TileArt designs and builds curbless, ADA accessible showers and bathrooms throughout Fort Collins, Loveland, and Northern Colorado. Real tile on a fully waterproofed substrate, installed by a certified tile installer – not a glued-on plastic surround.
Every accessible shower we build is designed around the person who will use it. That can mean a wheelchair, a walker, a caregiver who needs room to assist, or simply planning ahead so the shower still works in twenty years. Here is what goes into one:
- Zero-threshold (curbless) entry – a half inch or less at the opening, so a wheelchair, walker, or unsteady step rolls or walks straight in
- Roll-in and transfer layouts sized to ADA clearances, matched to how the shower will actually be used
- Grab bars anchored into solid structural blocking – lumber installed in the wall before waterproofing and tile, at ADA mounting heights, rated for real body weight. Not surface anchors into drywall
- Built-in tiled benches and seats at transfer height, waterproofed as part of the shower itself
- Slip-resistant floor tile – selected using DCOF ratings appropriate for wet areas, along with smaller formats that add grout-joint traction underfoot
- Linear or center drains – a linear drain at the wall allows a single flat slope across the floor, which is the friendliest surface for wheels
- Handheld shower on a slide bar, plus lever or touch controls positioned within reach from a seated position
- Full wet-room waterproofing when the design calls for it – the entire bathroom built as one waterproofed, drainable space
- Widened doorways, floating vanities, and open floor plans for turning radius and roll-under access at the sink
Call (970) 213-3682 or use the contact form for a free estimate. We will look at your space, talk through who needs what, and lay out the options with pricing before any work is scheduled.
Curbless means engineered, not just flat
Removing the curb removes the dam that normally keeps water in the shower. A curbless shower has to do with slope and drainage what a standard shower does with a four inch curb: contain the water, move it to the drain, and never let it reach the rest of the bathroom.
That is a fabrication problem, and it is the part of this work where experience matters most. The floor has to be recessed or built up so the finished shower surface lands flush with the bathroom floor, the slope has to be consistent and gentle enough for wheels, and the waterproofing has to extend past the shower opening because there is no curb to stop water at the edge. We build these pans several ways – traditional mud bed, topically waterproofed foam, and low-profile bases – depending on the structure and the budget. The full breakdown of those methods is on our shower pan fabrication page, and the waterproofing system we prefer is covered on the Kerdi shower preparation page.
New build or retrofit – two ways to get there
A new curbless build is part of a remodel: the shower comes out, the floor structure is prepared for the recessed pan, and the new shower is designed accessible from the first line on paper. This is the route when the bathroom is being redone anyway, and it pairs naturally with a full bathroom remodel.
A retrofit converts the shower you already have. If your existing shower has a builders-grade acrylic base, in many cases only the bottom twelve inches has to come out – the curb and base are replaced with a low-profile curbless unit and the upper tile is never touched. We documented one of these start to finish: a three-day curbless shower retrofit in Loveland, including what stayed, what came out, and how to tell whether your shower is a candidate.
What the ADA standards actually specify
The ADA Accessibility Guidelines exist for public and commercial buildings – they do not legally apply to a private home. But they are the best tested blueprint for what actually works for a wheelchair or limited mobility, so we build residential accessible showers to them anyway. The numbers that shape the design:
- Transfer showers: 36 by 36 inches with a seat, sized so a person can transfer from a chair onto the seat and reach the controls
- Roll-in showers: 30 by 60 inches minimum, open enough to enter in the chair
- Threshold: half inch maximum, beveled – this is the number that makes a shower genuinely curbless
- Floor slope: no steeper than 1:48 (about 2 percent) in a roll-in shower, enough to drain without fighting the wheels
- Grab bars: mounted 33 to 36 inches above the floor, into blocking that can take a person’s full weight
- Seat height: 17 to 19 inches, matching wheelchair seat height for a level transfer
These measurements drive everything upstream of the tile: where blocking gets installed, where the drain lands, how the pan is sloped, and how big the opening is. Getting them right after the walls are closed is expensive. Getting them right before is just planning.
