Lauxes linear grates are ideal for water runoff in a wide range of areas including showers. Being entirely customisable onsite, these grates can be cut to the correct size to fit your shower’s floor dimensions; getting the fit correct is essential not only for the look but also the functionality.

The first step is to select the style of linear grate to best suit your application. Having installed around 200 of these grates in showers, Lauxes Grates recommends the 26mm deep x 100mm wide slimline tile insert, which can hold tiles up to 11mm thick; however, you can also get the slotted grate model instead.

Now that you have your grate, you need to understand your shower dimensions to measure and cut the grate to the correct size.

For instance, if your shower base dimensions are 1000mm x 1000mm, you will need to deduct the thickness of your wall tiles and also the glue thickness behind the wall tiles. Finally, deduct 10mm from that to allow for a silicone join against both end caps that meet the tiled edges as well as the end caps’ thickness, which is 1.5mm.

So, the rule of thumb is that tile thickness on walls is generally around 10mm and the glue usually is around 5mm, leaving a combined tile and glue thickness on walls at 15mm.

Assuming your shower dimensions are 1000mm x 1000mm:

1. Lay your grate on a table or flat surface.

2. Put a mark at 1000mm with a marker, then deduct 15mm from 1000mm, putting another line at 985mm. For the final deduction, take off another 10mm to allow for a silicone join and the end caps to end up with a measurement of 975mm.

3. You have now removed 25mm from the grate in total – this works with almost any application. You will need to deduct a further 15mm if there are tiles on both ends.

Just remember that it all starts with the thickness of the wall tiles and work backwards from there.

When cutting the centre insert, remember to remove an extra 3mm to allow for ease of removal for cleaning.

So, there you have it. You now know how to measure the length of the Lauxes grate you will need for your shower.