Set-down (shower set-down)
A shower set-down is the recess formed in a slab so the finished wet-area floor sits below the adjoining floor, containing water. The basis of a level-entry shower.
Ask Chalkline about this →A set-down (or shower set-down) is the recessed step formed in a slab or floor frame so that the finished wet-area floor (screed, membrane, and tiles) finishes below the level of the adjoining floor. The drop keeps water in the wet area from running out across the rest of the floor and helps direct it to the floor waste.
How it works: the slab is poured (or the floor frame built) with a recess in the wet-area footprint. The build-up of screed, membrane, and tile then fills that recess and finishes flush with, or slightly below, the adjoining floor.
Set-down vs hob:
- A set-down lowers the wet-area floor so it can sit level (or near-level) with the adjoining floor: it is the basis of a hobless / level-entry shower.
- A hob is a raised lip that contains water where there is no set-down.
Sizing: the set-down depth has to accommodate the screed fall, the membrane, and the tile and adhesive. Too shallow and the finished floor ends up proud of the adjoining floor; too deep and the screed gets unnecessarily thick. Because it is cast in, coordinate the set-down depth against the chosen floor finish early, at slab set-out.
Common defect: a set-down too shallow for the floor build-up, leaving the wet-area floor higher than planned and forcing a hob or a lip at the doorway.
Also known as: shower set-down, slab set-down, shower recess.
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Last updated: 2026-05-24. Verified: 2026-05-24. Quarterly review for currency.