Bathroom guide

Tiling a shower: slope, drain and sealing

A walk-in shower looks good and is barrier-free – but it demands planning. The slope must run to the channel or point drain, the waterproofing must connect cleanly and the material must be slip-resistant.

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By the floorplanning.app editorial team

Slope: 1–2% to the drain channel

Water must drain without puddles. For point drains you need about 2% slope in all directions, for a channel drain 1–1.5% across it is enough. Small-format tiles or mosaic form this more cleanly than large-format.

What matters in practice

Point drain or channel drain?

Point drains are cheaper but require slope in four directions – demanding with large formats. Channel drains can be installed flatter and suit long showers. Both need clean waterproofing.

Mosaic: small, safe, flexible

Mosaic tiles are often used in showers because they adapt better to the slope and offer higher slip resistance. Small formats such as 10×10 cm or 5×5 cm are more suitable than 60×60 cm.

Plan material with high reserve

In the shower many cuts arise around the drain, corners and wall connections. Allow at least 15% reserve, better 20%. In the tool you see every cut and can set the reserve precisely.

Shower planning checklist

From drain to slip class: what to clarify before buying.

• •Choose channel drain or point drain
• •Plan 1–2% slope
• •Install waterproofing membrane or liquid seal
• •Choose slip-resistant tiles (R10+)
• •Allow 15–20% reserve

How to tile a shower

1. 1. Set shower dimensions and drain position

   Enter length, width and channel/point drain in the floor plan.

2. 2. Plan tile format and slope

   Choose small formats or mosaic, ensure slope to drain opening.

3. 3. Install waterproofing and drain

   Apply membrane or liquid seal and connect the drain.

4. 4. Cut and lay tiles

   Cut cleanly around drain and corners, work away from the channel.

5. 5. Apply grout and silicone

   Work in grout, remove excess, silicone at wall connections.

Examples from the tool

This is what it looks like planned out

The numbers above do not come from a spreadsheet but from a real layout. You can open these example projects directly – floor plan, laying plan and material list, exactly as the tool outputs them.

Walk-in shower with linear drain

A tiled bathroom with a shower area, linear drain and stud wall – the plan shows where slope, edge cuts and waterproofing meet.

• •7.68 m² · 30 × 60 · 2 mm joint
• •Shower area 1.20 × 2.40 m
• •Linear drain and stud wall planned

Open example→

Small bathroom with tub and stud wall

Under 3 m² of floor left, but two cutouts: this room produces more cut tiles than full ones – exactly where the m² rule of thumb fails.

• •2.82 m² · 30 × 60 · 2 mm joint
• •9 full tiles, 22 cuts
• •35 tiles incl. 10% reserve

Open example→

Common questions