Fall and floor drain in the shower

For the durability of natural stone it is important that shower water carrying shampoo and soap residue runs off the floor easily, in other words that there is a fall. But it can be hard to build a fall into the shower in a way that is both good-looking and functional. In this article we offer inspiration and information about falls in the shower and about floor drains - for a bathroom that is as good-looking, practical and durable as possible.

Building a fall in the shower

A good fall in the shower is essential when you build or renovate a bathroom. It matters because the water has to be able to run off the floor properly. It is particularly important when you are using limestone or a marble floor. With a poor fall, shampoo and soap residue risks being left on the floor and damaging the stone over time.

A fall means a slope in the floor towards the floor drain where the water is to run down. The fall can be built in slightly different ways depending on which floor drain you choose. So let us look at the different types of drain first.

There are three different types of floor drain. The most popular type is an ordinary round or square drain placed in the middle of the shower area. The second is a linear drain (also called a channel), usually placed against the shower wall where the mixer sits. The last type is the corner drain, where the drain is placed in a corner and often has a triangular shape.

Whether you are carrying out a renovation or a new build - be in good time when choosing the floor drain! Which type of drain you can choose is governed by the position of the water outlet in the shower.

Fall and floor drain with large stone slabs

If you want large stone slabs covering the whole floor, a linear drain or a corner drain is the better choice. If you choose a linear drain that spans the width of the shower floor, or a corner drain, the slope only needs to run in one direction, and then larger stone slabs can be used without difficulty.

The centred drain

If you have fitted the most common floor drain, that is to say the one placed in the middle of the shower, you should as a rule go down to smaller sizes of floor tile, since the whole floor slopes towards the drain from every direction. We sell smaller formats (among them 10x10 cm and 15x15 cm) of our most popular stones Norrvange matte honed, Lindanäs honed and Lindanäs brushed, with exactly this in mind.

If you have a centred drain and still want to continue with larger slabs in the shower, there is a solution. By using what is called envelope cutting or diagonal cutting of the large slabs, you can create the right fall. Envelope cutting or diagonal cutting simply means cutting the square stone slab diagonally and in that way angling the slabs down towards the centred drain. This method requires the tiler to have previous experience if it is to turn out really well. An elegant but demanding way to solve the fall.

Finally. Perhaps the most important detail on the shower floor is the drain cover. Here you can either match the finish of the steel with the mixer and other steel details (chrome, brass, brushed steel and so on). Something we of course find the handsomest is the models where the natural stone itself is used as the cover. Wonderfully good-looking and harmonious!

Please note: always remember to choose a drain grate that is acid-resistant. Acid-resistant simply means that the grate does not release acid that damages the natural stone.

The protection that has to be done before the slab is laid

The fall carries away the water that lies on top of the stone. But in a shower area there is also moisture beneath it, and that has to be met before the floor is laid — afterwards it cannot be put right.

Limestone is porous enough to let moisture migrate through it, and underfloor heating drives it on. On the way up, salts come with it out of the substrate and show at last on the surface as pale efflorescence or a yellower tone.

Three things, all of them before laying:

• A dry substrate. Levelling compound and concrete must have dried properly, below 90 % moisture content.
• The right adhesive. Ardex X32 is made for natural stone. Ordinary adhesive can in turn migrate up into the stone.
• VERNA Pre-Protect on the underside and edges. The impregnation seals the pores from below. Wipe off the excess after five to ten minutes and let the stone dry for three hours before it is laid.

Pre-Protect is not needed in the whole bathroom — the floor and walls of the shower area plus a stretch beyond it is enough. If the stone is porous, the top is impregnated before grouting as well, so that the grout colour does not settle in the stone. After grouting, the surface is cleaned with VERNA Deep Clean and impregnated with VERNA Protect.

The whole sequence is in our article Limestone in the bathroom.