possiblty a solid surface pan with solid surface walls for a completely seamless appearance, minus the delineation at the edge of the pan

The larger the tile, the lower the allowed deflection in the supporting floor. If you're on a concrete slab, should be no problem. If on a framed floor structure, don't blame anyone else if thigs crack later on.

You could also use a linear drain with large tiles.

I also need advice on this. Our curbless shower has an off-center drain. We have already purchased and received our tiles (24 x 48) and our GC is now saying they are problematic. The floor plan is attached.

Challenges as outlined by our GC include: “large format tile needs to meet the floor outside the shower at level, as well as not slope too high that it arrives at the door higher than the hall floor. The diagonal cut floor pattern ensures that the tile is level at the outside edge all the way around, which not only meets the floor outside at level, but meets the shower tile wall at level. Any other design will create tile lippage that doesn’t meet the floor outside the shower or the shower walls at level.”

We understand diagonal lines may be necessary to make this work but want to minimize these cuts to a symmetrical area such as a square or rectangle. Second photo attached shows the first “botched” attempt by GC but outlines his general plan (hopefully corrected with center to drain seam). The third photo attached is how we would like to see it finished but our GC states that it will not work with above challenges.

If anyone has any solutions that accommodate for the current tiles, please share. Thanks!!

The vendor selling you the 24x48 should have reviewed the issues prior to the sale. The shower floor tile needs to meet a minimum friction coefficient. Did they know enough?

Double labor for these "mini slabs" is needed as it takes two persons to move, cut and install on the walls or a flat floor. A center drained shower requires the tile to drain & slope in four directions, likely burning at least 2x the footage of tile of the shower floor due to geometry. A single slope/plane to a linear drain (way to late for this) would be easier.

I'd love to hear a professional tile contractor's opinion.

Drain is off center because it is in a high rise unit, already set into the concrete slab floor with no option to move it. The GC says a linear drain is possible but does not change the challenges that exist to give me minimal cut lines with proper drainage. City has approved plumbing roughs including waterproofing based on the plans provided for this “wet” room. That said, I am the homeowner so don’t know full extent of technicalities required. I know they filled the shower area up with water and checked for appropriate drainage. There is a waterproof membrane that has been laid all over the floor surface (not just the shower area) and partly up the walls. Better communication would have indeed helped and possibly eliminated some of the challenges. Nevertheless we are here now. Does anyone have suggestions on how to cut the tile in an aesthetically pleasing fashion to best achieve plan?

Sorry just to clarify the linear drain would have to be placed in the middle (in place of the square tile-in drain). So a single plane would not be possible. There are two people on the team to help set this tile if that is needed. And apparently designer/architect/vendor have all used this tile in a wet room before and it supposedly has appropriate friction coefficient.

Or is this a pipe dream? Should I just take the loss and purchase new flooring?

if post tention slab in a condo this entire design would have been flagged before its gotten to this point especially curbless. . Your GC is showing their lack of "Been there"

an CUSTOM ordered offset outlet linear drain would have been the ticket and likely require a curb or a rise at bathroom entry

how it got this far along is the concern. No easy fix here

@Mint tile Minneapolis No expert for condo retrofits here but typically we plumb the drains 3-4" (the entire rough in including lateral lines) lower for curb less. Keep getting plans from designers thinking we can do it all by recessing 3/4" of plywood.

@jeffrey

yeah its rare as it gets, condos, hi rise condos post tension allare different some even have above ground rough ins tied to shared stacks 😂

regardless the Envelope cuts to the drain could all be uniform pitch and size w an offset linear drain, would need more details and pics to spec a drain and build.