The essential guide to showers and wet rooms (2023)

FAQs

What are the disadvantages of a wet room? ›

There are also Cons to a Wet Room.

Wet rooms can be an expensive bathroom to fit out because the walls need to be tiled from the wall to ceiling. They will also need to be waterproofed too. The room needs to be adequately ventilated, and you will be limited on the style of vanity cupboards you install.

A wet room is completely open plan, with waterproof walls and flooring, as well as a central drain that allows water to flow out easily. A shower room is similar to a bathroom, with the exception that it is usually separated by one or more panels and has its own drainage system.

Wet rooms are easy to clean with few barriers and enclosures. Floors that can be hosed down around all areas, including the toilet, toward a single drain. Design the room with good ventilation, and a wet room will produce less mold, mildew, and water decay.

A wet room will require the flooring and walls to be waterproofed and fully tiled – a job for a professional builder or plumber to complete. Many will consider underfloor heating fittings for wet rooms as well, helping the space to dry out quicker and negating the need for bulkier radiators or heated towel rails.

If you're selling a luxury home or looking to renovate your home to make it appeal to high-end buyers, a wetroom, as a secondary or tertiary bathroom, can add value. But for a small family home with one bathroom, a wetroom (which may be without a bath) might make it less appealing to sellers with young children.

Indoors, mould can thrive in damp and poorly ventilated spaces such as wetrooms and bathrooms.

If your property is prone to mould, your wetroom grouting may need replacing after 10 or 15 years. Replacing your tiles will make your wetroom last longer, but it's important that you replace the waterproofing at the same time, to guarantee the wetroom will remain watertight.

A wet room is simply a room with a tiled floor that has been waterproofed ('tanked') instead of a conventional shower tray. If the entire room has been tanked there is no need for any glass screens or shower doors, and the room itself becomes the shower enclosure, with a shower drain inset into a gently sloped floor.

In theory, yes. Wet rooms are basically shower rooms that do away with the shower screen and tray, and have an open, fully tiled shower area. If your bathroom is on the small side you probably will need to include a shower screen to prevent everything getting sprayed.

Yes, usually a wet room will cost upwards of 20% more than a standard bathroom. Mainly, this is because of the waterproofing (tanking) process that is a necessity with wet rooms.

Do wet rooms always leak? ›

The question is, do all wet rooms really leak? The simple answer is no, as properly installed wet rooms are just as water tight as a bath or a traditional shower enclosure.

The most suitable types of tiles for a wet room floor are Porcelain, Natural Stone or Mosaic tiles. Because of there construction we do not recommend the use of ceramic tiles on a wet room floor, they are however perfect for the wet room walls.

Like many things, wet rooms can go wrong if not installed correctly and these affects can be devastating. At best, damp patches and unpleasant odours, at worst, loose tiles and flooding can occur. Fixing wet room problems can be costly, time consuming and disruptive.

Bacteria and germs grow at a much faster rate in wet areas and can easily spread through the entire home. The smell coming from a wet bathroom not only makes it embarrassing for you but also ruins the overall appearance of the bathroom.

Wet Room Ventilation Building Regulations

Wet rooms need to be ventilated due to the presence of heat, water and steam.

Just as there are toilets that suit both small and larger spaces, there are toilets to fit almost any style of wet room or bathroom! If a traditional finish is more your style, opt for a high level, low level or close coupled toilet.

Bathroom walls should be tiled before tackling the floor to help avoid damage to the floor.

The average bathroom is about 40 square feet, which is large enough to be a wet room, although larger bathrooms allow for more design options. The minimum amount of room needed for a shower, toilet, and sink is at least 15 square feet. There are plenty of wet room ideas out there to choose from, with or without a tub.

Should a bathroom be fully tiled? No, it doesn't have to be. Traditionally, tiles are used in wet areas of a bathroom (around the bath and within the shower enclosure) as a means to waterproof walls but there are now alternative materials to add a decorative, waterproofing to bathroom walls.

Not only does a wetroom look fantastic in sleek, contemporary bathrooms, it's also practical. For the simple fact that there is very little to a wetroom, meaning they are incredibly easy to clean.

How many toilets should a 4 bedroom house have? ›

How Many Bathrooms Should a 4-bedroom House Have? Following the rule of two bathrooms to three bedrooms, a four-bedroom house should therefore have 2.5 bathrooms.

Generally, a bathtub is seen as more valuable in terms of resale value. This is because bathtubs are seen as more difficult and more expensive to install when compared to showers. The market itself has seen a surge in freestanding bathtubs especially, with their popularity growing over the past 10 years.

