Services Linear drain systems
Drainage contractor
Linear drain systems.
Schluter Kerdi-Drain and spec-grade linear channels in custom showers and wet rooms. Marine-grade stainless, integrated bonding flange, ADA-compliant grates.
± 1.5 mm over 3 m · LATICRETE & Sika certified
Linear and point drains, marine-grade. Spec-driven install. At a glance
Schluter Kerdi-Drain and spec-grade linear channels
Linear drains, 24" to 72" custom lengths
304 and 316 marine-grade stainless options
Integrated bonding flange to Schluter Kerdi assembly
A linear drain is the detail that ends a 1620 × 3240 mm slab wall in a clean line — or destroys it. The drain has to read flush, the slope has to land on the channel, and the bonding flange has to disappear under the membrane. There is no room for a 1/8” miss.
Every drain we set comes from the supplier in the spec’d length, finish, and grate pattern. The setting crew is the same crew that builds the substrate and bonds the membrane — three trades, one firm.
How a linear drain actually goes in
1 · Length, finish, and grate spec’d to the room
We field-measure before the drain is ordered. Lengths from 24” to 72” are commonly stocked; custom lengths beyond 72” are factory-cut to spec. Grate pattern (Tile Insert, Slot, Wedge, Square) is selected with the designer to match the floor finish. Marine-grade 316 stainless is standard on Key Biscayne and waterfront builds; 304 on inland.
2 · Substrate cut and pitch verification
The recessed subfloor is cut to receive the drain housing — typically 6” wide × full drain length × 4” deep. Floor pitch is verified with a 4 ft level toward the channel before the drain lands: 1/4” per foot is our spec, 1/8” is the absolute minimum, anything less gets rebuilt.
3 · Drain set and waterproofing integration
Drain bedded in LATICRETE 254 Platinum, leveled with stainless shims to match the finish-floor elevation minus the tile and mortar thickness. The integrated Kerdi-compatible bonding flange overlaps the field membrane by 4” minimum. Kerdi-Band over the seam, rolled flat, sealed with Kerdi-Coll.
4 · Flood test
24 h flood test, water held to 1” above the highest point of the membrane field. Drain seal verified at the perimeter. Logged and photographed before tile is set.
5 · Grate fit and finish
Grate dropped in dry on cured tile to verify lippage; if the tile reads above the grate edge, we re-shim before grout. The grate sits flush — never proud, never sunken — when the room is signed off.
Partner systems we set every day
- Schluter Kerdi-Drain — point and linear drains for Schluter-certified scopes; integrated bonding flange, same flood-test protocol on every build.
- Spec-grade linear channels — Evolux, Linear, and other tile-in systems per designer spec; 304 / 316 stainless, integrated bonding flange.
- Schluter Kerdi & Kerdi-Band — the membrane and seam tape we bond every drain into.
- LATICRETE 254 Platinum — the polymer-modified thinset we bed every drain housing in.
Where this matters most
Brickell penthouses spec full-width Evolux drains under slab-wall showers — 60” to 72”, Tile Insert grate, finish reading continuous from shower floor to drain. Coral Gables remodels often use 36” Slot grates in 304 stainless, paired with a curbless build. Key Biscayne and Miami Beach waterfront baths land on 316 marine-grade stainless every time — salt air corrodes 304 on a 5-year window. Pinecrest single-story remodels use spec-grade linear channels on tighter budgets where the bonding integrity matters more than the grate finish.
What the spec sheet should say
If you are an architect or designer specifying our install, three lines are enough:
Drain: Schluter Kerdi-Drain or spec-grade linear channel per designer, 304 stainless inland or 316 marine-grade on waterfront, grate pattern per designer. Floor pitch: 1/4” per foot toward the drain channel, verified before drain set. Waterproofing: integrated bonding flange overlapped 4” min by Schluter Kerdi field membrane, sealed with Kerdi-Band + Kerdi-Coll, 24 h flood test required.
We will hit those three lines, we will document the flood test, and we will sign off the drain integration with the GC before tile is set.
Q&A · This discipline
Specifics on
this work.
4 questions
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Single-slope vs four-way drainage — when do you use each?
Single-slope (linear drain at one wall, floor pitches in one plane) is the standard for large-format porcelain — the slab stays in one continuous geometric piece. Four-way (center drain, four-direction pitch) is faster on small showers with tile under 12 inches but fights large slabs because every drain edge needs a cut. We default to single-slope unless the layout forces otherwise.
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Will a linear drain change my tile or slab layout?
Yes — and that is part of the design. The drain runs along one full wall (typically the back) and the slab is set with the seam, the niche, and the drain trough on a coordinated grid. We mock this up before slab is ordered so you see the geometry; what looks like a drain decision is actually a layout decision.
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Can I retrofit a linear drain into my existing shower?
If the substrate can be opened to relocate the drain, yes. The wet-area floor is demoed, the drain trap and tail piece are repositioned to the linear-drain location, the pan is rebuilt with a one-direction slope, and the assembly is waterproofed end-to-end. It is a slightly larger scope than a finishes-only refresh but it is the only way to get a curbless feel without rebuilding the whole bathroom.
Related Custom shower systems -
Which drain manufacturers do you install?
Schluter Kerdi-Drain (linear and point) for any Schluter-certified scope; spec-grade tile-in linear channels — Evolux, Linear, and other systems per designer spec — where the homeowner wants the slab to read all the way to the wall. Both pass our flood test the same way; the choice is aesthetic, not technical.
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