and very easy to lift out- superior engineering of course. It was right under the shower not at the entrance But yes you still had to clean out the drain weekly although it only took a minute. Grates are the way to go.
I would grind off the inside cleats were the buildup occurs since it's against the glass and shouldn't be stepped on.
That’s a pretty good idea! Next time it needs cleaned, which is now😆. I’ll do that 👍
The lighted shelf spanning the width of the shower visually expands the width of the shower. Perfection.
The Laticrete horizontal drains are FAR SUPERIOR to the Schluter.
It's a solid piece of stainless steel . It's shaped like a flattened letter I with flat sides that sit along inside the tray. Very little gets caught.
I haven’t tried one yet. Thanks for the suggestion 👍
Cost is $539 - outrageous! Schluter is just as bad at $300- $400! Stop this extortion. Use regular drains. It is sick to pay so much money for a damn drain!
@@BathroomRemodelingTeacher Did you fix the issue yet? Curious to see what solution you came up with. I'm thinking in addition to a more effective horizontal drain what if you also tiled over about 2 feet of that drain area from the wall so there is less drain area and more of the hairs will flow closer to the actual piping portion of the drain. Not sure if that would cause water to puddle though.
Linear drains are good idea as an overflow protection, like a sink. Not as the main drain.
Whoooaaaaa! Glad I saw this. I'm a occasional DIY guy. I am working on a 5' shower project now. I saw this and went eeewwww more cleaning workload! Looks like cleaning and bleaching effort on this. The plan is to use a 24" in the center or rethink to have a center drain. EDITED-- yea. I started to look at the drain parts and realized the center tiled section standoffs will catch everything passing by and will need constant cleaning... moving back to a standard decorative drain!
I really like the linear drains for water management, and because they allow larger tile. Larger tile means less water getting into the thinset, which contains cellulose. Cellulose holds extra water (that’s why it’s in thinset) and also molds (it’s organic, so mold can eat it). Thinset also breaks down from constant water exposure. Cement does as well, but thinset deteriorates more.
Wow, great info. How did you obtain this knowledge?
Its gets super gross because the moisture is trapped under the closed top if you had a grid metal drain that is open to the top then it could dry out properly and will not get that gross.
Interesting. I’ll have to follow up on the other showers I’ve done with the grates. The tile-able drains having the ridges on the bottom will always catch hair though
👍
I'm not sure if a grid would solve the problem. It would help with drying, but hair and scum would still build up on the 'feet'. I like the idea of a linear drain, but I don't like the idea of creating a cesspool. A traditional 2" drain has limited area for bacterial growth, and is being heavily flushed with every shower.
I suppose you could pour a litre of hydrogen peroxide into the linear drain every week, but who wants to do that?
Dilute bleach into a spray bottle and your all set. Bleach works miracles in my opinion and is under utilized nowadays thanks to all the marketing for fancy new cleaners and such. Thanks for the great info. You got a sub from me
We used the same tile ready linear drain. I absolutely hate it! It looks pretty, but gets so dirty and gross underneath. I was actually looking for a way to retrofit a regular drain when I came across this video. Wish I would have know how badly this would build up gunk before we designed the bathroom (whole wet room with tub in it as well).
Hi Steve! This is Larry from ebbe America. I really like that you've shown the real-world cleaning issues Linear Shower Drains have always had. Thanks especially for mentioning our INNI linear Shower Drain on the TileCoach session last night! We took notice! As you may already know, the INNI Line drain solves all the problems you mentioned in your video. Quickly and easily cleaned. No full-length Tiled cover to remove etc. No stink and no gunk! Sloped flow surfaces inside. Always installs fully from wall to wall because it is site-sizeable. We have sold over 14,000 of them in the past few years. No failures. I wish more people knew they existed. Keep up the great work!
Great stuff but do you sell in Europe?
Thanks that's good to know of other brands that are better.
We had a shower remodel several years ago and did the Moen version of the shower head. It was absolutely wonderful! Had a huge rain head, and hand held. The hand held came in handy when my husband had hip surgery and couldn’t stand in the shower. He was able to sit on the built in bench while using the hand held.
One possible good thing is...
The trap won't get clogged as fast. I would rather deal with it there than in a ceiling or cement slab.
Yes.... That is the biggest problem with linear drains. With the usual center spout drain the area is smaller and water rushes down. The linear drain has a huge surface area and the water runs slowly not carrying away the scum. They look cool, but Im thinking of going back to the center drain.
I heard about this problem from watching videos, so I went with the standard drain on my remodel! Love the full glass tile install!! I’ve learned a lot from your videos, THANKS!!!!
