Tub or Curbless Shower? Aging-in-Place Advice

Deciding between a bathtub and a curbless walk-in shower is one of the first questions that comes up in a bathroom remodeling project in Minneapolis, especially for homeowners planning to stay put as they get older. The honest answer depends less on design trends and more on who uses the bathroom and what your floor structure will allow. A tub still makes sense for some households. For most people planning to age in place, it doesn't.

We've been building tiled showers across the Twin Cities since 2005, including plenty of curbless conversions in older ramblers and bungalows with their own structural quirks. Here's how we walk homeowners through the choice, how we actually build these showers, and what we tell people who are nervous about water getting out.

Tub Or Curbless Shower?

It comes down to who is using the bathroom and for how long you plan to stay. We give homeowners the same straightforward rule every time:

"If you have small kids that like to take baths, then go with a tub. But if you are planning to retire in your home, eventually it will get hard to get in and out of the tub. I would highly recommend going with a walk-in shower that has a small curb, or the best would be a completely curbless shower." (Val, A to Z Construction)

A tub wall is the obstacle. Stepping over a 15-inch rim on a wet surface gets harder every year, and most homeowners tell us they already use the tub as a shower anyway. A small curb is a solid middle ground; fully curbless removes the obstacle entirely. If you're exploring a tub-to-shower conversion, our Walk-In Shower Installation work covers both approaches.

How We Drop The Floor

A truly curbless shower requires the shower floor to sit lower than the bathroom floor, and we get there without butchering your joists. We drop the shower floor by the thickness of the subfloor and bring up the rest of the bathroom floor by about 1/2"–3/4". Splitting the difference that way preserves the structure underneath and still gives us the drop we need.

That's enough to make the slope math work. Most showers are within 3 to 5 feet of width, and with the drain centered on the shower floor at 1/4" of slope per foot, we're only sloping 18 to 30 inches in each direction. Short runs mean modest drop requirements.

For waterproofing, we normally prefer the traditional rubber liner and mud bed. It's been around much longer than the Schluter system, and we know it works. We reach for Schluter only when a liner isn't an option. Either way, the tile and grout go over a fully sealed, properly sloped pan — see examples in our Bathrooms gallery.

Keeping Water In The Shower

With no curb holding water back, containment comes down to where the glass or curtain lands. We recommend installing a shower door over the floor area that is already sloped, so any water running down the glass hits sloped tile and heads straight back to the drain. If a door isn't an option, we set the curtain at least 6 to 12 inches into the sloped portion of the shower floor.

This is the detail most often done wrong. Homeowners — and some contractors — set the door or curtain right on the threshold line, where the floor is flat. Water hits that flat plane and keeps going, out onto the bathroom floor and under the vanity. That's always going to be a problem.

We also install epoxy grout on every curbless shower so the grout doesn't absorb moisture and crack. Keeping water above the tile is the whole game; the less that gets underneath, the longer the shower lasts. Our Bathroom Tile Installation crews handle the grout and sealant work as part of the build.

Aging-In-Place Features We Build In

Grab bars, a bench, and a handheld shower head are three features that make a shower work long-term. Here's how we plan and build those features for long-lasting impact:

• Grab bars: We confirm grab bar height and placement with the homeowner rather than defaulting to a standard — it depends on whether the person is tall or short and where they want to reach for it.
• Benches: We install permanent benches with a waterproofed, tiled, sloped top so water runs back down to the shower floor. Fold-down teak benches are the alternative when space is tight.
• Handheld shower head: Slide-up and slide-down handhelds let someone wash comfortably while seated.
• Floor tile: Smaller tile on the shower floor provides better grip and a less slippery surface because the added grout lines give traction.

These features don't have to read as institutional. Done as part of a full Bathroom Remodeling plan, they just look like a well-built custom shower.

Resale Value And Project Timeline

Most buyers today prefer a shower over a tub, so trading an underused tub for a well-built walk-in rarely hurts you. Everyone is busy, and not many people have time to enjoy a bathtub. If you still have at least one tub somewhere in the house, resale generally isn't a concern.

On timing, plan for 7 to 10 days to build a curbless shower, plus another 7 days after the grout is installed for it to properly cure before you use it. We tell homeowners that up front so the bathroom's downtime doesn't come as a surprise mid-project.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a tub-to-walk-in-shower conversion cost?

For a tiled walk-in shower replacing a tub, we typically see $8,000 to $12,000, depending on the size and what it takes to get it done. We put a typed estimate in your hands, so you know the scope before anything is demoed.

Can you build a curbless shower over a concrete floor?

It's trickier, since re-plumbing in a condo or slab-on-grade home means working with concrete. Our plumbers have done it, and in some cases we avoid cutting the slab entirely by leaving the drain slightly off center if the homeowner is comfortable with that.

Does epoxy grout need much maintenance?

No — that's the point of using it. Rinse the walls after you shower, and the tile will keep looking new for a very long time, without the sealing and scrubbing that standard cement grout demands.

How messy is the demolition?

We contain the work to the bathroom with floor coverings and poly, and install air scrubbers when a job calls for it. Noise is mostly limited to demolition day.

Talk Through Your Bathroom With Us

We'll come out, look at your bathroom and floor structure, and tell you honestly whether a curbless shower is realistic in your home or whether a small curb is the smarter build. You'll get a typed estimate with the scope spelled out — no pressure to decide on the spot. Call A to Z Construction at (612) 366-1386, or Contact Us to get on the schedule.