Tile insert drains for floor waste are the trendiest advance in tiling.
What Is a Tile Insert Floor Waste?
A tile insert floor waste is a drain fitted with a recessed tray that holds a matching tile or stone piece, so the grate disappears into the surrounding floor. Instead of staring at a metal or plastic grate in the middle of your shower or bathroom floor, you see continuous tiling with a slim drainage gap around the edge. This is why installers often call it an invisible or seamless drain.
As the name implies, tile insert drains combine both drain and tile to give a sleek finish to your shower or bathroom floor – no more looking at the centre of the drain.
While mostly prized for its visual appeal, tile insert grates are also relatively inexpensive, giving you maximum “bang for your buck”! The big bonus is that they can fit in with your existing tiling, as they are customisable to suit your bathroom, shower, laundry, pool… more on the applications later.
Tile insert floor waste products are common in modern bathrooms and are also known as a tile insert shower grates, (check out our gallery to show you what the shower floor drains can look like with a shower floor tile). Working like shower floor grates but with a tile instead of the usual metal or plastic insert. Home improvement stores and tile stores sell their regular tiles, which is all that is required for shower waste plumbing to use our stainless steel inserts. The great news is that our tile inserts deal with all types of floor waste – this means you can have the advantages of tile inserts managing waste in a range of locations and with a broad scope of materials.
Tile Insert vs Mesh, Square and Channel Grates
Each grate style handles water differently, and the right choice depends on how much you want the drain to stand out. Mesh grates use a perforated metal sheet and are the cheapest option, but the pattern is always visible against your tiles. Square and other shaped grates come in stainless steel, brushed brass or gunmetal finishes and sit as a visible design feature rather than blending in.
A tile insert grate takes a different approach: it hides the drain entirely by letting your own tile sit flush on top. You get the same water-carrying capacity as a standard point or linear drain, but the floor reads as one continuous surface. The trade-off is a slightly deeper installation depth to accommodate the tile tray, so it suits new builds and full bathroom renovations more easily than a straight swap-in replacement.
Tile Insert Floor Waste Range: Sizes, Finishes and Lengths
Our tile insert floor waste range covers both point drains and linear channels, so you can match the insert to your layout and the tiles you already have picked out.
Point (square) tile insert drains: available in 100mm and 125mm sizes, suited to standard shower and bathroom floor wastes.
Linear (channel) tile insert drains: supplied in a range of channel lengths to match your shower or wet area run, from compact shower widths through to longer bathroom and laundry floor runs.
Frame and body finishes: stainless steel, brushed brass and gunmetal, so the exposed edge of the grate can match your tapware and other fittings.
Insert tray depth: designed to hold a standard tile plus adhesive bed, keeping the finished tile flush with the surrounding floor.
Because the visible surface is your own tile or stone, the finish options are effectively as broad as your tiling choice, while the frame finish ties the drain in with your tapware, mixer or other bathroom fittings.
How Do Tile Insert Grates Work?
Tile insert drain grates work as an add-on to your existing drain.
Rather than featuring a square or circular perforated piece of material (whether it be plastic or metal), tile inserts grates are typically square in shape.
They attach directly onto your drain, channelling water via troughs on each side into a hole at the bottom feeding directly to the drain.
In the centre of the grate is a recessed section where your selected tile (or other material – read on for more!) is inserted.
Underneath the tile is the hole to drain extra water.
If you don’t have a tiled, or stone surface (like marble), this is not the right grating product for you and we would suggest going for a grate that can be customised to match your decor. Of course, we have dealt with a myriad of designer and industrial applications so feel free to call us if you are not sure what the best drainage product is for your situation, be it for looks or functionality.
Why You Should Buy Tile Insert Grates for Your Dwelling or Business?
Firstly, the LOOK! Tile insert grates give a polished and seamless finish to any shower or bathroom.
Additionally, their seamless design makes them comfortable to walk on.
Little touches make all the difference, so impress your guests, potential buyers or renters with this simple, inexpensive, but impressive finish to your bathroom or shower.
We sell our tile insert grates throughout Sydney and Australia. They are an inexpensive way to add aesthetic appeal and value to your bathroom or any other tiled wet area, as well as being a customisable and innovative drainage choice. Offering advantages over traditional waste systems beyond just looks, including such things as area coverage and ease of installation.
Where Can I Use Tile Inserts?
The various applications, beyond the shower and bathroom are found in commercial applications through to a range of domestic uses, including:
Kitchens,
Laundries,
Balcony and patio (wet deck areas),
Pools, spas, and outdoor showers…
Civil (like shopping centres)
Industrial
Anywhere a discreet and effective or decorative tile insert drainage solution is required!
To help identify the various applications, here are some of the various materials that can be used to create a seamless finish, the sort of tiles that can be used in our tile inserts even include such things as:
Ceramic
Copper
Natural Stone (marble for example)
Chrome
Crystal
Terracotta
Travertine
Glass
Tile mosaic
Luxtouch (of course – at over $1,000,000 sqm you would demand a seamless finish to your diamond floor;)
Even custom mosaic and designer ceramic floor tiles can be matched with a custom tile insert and drain.
Still providing a sleek finish to whatever your needs in managing waste without compromising run off abilities.
For grate solutions – which also look great;) check out our tile insert grates here.
Call our team of experts today for advice on how you can incorporate our fabulous tile insert grates into you bathroom etc. We would love to hear from you if you have some application or product you are considering implementing into a seamless drainage solution that we haven’t heard of or done before!
Tile Insert Drains Gallery
Floor Drainage
Floor Waste such as water, grey water, soapy water, rain, kitchen wet area waste can all be safely and efficiently managed with a tile insert drain. Often called a smart tile insert or tile insert floor drain, they can be any functional or decorative shape, though round ones are also able to be manufactured but the application is simply far more limiting due to the inherent issues around creating a round tile! Typically though they can be a square tile insert (also known as point drains – see more on our page about these) :
Or long, matching the drain channel (also known as a linear drain – see examples of this on our linear shower grates page):
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Frequently Asked Questions
What tile thickness or insert depth do I need?
The recessed tray in a tile insert grate is built to hold a standard tile plus its adhesive bed, so the finished tile sits flush with the surrounding floor. Check your chosen tile thickness against the insert depth before ordering, and speak with our team if you’re using an unusually thick stone or mosaic tile.
Are tile insert drains waterproof and leak-safe?
Yes, when installed correctly with proper waterproofing membrane and falls to the drain, a tile insert floor waste manages water the same way a standard point or linear drain does. The tile sits above the drainage troughs, so waterproofing happens at the membrane and screed level beneath the insert, not at the tile surface itself.
How is a tile insert grate installed?
Installation follows the same sequence as any floor waste: the drain body is set into the waterproofed and screeded floor, the frame is fixed in place, and your chosen tile is bonded into the recessed tray with adhesive. It’s a job for a licensed waterproofer and tiler, since the falls and membrane work need to be right before the tile goes in.
Where can I install a tile insert floor waste?
Tile insert drains suit bathrooms, showers and laundries, and also work in outdoor wet areas such as pool surrounds, alfresco decks and outdoor showers, provided the right drain body and finish are used. They’re also used in commercial and civil applications like shopping centres where a discreet floor waste is needed.