Standar drains are just as gross but you have to pick the hair out and you can't even get below the drain to clean. That leaves a sizable area between the drain and the P trapped water where mold and algea can grow along the sides.
With the linear you take the insert outside and pressure wash it then use a bottle brush to clean deep inside the drain.
I searched the comments but couldn't find a similar thought to mine: does the linear drain cover NEED all those legs? It's probably not an ideal solution, but what if you were to cut off some of those legs that hair and debris catch on closer to the shower maybe leaving like 1 out of every 5 legs? Keeping just enough to keep the drain cover lifted?
It is made with all those legs for the purpose of catching any hair before it goes down your drain and clogs up your pipes. You want the hair to be stopped from going down into the drain itself.
Thanks for the post. I found the price tag pretty offensive as it adds about 700 to the price of the shower just on parts. I have enough things I have to upkeep to worry about my 3 showers.
I let all my customers that want a trough drain know how gross they can get.
I like the look of the linear drain but I worried about dropping the cap while cleaning but this just adds to a check mark against one.
Installed a Nobel linear drain in my shower 8 years ago. It is a SS grate that does not have all those little legs like the Schluter drain in this video. That being said, it is still a lot more maintenance than a regular shower drain. It gets pretty mucky. They might look cool but I think this is an inherent problem with linear drains. I certainly do not encourage my clients to go with them and if I ever redo my shower, I will probably go back to a regular drain.
I wonder if the schluter chrome grates would perform better? (better flow & less buildup on the edges since water can flow down the middle)
No, the chrome grates are no different. Our shower clogged up for the first time today after we had it remodeled with a Schluter Linear Drain only a month ago. Disappointed is an understatement.😢
I feeling really good about my DIY curb les shower right about now. I got cheap drain off Amazon and haven’t had any problems in the 13 years they have been in use. That raw edge is killing you. I would cut out some of the raw edge to allow more water and hair to flow without obstruction. Or a new cover with no teeth. But I’m not a contractor just a DIY guy.
Which exact LED light did you install? Looks great
To deal with the specific linear drain issue you are having in your specific shower I wonder if aiming the handheld shower head directly over the linear drain at the end of each shower would help? Or even install a water spout in the drain to flush it after each shower.
Sorry but it should go without saying that you have to clean these things regularly it’s not rocket science they aren’t self cleaning maybe if they were oval shaped but they are not - we have to clean ours out very couple weeks it takes 2-3 mins I just do it while I’m showering ? No biggie
😆 way more work than a traditional drain though!
All of the TILED linear drains are just a problem waiting to happen. I would never install one.
I wonder if a different style with perforated or slotted cover might clear better than one with the edge drain style cover that accepts matching tile.
I don't understand this linear drain fad. It doesn't drain anymore water than a normal drain because it is attached to a normal drain. You also have this giant gap that makes it look like the person who id the tile screwed up and gut all your tiles too short, then tried to pit the pieces back on. Then you have the problem of a dark wet area with lots of things to snag hair. It's just a recipe for disaster. I've never been one for trends. They come and go, but the classic looks will always be in style.
Thanks for a great video and information. I was going to do a hidden drain, but after watching your video, I realized some of the short comings of any kind of drain that isn't strait into the stub out. I really like the lighted shelf, is there a video or information on where to get the lights, and how to install it? Thanks Sir.
You bet! I’ve installed many of them and never knew the issues till I put one in my own home. From what others have mentioned here, having it on plumbing wall under shower would be better, and have a grated drain cover verses a tiled one would make a difference. I think the tile coach just came out with a video on the lighted shelf. I don’t have one presently even though this is my bathroom (I don’t have access to videos from other site I was a part of) but they are great 👍
Very Informative…..I’m in a “sooner than later”….I’ll use your video as my guide…less strain..This 10 - 15K ….Like & Sub…very informative..Thank you for giving such an informative video…before I went down the “STUPID ROAD”….Thank you😎
Awesome, let me know if you have questions along the way, be happy to help 👍
I put a round drain in the corner of my shower. Works great.
I've done a few of those , they are beautiful but heavy.
I show the customer the how to remove and clean but I wouldn't want to do it.
The Schluter system is the easiest for me, never a callback
Love you your work.
Ohh thanks for mentioning shower door guys drilling in the membranes.
I've repaired a couple of shower curbs over the years because of fasteners into the substrate without any sealant.
