Bathroom 101 | What Is A Wetroom?

To kick off our new series ‘Bathroom 101’ we will be discussing everything to do with the Wet Room including preparation, installation and any additional luxury extras you should consider to transform your bathroom into a relaxing sanctuary.

What is a wet room?

A wet room is a watertight design in the bathroom. This means that when you are taking your shower water, won’t leak into the rest of the bathroom or out of the designated area you have created. Most commonly it is the shower area but the term can also be extended to cover the bathroom as a whole in certain designs.

Why choose a wet room?

The space created by the wet room allows for additional luxuries such as a seamless design between the shower or bath area and the rest of the bathroom. It can also take away prohibiting factors such as a shower tray allowing for extended use of the shower space to include seating, consistent tiling and even a double shower. It frees your space giving you ultimate control over your design.

What You Need To Know Before Installing a Wet Room

1) Preparation

Knowing your space is crucial to understanding how your wet room will fit into your overall bathroom design. Firstly, you need to decide where you want your shower to be as, in this area particularly, you will need to ensure that all walls and floors are ready for the installation. This includes making sure there are no uneven joists in the floor boards or old walls with inconsistencies as these can stop the room from becoming water tight. Using a thick ply wood for flooring, backboard and other substrates is best as they can offer a smooth finish.

After preparing the primary elements in the room you can begin to plan the layout of additional features such as water inlets and outlets, lighting, electrical requirements such as stereo, details such as storage, shelving and seating as well as under floor heating. Make sure to locate the position of the waste of the shower early on so that you have a centre point to build the design around.

Top Tip: When thinking about the position of the waste consider installing a sloped floor so that water drains easily towards the waste.

2) Measure

As wet rooms are made of multiple layers it is crucial to work with your builder to understand how much your space might grow depending on where you could be adding ply, adhesive and tiles or marble. Each component can add a varied amount of thickness to the final space so it’s vital to know what the exact measurements will be before shopping for features.

3) Plumbing Essentials

First fix plumbing refers to the calculation of where the pipes will run in and out of the shower once all measurements have been taken and additional features have been accounted for. It is worth checking with your plumber that they are aware of this step and that they have any additional parts they need. You can find all the measurements you need for installing your shower in the product manual located on the product page.

Interesting Fact: We also use the phrase ‘first fix’ for lighting which refers to the process of drilling the holes for the lighting based on running the wires to the right location.

4) Design

Only once you have everything prepared can the real fun begin! Start by thinking about the practical items such as shaving sockets or hidden cupboards early on in the design. Also consider any additional luxuries such as a built-in steam room, lighting and in shower stereo. You can then move on to choosing your products and finishes such as a flooring and wall tiles to finding the perfect fixtures and fittings such as our Brass Shower Rose. Although a wet room is intentionally built as an open design you can also install a wet room door or partition to prevent water splashing into other areas of the bathroom.

Top Tip: Depending on the manufacturer there are many different ways of applying tiles but by using a good flexible adhesive will give you more time and ability to achieve a great finish. Tanking refers to the process which allows for the water proofing of the tiles. By applying three coats of paint, tanking ensures sealing on all corners and joints. Don’t forget, you can tile the wet room floor, shelving and seating for a cohesive design and ensure the tiles are cut to drain into the central shower waste to help with drainage.

If you have any questions on whether a wet room is right for you or the installation process you can contact us here.