Once you've gotten rid of the mold, you've got to keep it away with regular maintenance. Regularly spraying vinegar on bathroom surfaces and letting it air dry kills mold spores and prevents growth.

What Is the Pink Mold in Your Shower? The “pink mold” creating slimy buildup in your bathroom is not actually mold at all: it's a bacteria. The two most common bacteria causing pink shower mold are called Serratia marcescens and Aureobasidium pullulans.

If you're finding black residue around your water fixtures, it's most likely because of the trace levels of manganese and/or iron in your water supply.

If you plan to install a wet room onto a wooden/timber floor, the most popular way of doing so is to install a wetroom floor former or dec. The floor former will have a consistent gradient or fall built in to it to channel water to the drain.

Keep your wet room well ventilated

Keep windows open after showering to dry your wet room, and install an extractor fan if you don't already have one. Another way to keep your wet room floors dry and prevent slipping is to use a dry mop to soak up any excess water after showering.

If the water made contact within the past few hours, you may be able to clean up the spill with minimal effects on your floors. However, if you were out of town and the water had more than a couple of hours to sit, perhaps even days, your floors are in trouble.

Doorless walk in showers have a greater propensity for water to splash out of as opposed to walk in shower enclosures that feature shower doors. However, any sort of walk in shower space should be designed to incorporate adequate room to contain the splashback and water flow.

A walk in shower will usually be cheaper than a wet room as you only need to install panels and a shower tray, rather than adjusting the floor and making a large area waterproof.

Is a wet room more expensive than a shower room? ›

Typically, you'll be paying around 20% to 30% more over a standard bathroom fitment. The preparation and waterproofing involved with a wet room are more extensive than a walk-in shower, and you can expect to spend more on materials and labour.

The wetroom flipper panel acts as a deflector to minimise water splashes, pivoting through 210^o for ease of access. It can be fitted to all Aquadart wetroom panels including existing panels.

The average walk-in shower in the U.S. measures 60" x 30", though size options can vary widely, typically up to 60" x 42" for a rectangular shower and 42" x 42" for a square one. For smaller bathrooms, most experts recommend a shower enclosure no smaller than 36" x 36".

The shower tends to be an open plan space. Meaning it does not include any patrician leading to the possibility of the entire room getting wet. With that said a shower screen or curtain can be incorporated into the design if preferred.

According to Real Homes, installing a wet room costs between $7,000 and $40,000 9CAD 9,400 and CAD 54,000) — around 20% to 30% more than installing a standard bathroom. This includes the materials and labor. The price also takes into consideration the likelihood that you'll need planning permissions or permits.

Appropriate flooring is a vital component of a wet room, particularly because it needs to fulfil the very important non-slip function. Choose wet room floor tiles that are practical and safe underfoot, such as natural stone tiles which are far more suitable than slippery, high-gloss tiles.

Generally, building a walk-in shower requires gutting walls to access plumbing pipes, applying waterproof poly sheeting to the walls and floor, rebuilding walls using moisture-resistant drywall or backer board, installing drains, and pouring mortar to create shower pans.

If you have a large shower space or wet room, you'll want to prevent water from your shower escaping and soaking the bathroom floor. An extra-long shower curtain can range from 78 inches in length, to more than 90 inches.

Porcelain tile is often the best choice for a number of reasons. First, porcelain is extremely durable and it can withstand heavy traffic. Second, it is resistant to moisture and mold, making it an ideal choice for a wet environment. Third, porcelain tile is easy to clean and maintain.

Are wet rooms worth it? ›

Wetrooms can add value to your home

They're especially desired as a second bathroom design option. “Adding a new bathroom to your home will add an extra 2.88% to the value of it, a wetroom is likely to add even more.” suggests Phil Spencer, best known for Location, Location, Location.

Vinyl Floor Coverings

Here are some of the main reasons vinyl flooring is ideal for wet rooms: Durability – Vinyl flooring is among the most durable floor coverings on the market and is perfect for areas that will have heavy use.

Walk-in showers can cost between $8,500 (for a smaller walk-in shower without glass panels) and $20,000, depending on the materials chosen, number of shower heads, and design. This is higher than the cost of a normal shower, which ranges between $2,622 and $9,326.

To get in on this bathroom trend, the average walk-in shower cost is $6,641, with the range starting at $3,121 on the lower end. The actual cost of installing a walk-in shower during your bathroom update depends on various factors. Keep reading to learn more about what it costs to add a walk-in shower to your bathroom.