Open concept bathrooms are increasingly becoming popular in modern building design, which focusses on maximising usable space in smaller footprints. Boxed-in shower units are making way for tiled showers to create more usable bathroom spaces.
There are certain aspects of AS/NZS standards that must be accommodated during the design and installation of a tiled shower. The water, for instance, should be retained within the designated shower area, which can be achieved with a combination of walls, doors and fall in the floor towards an outlet.
Most residential showers will be considered a ‘Type 1’ (according to AS 3740-2010; 3.13.5) with a frameless glass screen, shower curtain and/or waterstop hob entry controlling splash and surface water. Therefore, a minimum of 1:100 fall is required where a hob is present. A minimum of 1:80 fall is needed for all other shower areas.
By designing a shower with a channel drain (typically running along the back wall under the showerhead), the installer will only need to screed a fall in one direction; this then improves the aesthetic finish and reduces the amount of work conducted by the tiler by avoiding crosscuts through the tiles towards a central point drain outlet. AS 3740 states “it is advisable to have either the screed drained or a membrane placed on the top of the screed to prevent retention in the screed beyond the water stop”.
Australia’s wide offering of waterproof membranes combined with Allproof’s drainage systems such as the Vision shower channel creates some excellent options to protect the structure of the building from moisture created within this area. For those who prefer the assurance of a shower tray/base being present, especially in bathrooms located in timber structures or multi-storey buildings, an Allproof stainless steel shower tray can be installed under the tiles creating an impermeable barrier directly under the wet area.
A tile over stainless shower tray would also be considered a “Preformed Shower Base” (AS 3740-2010; 3.6) needing to be sufficiently recessed into the wall and floor allowing waterproof membranes to be dressed onto the flange surface areas (textured to maximise bonding); it should also be supported to prevent distortion or cracking.
Allproof has designed the tray to incorporate the fall outlined for Type 1 showers by utilising an engineered base. The tile over stainless tray provides options of a 1:80 (recommended for hob entry) or 1:50 (recommended for level entry) fall towards the shower drain to ensure adequate drainage of the surface. The tray has a channel drain built into the system with tile bar options designed to suit varying tile depths and weepage holes allowing subsurface moisture trapped by the stainless tray to track into the waste outlet.
Allproof’s preformed tile over tray system simplifies the design of tiled showers while providing peace of mind for installers by creating a system that accounts for the required falls, provides a reliable impermeable base, removes the need to screed, and allows for direct stick tiles and flat floor framing.
Tile over stainless trays are custom made in New Zealand to project-specific measurements. Download a custom quote/order form from Allproof’s product listing page.