Wet Room - The basics
In simple terms, a wet room is a shower room that does away with the shower screen and tray, and has an open and fully tiled shower area. But as most bathrooms are not very large you probably will need to include a shower screen to prevent everything getting sprayed.
Wet Room – advantages and disadvantages
Some Advantages
- In a second bathroom, for a different showering experience.
- No shower tray to worry about. Tiles are easier to keep clean.
- Floor protection is better than for a normal shower and tray, as long as the work is carried out properly.
- Giving a contemporary look, a wet room is sleek and stylish
- A wet room can certainly enhance the value of your home. (as long as there is still a main bath in the house)
Some Disadvantages
- If the Wet Room was used to replace the main bath, the effect on trying to resell your home would not be desirable, as all house buyers do expect a house to have a main bath.
- For very small rooms an open showering area would cause problems with excessive water spray, and tissue paper and towels getting wet.
- To do the job properly an experienced professional installer will be needed, as getting the gradients right and sealing the floor needs to be done correctly.
- Wet rooms need to be tiled from floor to ceiling, and this adds to the cost.
Wet Room – Water Drainage
A gradient needs to be created along the floor to enable the shower water into a drain towards the waste grid, and then the entire room needs to be tanked (waterproofed). The best method of creating the gradient is to use a “deck.” This is a ready-made sloping shower former (Basically a large but very thin tray which come in various sizes, which fits on top of the joists but level with floor surface. The Linear Wet deck has a waste gulley built into it that has a variable trap that can be positioned to avoid awkward joists and other obstructions under the floor.Wet Room - Waterproofing
Waterproofing the room involves priming the floor, and the walls including the whole of the shower area and laying down a special bitumous membrane across the entire floor and a small way up the walls. The supplied kit includes all the membrane and tapes and sealants for the area to be covered. Once this is finished the floor can be flood tested and then tiling can take place.
Wet Room - Tiling & Underfloor Heating
Choose non-porous bathroom floor tiles which are non slippery for the wet room floor. Underfloor heating is also a good idea as it will make the tiles more comfortable for bare feet, and also helps to keep the floor dry.
