AKW Contour ShowerDec Buyer's Guide: The 100 Stone Wet Floor Former Explained

If you need a wet room floor that will never flex, creak or fail under serious load, the AKW Contour ShowerDec is the former to look at. Rated to 100 stone (635kg) — the highest capacity of any former AKW make — it's the specification of choice for high-demand domestic wet rooms, wheelchair-accessible bathrooms and assisted installations. This guide covers how it's built, every size available, which waste to pair with it, and how it compares to AKW's other formers.

What Is the Contour ShowerDec?

The ShowerDec is a 24mm-thick wet room floor former made from compressed SMC-GRP (Sheet Moulding Compound – Glass Reinforced Plastic). It installs within a timber or screeded floor to create a completely level-access showering area, ready to finish with vinyl safety flooring — its textured top surface is designed for excellent vinyl adhesion — or with tiles when a tanking kit is used. It carries AKW's lifetime warranty and is UKCA and CE approved.

Built for Strength: 100 Stone / 635kg

Most wet room formers are rated around the 60-stone mark; the ShowerDec is FEA-tested to withstand 635kg without deflection. That extra headroom matters wherever the floor will carry more than one person — assisted showering, mobile hoists, shower chairs — or simply wherever you want a floor that feels absolutely solid underfoot. The area around the waste is reinforced, so unlike many formers there's no need to add noggins beneath the waste on timber floors.

Drainage and Installation Design

• Four gradient planes with an approx. 2–2.5° fall channel water to the waste with no pooling — no manual screeding of falls required.
• Offset waste position helps avoid joists and pipework, and because the former is non-handed it can be rotated to put the waste where your plumbing wants it.
• 40mm flat perimeter gives a level border for shower screen placement and water containment.
• Ribbed underside keys into concrete or adhesive beds and eliminates slippage or float during installation.
• Pre-formed semi-drilled fixing points and cut-to-size trimming with a circular saw or jigsaw make fitting fast on both timber and screeded floors.
• Underfloor heating compatible — suitable for use with electric underfloor heating systems.

ShowerDec Sizes and Product Codes

Twelve sizes cover everything from compact squares to full walk-through wet rooms:

Which Waste Should I Pair With a ShowerDec?

The former is supplied without a waste. AKW's pairings for it are straightforward:

• CTW01 Gravity Shower Trap (08CTW01) — the standard choice for vinyl safety flooring wherever gravity drainage can run to the soil pipe. Economical and proven.
• McAlpine TSG52 50mm Gully (08GT52NSC) — a premium two-piece 50mm water-seal gully for vinyl installs.
• CUW01 Pumped Waste Trap (08CUW01) — for flats, solid concrete floors and long pipe runs where gravity drainage isn't possible. Note this is the trap only: a compatible shower waste pump is required and sold separately — contact us and we'll spec the right pump for your installation.

Tiling instead of vinyl? The ShowerDec supports tiled finishes with a tanking kit — get in touch with your floor build-up and we'll confirm the right waste and membrane.

All options can be configured on our AKW Contour ShowerDec (All Sizes) listing, with every size and waste combination priced individually.

ShowerDec vs Tuff Form8 vs TriForm: Which Former?

• ShowerDec — the strength champion: 100 stone (635kg), reinforced waste area, twelve sizes. Choose it when load capacity is the priority.
• Tuff Form8 — the flexibility champion: a rotating octagonal plate gives 15 waste positions on rectangular sizes and up to 25 on square sizes, dodging every UK joist pattern. Read our Tuff Form8 buyer's guide.
• TriForm — the designer option: a linear gulley waste draining up to 78 litres per minute, with tile-in or brushed stainless covers. See the AKW TriForm (All Sizes).
• Tuff Form (original) — the proven classic with an offset fixed waste, over half a million installed.

Frequently Asked Questions

How strong is the ShowerDec?

It's FEA-tested to support up to 100 stone (635kg) — the highest load rating in the AKW wet floor former range.

Can the ShowerDec be cut to size?

Yes — it can be trimmed on site with a circular saw or jigsaw to suit awkward rooms and alcoves.

Can I tile over a ShowerDec?

Yes, with a tanking kit. Its textured surface is also specifically designed for excellent vinyl safety flooring adhesion, which is the most common finish.

Does it fit timber and concrete floors?

Both. The 24mm thickness sits flush within standard timber floor build-ups, and the ribbed underside keys into concrete or screeded floors.

Is a waste included?

No — you choose the right one for your drainage: CTW01 gravity, McAlpine TSG52 gully, or CUW01 pumped trap (pump sold separately). All are available as options on our listing.

Ready to Order?

Configure your size and waste on the AKW Contour ShowerDec Wet Room Floor Former (All Sizes). Then complete the wet room with a screen: read our complete guide to AKW wet floor shower screens, or jump straight to the Silverdale toughened glass range or standard PET screens.