We did our glass 78 inchs tall no over spray from shower hitting the person 69 inches tall
That edge of tile could be polished and glazed with some ceramic resin coating and am sure that it wont get gritty like that. Yet another custom-detail to think about but its a solution. And for the drain pan, perhaps #Schluter could take a note of this and actually engineer something that would solve the issue. I guarantee you that such issue is non-existent in Germany. My bet would be to increase the fall inside the drain, from edges towards the drain hole (in the middle) so any gunk has better chance to flow away. I also think that if different material (smooth pvc) is used, flushing of dirt would be better or more efficient at least. Great work and thanks for sharing.
Did you actually try this? I’m thinking of trying a caulk coating along the edges of my tiled drain to smooth it out. When I pull the drain cover I don’t notice the hair sticking on the steel stands as much as catching on the edges of the stone tile and grout.
@@judithwilliamson357 I personally did not but was a first hand witness to it as a young plumber in Germany working hand in hand with master tiler. Caulk wont help I am afraid. You will create even more inviting environment to anything to be caught on it. No matter how smooth you manage to pull it off. Even just super polished tile might be better then caulk. And if you decide that rout use 100% silicone. Caulk is a no-no in water prone environment.
Linear drains looks nice give a awesome finish on the floor but requires upkeep each time is install a linear drain I recommend to my clients to rinse the drain once in the while It don’t take much to lift the cover and rinse it … otherwise the will happen exactly on your video
Not a big fan of linear drains. I’ve had one for 2 years and they get quite nasty!
Our contractor sold us on the linear drain for our curbless shower. At first it was great. Now it smells like a constant sewer backing up. I cannot take off the top of the entire length of the pan because he only put in a 1/4 inch gap between the wall and the tile, sealing in the pan. The hike is accessable and that's it.. There is no way to clean the drain system. I am constantly fighting to try and get the hair out of the tiny horizontal holes with a brush auger, but it seems to shove the hair further up to the ends. I'm ready to call in another contractor to fix this as the last one moved out of state. Word to everyone - stick with the standard drain. Thanks for your video.
That’s the worst….couldn’t imagine not being able to pull it out!
Have you tried an Allen wrench to slide into that 1/4 inch to pivot and lift the drain tray?
I was hoping this was a very old video and Schluter had fixed the problem because one of these linear drains are being installed as I type. I guess another cleaning task is being added to the housekeepers list. I guess it makes since that it would get dirty there. What does the in side of a drain look like. I am constantly pulling my wifes hair out of the shower drain anyway.
New barhroom since March . Installed a long drain with metal slots. Once a week i remove the top ( with a butter knife) , to clean it of hair that get caught on it . The trough is clean, because a lot of water runs over/into the drain . First time i have one .
I thought I wanted one of these trench drains in my new shower build. NOT NO MORE! Thank you for the heads up.
I have a mega walk in shower/jettub(72 inch linear drain, 7.5x13 foot enclosed), i clean it monthly, never had build up like that, something aint right. That said every week i spray it down with a cleaner. Like scrubbing bubbles or just vinegar, then shower. Again zero build up, maybe its not sloped right or something.
My concern is not just the hair getting caught but the steal or metal getting rusted. I like the traditional so much better.
I was all sold on a linear drain and I heard the Tile Coach guy say the same thing but he glossed over that it clogs. Now you! Thank you for your honest review. I'm going with a reg drain.
The Deco-SG profile looks/sounds great. Any issues with keeping that channel clean??
I'm not a fan of my linear drain either. It's disgusting to clean. Would love a video on the best way to clean these drains.
Yes it's a great idea, I love mine and it allowed me to slope my floor outside the shower from the sink to the drain so if/when I overflow my bathroom sink it goes down my linear drain at the shower entrance.
The design is the problem - if it was on top of two raised side pieces coming up from the floor instead of the L shaped legs, there wouldn't be the impedence for the water flow - mind you, there should be a small hole on the end for water to be squirted in for easy cleaning. The bottom of the trough should be super smooth with a very low coefficient of friction.
you are awesome! I love how you share both the positive and the negative results. so we all can learn from mistakes. thank you sir!
Heated floor system for curbless shower - that's wild.
Anybody tried Geberit CleanLine or ACO ShowerDrain S+ ?
Mine gets disgusting. Looks beautiful but unfortunately is a nightmare to clean it.
Yes these drains look cool but they are disgusting. I would NOT do one again for the same reason.
Are your wall tiles at the floor a different size from back to front due to the slope toward the drain?
use a marine epoxy along the edge, or maybe the whole thing to reduce how well the hair will stick to the metal stands
Just cut the million legs off the drain and put 3 good sized islands or pegs on the bottom of it to keep it elevated..
