wet rooms

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What is a wet room?

wet room

A wet room is a bathroom, where the shower area is level with the surrounding floor.

Building a wet room can be time consuming & difficult, with many complex issues to consider. We will guide you through them so you can make informed judgements about the system best suited to you. We are here to help, so call us whenever you need advice.

Wet Room Action Plan

You need to draw up a plan of action of some sort. Notes on time, responsibility for action, & costs per action should also be noted alongside.

For example.

  1. SITE CONDITIONS. Research the room. Draw & clearly note down, room size & location of doors, windows, supply & waste pipes, joist location & direction etc.
  2. BUDGET. How much can you afford, reduce it by 10% (for a contingency fund) & stick to it. Use our handy calculator as a guide.
  3. INSTALLATION. Who will fit it. Remember, 50% or more of the total cost can be installation, so if you're on a budget, consider 'Do It Yourself'.
  4. AESTHETICS. Consider your 'essential features'. The tiled look across the whole floor is the look most people aspire to, but some will downgrade to a low level tray with a lip. A 1" step into a room is easy live with, & to get used to. But some refuse to consider this option. Mosaic tiles on the floor may be vital to the look you want but they'll allow more water through because the many gaps. Each point is a small, but important issue, with a technical, financial, & aesthetic implication.

    5. Now you've done this, you can consider...

  5. 5-PRODUCT SELECTION. There's lots of products to choose from, and your choices will be effected by all of the above.

DOWNLOADABLE WET ROOM ACTION PLAN

Download the latest version of Adobe Reader, please click here

EXISTING FLOOR

  1. What type of floor is there in the proposed wet room?

    Generally there are three different types.

    A. Wooden flooring. Very common in the UK & Ireland. This floor type (usually with planks, or boards) covering supporting joists or beams. The joists or beams support the whole floor & sometimes even the 'studded' walls dividing a space into different rooms. Found in most houses, especially on the 1st floor and in older buildings. These floors do have some movement, although after about 3 to 5 years much of a building will have 'settled'. Movement is more of an issue in newer homes, especially those less than 2 or 3 years since completion.

    B. Concrete floor. European homes are usually made in this way but it is less common in the UK & Ireland. Made in a variety of ways, this is a very strong, and stable floor. Commonly found on the ground floor of a building, throughout apartment blocks, or in recently built structures.

    C. Other. More difficult to define, & certainly less common, combination floors exist such as a wooden framework, with a floorboard covering floating (not fixed) on top of a solid concrete floor. Sometimes found in older apartment blocks.


  2. How big do you want the shower area?
    A shower area should be the same size as the shower base you choose. Most people choose areas about the same size as traditional trays, although there is a trend towards larger open areas. A huge shower base costs more but the further away parts won't handle anywhere near as much water as those near the outlet. Thus, the choice of base size is a compromise between size & cost.

  3. How enclosed will the area be?
    Generally, the more enclosed, the greater the total expenditure, but the better controlled the water will be. Open areas will allow water to get everywhere, so single screens are a good compromise between control & freedom of movement.


All wet room systems have broadly similar components:

The Shower Base & Outlet

This is a flat base, similar to a shower tray with a built-in gradient to guide the used water to an outlet. Made from a variety of materials & to a range of different sizes, they are finished off with tiles. Differences in construction methodology, existing floor type & available budget, will dictate system choice, along with installer knowledge, skill, experience. Available styles are EUROPEAN, UK, or FLOOR GULLYS & SHOWER CHANNELS.

The Waste & Trap

Joins the shower base, & outlet to the drains. Has a defined specification to meet regulations, the waste & trap should stop smells & should be a simple & secure method of being joined to pipes. Some have complex seals to assemble, and thus can be awkward for DIY installers.

The Waterproof Tanking System

Used to seal the room, so water doesn't leak causing damage to the building. Usually sold separately from the shower base, as part of an integrated system, although some cheaper systems partially rely on 3rd. party materials. Competing systems offer huge differences in simplicity, installation time, & the tools, skill, & knowledge required.

Installation has a number of phases, when different components are fitted together. The system you choose will effect how much time you spend on the frustrating assembly of complex components or simple but time-consuming preparation. Overall, the total time to install one system or other works out about the same, but we would recommend you choose a system that matches your patience, as well as your skill & experience.

NOTE. Water can ruin your home. We'd rather you fitted a traditional shower tray, than have a leaking wet room. Your objective is to stop water getting in to the fabric of the building, and this is all about how to reduce the risk. Choose well, & you should have no significant problems for years to come.

Wet room