Fitting a linear shower drain: DIY or professional?

on Nov 03, 2026

in Bathroom & Sanitary, Installation & DIY Guides

Fitting a linear shower drain: DIY or professional?

Short answer: an experienced DIYer can fit a linear shower drain if the waste pipe is already in the right place and you can work precisely with height, fall and waterproofing. If the waste has to be moved, the floor is made of wood or you are unsure about the fall, call in a professional. A professional is never unnecessary with a walk-in shower: a small mistake at the drain only shows when the water starts running somewhere else.

Read this article in Dutch as well: Douchegoot plaatsen: zelf doen of vakman?.

What makes a linear drain tricky?

A linear drain is a long, narrow drain in the floor. All shower water has to run towards that one line. That only works if three things are right at the same time: the drain is perfectly level, the floor falls towards the drain everywhere and the joint between drain and waterproofing is fully watertight. If one thing goes wrong, water stays on the floor or runs under the tiles.

On top of that, most of the work is invisible afterwards. The trap, the waste pipe and the waterproofing sit under the tiles. Repairing means breaking out.

Situation	Difficulty	Advice
Replacing a drain in the same spot, same length	medium	doable with tiling experience
New drain on an existing waste in a concrete floor	medium to difficult	measure precisely, rebuild the fall
Moving or laying a new waste	professional work	plumber or installer
Wooden floor or floor above a living room	professional work	professional, extra care for stiffness and waterproofing
Underfloor heating in the shower floor	professional work	professional and certified installer

Which drain do you choose?

The length depends on the width of the shower. A black Tako 60 cm linear drain fits a narrow shower, a Tako linear drain or a Tako 90 cm linear drain suits a wider walk-in shower. Want the drain to match chrome taps? Look at a chrome Tako linear drain. Unsure whether to choose a drain or a shower gully, or want to see how it will look? Also read our blog about the rain shower and our blog on renovating a bathroom: DIY or professional.

A dry trap for a linear drain is useful if the shower is sometimes not used for a long time. Such a trap keeps sewer smells out even without a water seal.

What can you do yourself?

With tiling experience you can do a lot yourself:

remove the old floor and tiles and clean the substrate;
measure with a tape measure with auto-lock and mark the position of the drain;
set the drain to height and align it with a 60 cm spirit level;
waterproof the floor and tile it;
seal the edges.

Connecting to the waste and building up the fall are the hardest steps. That is where things go wrong most often.

Step by step: fitting a linear drain

Determine the height. Measure the thickness of the tile and the adhesive bed. The top of the drain sits level with the tile or 1 to 2 millimetres lower.
Connect the waste. Connect the drain to the waste and test with a few buckets of water that everything drains well and stays dry.
Level the drain. The drain itself is level in length and width. The fall is in the floor, not in the drain.
Build up the fall. Let the floor fall 1 to 2 percent towards the drain. That is 1 to 2 centimetres per metre.
Waterproof the drain. Stick the Aquastop Flangia sealing flange around the drain and fully embed the flange in the waterproofing. Seal corners and joints with Aquastop 120 sealing tape and Aquastop Fix adhesive, and coat the floor with Aquastop AR1 liquid waterproofing. How this system works is explained in our blog on the Kerakoll tile system.
Tile the floor. Work with Kerakoll H40 Gel tile adhesive and a Raimondi notched trowel. Leave 3 to 5 millimetres between drain and tile. Read more about tiling floors in our blog on tiling a floor and our blog on tiling a bathroom.
Seal the edges. Seal the joint around the drain with sanitary silicone sealant and a sealant gun. How to make a neat silicone joint is explained in our blog on resealing a bathroom with new silicone.

Slim linear drain along the wall of a walk-in shower with large floor tiles

⚠️ Always test the waste before applying the waterproofing and the tiles. After tiling, the only way to find a leak is by breaking out.

When do you choose a professional?

👷 A professional is never unnecessary. Choose a professional if the waste has to be moved or newly laid, if the floor is made of wood, if underfloor heating goes into the shower floor or if you cannot build the fall with confidence. If in doubt about water or waste, always call a certified installer.

A mixed approach often works well: the professional lays the waste and the drain, you do the demolition and preparation, and then you tile together or leave that to the professional too. Read more about this choice in our blog on renovating a bathroom: DIY or professional.

Working safely

During demolition and tiling you spend a lot of time on your knees. Wear knee pads to protect your knees. Use work gloves with nitrile coating against sharp tile edges and adhesive, and safety goggles when breaking out and grinding.

💡 Take a photo of the waste and the drain before you waterproof and tile. Then you will know exactly where everything is later.

Frequently asked questions

Can I fit a linear shower drain myself?

Yes, if the waste is already in the right place and you have tiling experience. If the waste has to be moved, leave that to a professional or installer.