It sucks to hear this. Im just getting ready to install one like this for a client!
Linear or line drains are better hooked up to a traditional system.3 PC. drain style/liner
What about a hot water spray nozzle installed on the upslope side that sprays it clean?
Linear drains collect way more hair and you are constantly cleaning them
Looks sleek but doesn't very drain needs to collect hair, or it will be a deeper problem
Answered my question…who are we that worry about drains?
a live with the same situation, it is disgusting to clean these drains! Thanks
My master is 23 ft X 13 ft and i am confused ... lol
Did you have issues with inspecting it since you only have slope on one side of the drain? How did you fill it with water for an inspection?
Nope no issues, was never asked or requested, and yes Permits acquired
I'm in the process of rebuilding my master bathroom and I decided to go with the standard drain. After seeing this video I am now real glad I didn't go with the linear drain, for the very reasons you stated. WOW, a nasty averted. My shower is 5'4" by 34" seamless but I elected not to buy any shower doors. Wide open! I don't see much of an issue with water on tile floors. Yea me. Hospitals don't have shower curtains or glass doors so why not.
Is the hexagon tile on the floor slippery when wet?
Beautiful job on that shower niche and shower stall! Wish I had you as my contractor! Interesting insight into this long shower drain - I wanted to install one in my RV due to difficulty of water draining out, but after this...! Good to know, thank you!
I have to remodel my RV shower stall. Not sure what I will find behind the preformed one piece plastic shower stall. I was going to use Palram Vinyl tiles on wall due to low weight over ceramic tile. Not sure what to do about shower pan - possibly build a custom pan from wood and epoxy it, then tile it. Hard to find a match and they are all pricey for thin plastic junk.
Do you have any recommendations for shower pan and wall waterproof coatings - Red Guard? Anything better? Schluter makes a Kerdi membrane but so pricey. Any other brands cheaper?
I'm the same - how did you get on.
How is the wall with the niche framed?
I talked to my tiler today. My drain is 5ft long, like yours, but it’s placed on the wall where you have your niche.
I’m so disappointed in me for not looking into it further. My tiler did a great job, It looks amazing, my bathroom looks expensive …but the inside of that drain is so bad. I can’t clean it easily. It’s awkward and heavy! The hook that Schuyler includes to pull it up picked on the tile grout and it loosen it up. I loved how easy it was for me to clean my old drain daily. Now, it’s a true chore.
Question: how easy would it be to go from linear to regular drain?
Sorry to hear that. I was just as disappointed….they do look great, but a chore like you said. There’s really no going back now though. The whole system would have to be redone. The waterproof system for these are set in a certain order and for a standard drain would require pitching of pan to drain from all sides.
Crap system. Sorry but good old fashion round drain and p-trap under.
I have done a few custom shower bases , but now recommend prefab base you can tile. . The standard plumbing connection you use and leak- proof hook up. Too many horror stories on failed custom made shower pans.
Yes I absolutely hate my linear drain because it has the same problems you described. And to make matters worse, we have natural grouting, not epoxy, and textured tiles so that I am finding it very difficult to almost impossible to keep things looking nice. I am also thankful to have one glass panel and no door, and the shower is curbless. The glass had some kind of coating that was supposed to make it easier to clean but that has also proved to be a disaster and I can not get it clean no matter what I try. Mind you I keep a really clean house so it is upsetting to say the least. my next bath is going to have a one piece shower floor and no glass, regular drain!
You ever try applying rainex to the glass ? Same stuff they use for car windshield when it rains . Works great don’t have to clean glass as much .
I know this is an old video, so has anyone come out with a better channel drain system? Couldn't you take that cover to the grinder and file off 80% of those teeth??? Do you really need 25 teeth on each side?!? How many teeth do you think would be sufficient for support? Maybe 4 on each side? What if you installed a metal grate type drain underneath and then the tile would have to somehow rest on top of it. I don't know, but I'm glad I saw this video because I'm renovating my master bath and I was 100% onboard with using this style drain and now I'm definitely second guessing that decision.
I think your right, no need for that much support
It’s primarily these really long linear drains being a problem. Shorter ones have a better pitch. Look into ebbe drains. I plan to install one soon. They look like a way better design 👍
Thanks for sharing this as I was wondering about that drain for a current project .
I will go standard drain .
BTW I LOVE that whole wall shelf !
Thanks! And yeah you can enjoy $1,000 spent somewhere else rather than a linear drain! 👍
@@BathroomRemodelingTeacher I wonder how possible it would be to form a linear drain as part of the shower pan itself ?
