Linear Drains and Waterproofing

Linear Drains, with or without integrated waterproofing?

Now that linear drains are continuing to gain more market share in the kitchen and bath industry, the options have become seemingly overwhelming. What brand should I choose? Why? Well, let’s start with the design of the shower per local codes. What are your local plumbing codes? What type of waterproofing processes and materials are required? Your answer to these questions lies with the professionals – your plumber, your contractor and/or your tile installer. When it comes linear drains, options may be limited if a certain type of waterproofing procedure(s) must be utilized in the shower buildout. Not all linear drains are compatible with all waterproofing methods and furthermore, some linear drains require integrated waterproofing – more on this later.

To minimize installation complications and ensure unlimited design possibilities, LUXE Linear Drains were mindfully designed to be installed independent of any waterproofing materials or procedures. Think of a LUXE drain as more a part of the finish schedule. Although, do not worry all LUXE drains are cUPC certified by IAPMO. So this means the shower can be built out as normal and the linear drain is simply installed when the tile is laid? YES! Now this might not seem like such a big deal if you are the homeowner, but run this by your builder, contractor, interior designer or architect and we are sure you will see their faces light up. PVC Membrane/Vinyl Liner, CPE Membrane, Hot Mop, Liquid or Roll On Membrane, Fabric Sheet – all compatible with all LUXE products.

The installation process gets far more complicated when the linear drain must be intertwined with the waterproofing. That is not to say there are not great linear drain options with integrated waterproofing, there most certainly are! This just changes the installation process, which is important to note when selecting a linear drain and designing a shower.

Installing a linear drain without integrated waterproofing does not change any of the steps in the construction of the shower. The only real change your tile installer will encounter with a linear drain is sloping the tile floor towards the drain instead of the usual four-way pitch towards a traditional round center drain, as seen in the pictures above. The single pitch of the shower floor is truly easier than a four-way pitch, especially when working with large format tiles.

Integrated waterproofing or not, linear drains offer many design benefits. We aim to assist our customers in gathering all the information needed on linear drains to make the best design choices and ensure no technicalities are not overlooked in the process. The more you know, right?

For installation and technical information please visit the LUXE resources page. Check out our installation video here. Additional questions? Contact us.