Wet Rooms
Becoming more popular in recent years, wet rooms are stylish, excellent for smaller spaces, ideal for those with accessibility issues and are easy to keep clean. However, as highlighted below, there’s plenty to bear in mind when planning your wet room.
Wet Room Definition
The true definition of a wet room is a waterproof room equipped with a shower. So rather than having a separate shower over bath, shower cubicle or shower enclosure, the walls of the room itself effectively act as the shower enclosure, with a drain inset into the floor replacing the conventional shower tray.
Wet Room Features
Because there is no shower tray you have more scope to create a showering area to any size you wish and not limited to wall space – you could even choose to have the showering area in the middle of your room – wherever located, the shower unit and controls are fitted to one of the walls within the wet room. Often a glass screen is installed to help minimise the impact of water on the rest of the bathroom while maintaining the effect of space.
Most importantly a wet room needs to be waterproofed (tanked) to keep the shower water within the room and to stop damp or water damage getting into other rooms or vital building structures, such as joists. Most wet rooms are tiled from floor to ceiling to take care of the issue of waterproofing.
Drainage is another key feature to consider making sure that the floor slopes away at the correct angle and that there is a soak away in place.
Where To Have A Wet Room
Wet rooms can be used as your main bathroom or as an en-suite. They are particularly popular for use as a second bathroom, as these rooms tend to be smaller than the main bathroom and so need to be more conscious about how the room is used.
Advantages Of A Wet Room
Wet rooms are on-trend having featured heavily on interior design programmes and in magazines. Considered stylish and modern, wet rooms are a great space-saver if you only have a small bathroom. They can certainly add the wow-factor to any home and due to their minimalist nature can feature different materials such as stone, wood and concrete.
Wet rooms are a practical solution, particularly for people with mobility issues as they eliminate the need to step up into a shower cubicle. As mentioned above, a wet room is a flexible option as the shower area can literally be anywhere within the room and, as wet rooms are essential one big space, they are also easier to clean with fewer surfaces and corners to worry about.
Drawbacks Of A Wet Room
Wet rooms are wonderful additions to any home. However, there are one or two things to consider before you decide to have one installed. If you make the decision to remove your bath and replace with wet room shower, make sure this is a decision you can live with as it’s difficult, not to mention costly, to reverse.
If your bathroom is particularly small, then think carefully about the bathroom furniture you choose. The dampness of the room can lead to your towels and toilet roll getting wet, so you might want to make sure accessories such as towel rails are kept as well away from the shower as possible.
When it comes to tiling, many people love the idea of natural stone tiles in a wet room, but this isn’t always practical because the porous stone absorbs moisture and will need to be resealed every few months to keep it waterproof. Tiles in wet rooms tend to be made from ceramic or other similar materials.
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