Shower tray or tile drain?

Hello,

we are currently in the process of deciding on the equipment for our bathroom. Either a relatively flat shower tray or a tiled floor drain is being considered. Which of the two solutions is more practical and less susceptible to problems? The following points should be taken into account:

[*] Tightness (among other things because the shower tray is partially loaded).

[*] Handling in case of pipe cleaning (with the tiles only a thin slit is open. The drain is supposed to be designed as a channel)

[*] Tile joints (is bacterial growth an issue?)

[*] Tile joints (if the shower is not used for a while, can the joints dry out and crack?)

[*] Is a sealing lip applied on the floor or how is it prevented that water leaves the shower area? The door must close a few millimeters above the floor.

[*] What is more cost-effective?

[*] Can I use a large tile with the tile solution to avoid joints?

Thank you very much in advance.

It has both advantages and disadvantages. We installed both during the renovation. On the upper ground floor, a 2.5 cm flat shower tray that only sticks out 1 cm from the floor, and on the ground floor a tiled shower with a 60 cm tiled channel. However, there is no screed underneath there, but a tileable shower element. The advantage is that the waterproofing is practically already built in. The slope is already correct and it only needs to be tiled accordingly. The tiles can be as large as the slope allows. We have a 4-sided slope. There is also a 2-sided slope. With a 2-sided slope, theoretically 2 tiles of the appropriate size could be sufficient.

First of all, thank you very much for your contribution. Maybe a few more points to clarify: How long ago was it with you? Did you have both installed by a professional? Were there any irregularities in the grout in the tile area? Is it actually possible to have a slope on just one side? What was ultimately the cheaper option and which one are you more satisfied with overall?

In terms of price, both were roughly the same. Both were installed by professionals. Both were installed only in March of this year. The joints look normal so far. Just search on Google for [befliesbaren Duschelement]. There you can see what’s available. One-sided should actually also work. Then the channel would have to be as wide as the shower.

Hello,

we had thought about it for a long time: low-profile shower tray or tiled. On the ground floor (room width 1.4m, curtain as splash guard) there was no real alternative - with a shower tray, a real dirt gap would have been created here, which we did not want. Also, this would have restricted the usability of the bathroom too much. The solution was then a central floor drain in the shower area, tiled with a 'spider web' grout pattern.
Upstairs, the shower tray was omitted in favor of the sense of space and tiled with a long drain channel. Shower door with sealing lip at the bottom, the entire shower door is slightly lifted when opened. From a cleaning perspective so far no problems, both solutions can also be cleaned well in terms of drainage. The shower curtain solution causes slightly more splashwater outside, so you should just pull it off after showering (extra effort measurable in seconds).
So far (experience 11 months) no reason found against tiled showers.
Cost aspect: surprisingly low - both showers together about €150 more expensive in the tiled version - most of that due to the tiling work.

Regards
I.

Thank you very much for your experiences. I have now contacted two plumbing companies. Let's see what comes of it.