LUXE Linear Drains played a crucial role in the creation of a barrier-free, easy-access shower and open-plan new master bath design for a senior aging in place at her daughter’s North Shore home on Massachusetts Bay, just 25 miles outside of Boston in the tony town of Beverly. The owner of the luxury custom home alternates with her sibling and hosts her elderly mother for six months of each year. As her mother continues to need more and more assistance in her daily life, she wanted to provide her with a safe, easy to use custom bath suite while in her care. The first order of business was to replace the difficult to use existing shower off of her guest room with a modern, barrier-free, wheel-in-entry LUXE Linear Shower Drain that helps provide her mother with an extra measure of independence while staying at her custom North Shore home.
In addition to delivering design elegance and modern appeal, the award-winning collection of architectural-grade, 100% stainless steel LUXE Linear Shower Drains have proven ideal for creating barrier-free, wheel-in-entry custom showers to meet demand for the continued increase of seniors choosing to age at home as long as possible. All LUXE Linear Drains can be placed anywhere in the shower flooring layout, whether at the entry threshold or back against the far wall, providing safe and easy to use showers that gently slope just ¼” per square foot toward the LUXE Linear Shower Drain.
The homeowner has been working with the same contractor for 20 years, Michael Kenny of Custom Carpentry. In fact, just one year ago Kenny renovated the master bath for her master suite on the other side of the home. Fast-forward 12 months, and Kenny was back in Beverly in order to completely renovate the guest bath on her mother’s wing of the home by creating another full master bath suite, this one featuring the barrier-free, LUXE Linear Shower Drain – Pattern Grate style wedgewire channel grate. Kenny’s design for this more open, much safer and easier to use master bath features three different styles of porcelain tile set in unique patterns to accent the sleek, LUXE Linear Shower Drain that runs the length of the entire far back wall of the new wheel-in-entry shower. In addition to the greatly expanded space, new stylish fixtures and custom LED lighting, the zero-threshold shower entry features a frosted pocket-glass door that swings open easily in both directions.
Still, Kenny’s aging in place design for the new wheel-in-entry shower is without question anchored by the style, form and function of the architectural-grade, 100% stainless steel LUXE Linear Shower Drain. To be more precise, the new shower Kenny designed and built features two of the stylish LUXE Linear Shower Drain – Pattern Grate drains with the three different styles of large-format stone-look porcelain tiles. The greatly expanded shower required Kenny to couple a pair of 48” wedgewire channel grates with a classic repeating square-hole punch pattern to stretch the full length of the new 96” (8 foot) far back wall.
LUXE Linear Shower Drains was absolutely ideal for this project in every way for Kenny, including the fast, easy and permanent installation. Another huge factor for Kenny and contractors alike is that LUXE Linear Drains are manufactured independent of any specific waterproofing materials and installation methods. This makes an already easy installation process, particularly for a shower drain, that much easier for all installation contractors. For example, Kenny has a lot of experience working with Schluter® Systems over the years, and he benefitted greatly with the ability to use the products and system he felt most comfortable with.
In preparing the plywood substrate foundation he built and installed, Kenny used the highly-regarded Schluter®-Ditra uncoupling, vapor control and waterproofing membrane to protect the LUXE Linear Shower Drain – Pattern Grate installation and large-format porcelain tiles from the threat of harmful moisture penetration. The Schluter-Ditra membrane bonds directly to the mortar bed Kenny built over the original plywood substrate and ties out easily with the 100% stainless steel drain. And then, the porcelain tiles are easily set in the thin-set adhesive that’s troweled on right over the top of the same Schluter-Ditra mat, where they are grouted and sealed as the finished surface for the shower floor.
For this new custom bath specifically designed to accommodate the homeowner’s elderly mother aging at home, Kinney rotated the 12” x 12” porcelain flooring tiles to form the shape of a diamond, and installed them in a staggered, repeating pattern for the entire shower floor. For the three shower walls, Kenny specified large-format, 24” x 12” white marble-look tiles complete with dark, natural gray veining in a repeating brick-stack pattern. The walls are interrupted with a band of linear, random-length tiles in a darker blue, gray multi-color scheme that also surfaces the back wall of the custom soap and shampoo niche.
LUXE Linear Drains is the leading producer of architectural-grade, 100% stainless steel modern design linear and tile insert shower drains. The multi-award winning collection of low-profile linear decorative wedgewire, pattern grate and tile insert drains have inspired architects, interior designers and craftsman to achieve a wide-range of stylish, contemporary custom shower designs in private homes and prestigious building projects worldwide.
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Products and sales info: LUXE Linear Drains, P.O. Box 8064, Atlanta, Georgia 31106.
877.398.8810 | www.lineardrains.com