Grab bars that hold, because of what is behind them
A grab bar is only as strong as what it is screwed into. Bars added to a finished shower end up in whatever the wall happens to offer – sometimes a stud, often just anchors in drywall behind tile. When we build the shower, solid lumber blocking goes into the framing at every planned grab bar location, and anywhere one might be wanted later, before the waterproofing and tile go on. The bar then anchors into wood through the tile and will hold a falling adult, not just a towel.
The same applies to fold-down seats and floating vanities: the structure goes in first, invisibly, and the fixture bolts to something real.
Beyond the shower
Accessibility rarely stops at the shower opening. Depending on the project, we also build fully waterproofed wet rooms where the entire bathroom functions as one large drainable shower, widened doorways for chair access, floating sinks and vanities with roll-under clearance, and lever or touch controls on fixtures and switches. If a steam unit is part of the plan, see our custom steam showers page – steam and accessibility combine well, since both want a bench and a fully sealed room.
Who does the work
Every TileArt project is installed by owner Roger Lodwig – installing tile since 1998, Certified Tile Installer #847 (CTEF), and certified as a tile, stone, and installer specialist (CTS, CSS, ITS). You work directly with the person setting the tile, from layout to grout. Installations carry a minimum 10-year warranty, up to lifetime depending on the materials chosen. Reviews from past clients are collected on our reviews page.
We install accessible showers throughout Northern Colorado: Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, Wellington, and Severance, plus Berthoud, Johnstown, Milliken, Eaton, Ault, Greeley, Estes Park, and Longmont – roughly a 30-mile radius of Fort Collins. See the full service area.
Call (970) 213-3682 or fill out the contact form to discuss your project. Estimates and consultations are free.
Frequently asked questions
Does a shower in a private home have to meet ADA standards?
No. The ADA applies to public and commercial spaces, not private residences. But the ADA clearances are the best available blueprint for what actually works for a wheelchair, a walker, or an assisted transfer, so we build residential accessible showers to those numbers anyway – including the half-inch maximum threshold at the entry.
What makes a shower ADA accessible?
The core requirements are a compliant size (36 by 36 inches for a transfer shower with a seat, 30 by 60 inches minimum for a roll-in), an entry threshold of half an inch or less, a floor slope no steeper than about 2 percent, grab bars mounted 33 to 36 inches high into structural blocking, and a seat at 17 to 19 inches. Controls and the showerhead must be reachable from a seated position.
Can my existing shower be made curbless without gutting the bathroom?
Often, yes. If your shower has a builders-grade acrylic base, a retrofit can replace just the bottom twelve inches – the curb and base come out, a low-profile curbless base goes in, and the upper tile stays. We documented a complete three-day retrofit in Loveland showing exactly what qualifies a shower for this approach.
Will a curbless shower leak water onto the bathroom floor?
Not when it is built correctly. The floor slope carries water to the drain, the waterproofing extends beyond the shower opening because there is no curb to stop water at the edge, and the enclosure – glass or a weighted curtain – contains the spray. Containment is engineered into the pan and the waterproofing, not provided by the curb.
Are grab bars added during construction stronger than ones added later?
Substantially. During construction we install solid lumber blocking in the wall framing at every grab bar location before waterproofing and tile. The bar anchors through the tile into wood and will support a person’s full falling weight. Bars added to a finished wall anchor into whatever is there, which is often not a stud.
Is a curbless shower only worthwhile if someone uses a wheelchair?
No. Curbless entries serve walkers, unsteady balance, caregivers who assist with bathing, and anyone planning to stay in their home as they age. There is no functional downside to a properly built curbless shower, so many clients choose one purely as aging-in-place planning or universal design.
How long does an accessible shower project take?
A retrofit of an existing acrylic-base shower typically runs about three days. A new custom tiled curbless shower built as part of a remodel is a larger project, and the schedule depends on scope – the free estimate includes a realistic timeline for your specific bathroom.
Where do you build accessible showers?
Throughout Northern Colorado: Fort Collins, Loveland, Windsor, Timnath, Wellington, Severance, Berthoud, Johnstown, Milliken, Eaton, Ault, Greeley, Estes Park, and Longmont – roughly a 30-mile radius of Fort Collins.