Thank you for your videos. Much appreciated. I want to remodel my bathroom but I’m paralyzed because I’m afraid of hiring the wrong contractor. I’ve watched Mike Holmes. LOL. From one teacher to another, what advice would you give to protect myself from disaster. Thanks. 😷✌🏽🙏🏽
If you can find a contractor that is part of the NTCA, they are serious and should know the latest methods. I’d start there. Here’s a link, they have a contractor member look up www.tile-assn.com/
Thank you. I’ll absolutely do that. 😷✌🏽🙏🏽
well there it is, I’ll do a regular drain instead of linear and save a bunch of money. Guess I’ll try doing the envelope cut for the larger tiles instead of mosaic tiles. Thank you for this review!
I redid my bathroom with these last year and it has been an absolute nightmare to clean. I have three girls living in my house and the amount of hair and sticky shampoo that gets caught in that drain is incredible. I have to clean the drain out twice a week just so I don’t get an overflow of water. It looks very nice but I hate it. Your bathroom looks awesome thank you for the video.
Better in the drain hair catch strainer than in the actual drain. In a traditional drain or tub hair is going in the drain and will clog your pipes.
You should make the people who are using the shower to take turns cleaning
excellent video this is a great discussion to consider when designing the shower drain, im also looking to do a curbless/walk in shower, glass pane and with linear and considering the options out there
It was something I'd expect to have to do wouldn't you? Maintain and clean your shower? I mean big whoop you picked up the cover and clean out the hair. I think people are too soft. They want the luxuries and don't even want to clean it beyond wiping down their glass pane. Sad day
Very interesting...I am a contractor and certified with Schlueter products and have installed linear drains but have never had the experience or feedback from any clients for maintenance and cleaning but I can see how this can be an issue and will mention this video to any future clients requesting linear drains. Most clients change their minds when they see the price difference between linear and standard 4"x4"...
It is also possible to use a standard drain on a curbless set up as long as you level up the floor with the Schlueter shower tray or base...
I truly appreciate work well done...how many bathrooms I have had to correct or even demolish because it wasn't done properly, usually a question of money and trying to save a few dollars... There are many ways of saving money but very important to spend that little extra to protect your investment and have peace of mind with the ditra and kerdi membranes and especially using a power grout a bathroom always....I've seen showers that had to be demolished after not even 5yrs because of not using the correct grout or membrane which then causes water and mold issues... Not sure what you can do to make it easier for cleaning all the hair it does sound nasty...but cleaning any drains really is never any fun lol
Thanks for sharing
you have these issues because you used the wrong drain. Like you said yourself the thinset is exposed to the water and that's why it breaks down over time. You should have used a closed drain cover and then you would not have these issues. You also NEVER place a drain against the wall like you did here. That's asking for problems. Also, that underside of that drain isn't it. You should have looked at it and seen it straight away and find a better solution. This is just fear mongering. I never had an issue with Schluter drains in 20 years. But I install them correctly and I also know what drain to use for different circumstances. Also the lines don't match up with the floor regarding the drain. That is quite amateuristic.
Great video - thanks - given the end result - should you do a curbless shower with a standard drain? or is it best to stick with the curb?
Center drain for sure. I’m sticking to those until I see a better design 👍 ua-cam.com/video/-db4d34MTiA/v-deo.html
Great craftsmanship. Are the tiles on the wall 3 by 12 or 4 by 16? Looks really very cool..(My guess is 3 by 12 based on the dimensions of the shower you mentioned).
As a bathroom remodeler, I show this video to my clients during the design phase. I am not a fan of linear drains, we did two in our home and boy do we regret it. It is constant cleaning!!! I'm building and ADU now in my home and you could not pay us to install a linear drain. We call them "high maintenance girls!"
If it was me I’d simply use the hand shower and shoot a stream of water directly over the border/crack of it, concentrating on the ends and that should prevent the regular cleaning. ??✌🏽😁
Your remarks about the Kohler Hydro rail led me to check it out. $2000? That’s a budget buster for sure!
I agree about linear drains, wish they would give them a decent pitch. Love the look but nobody wants to clean it out. Maybe make your own "receiver"? to get that pitch? Otherwise- your work looks great
I’m doing an ADA bath house and thought about using a linear drain but can’t cut out structural subfloor or mess with joists. I’m thinking of using a mono slope parallel with the joists and at the end just use multiple standard drains which are recessed slightly - wall furred out.
They make linear drains without those legs but the cost is ridiculous.