Have You Thought About a Wet-Room

Photo: Foamandbubblesbathrooms

Scenario: you have a small room in your home with no window or a very small porthole of one. Your first thought is to have it as a storage room, maybe coat cupboard. However, have you ever thought of having it as a wet-room?

Wet-rooms can be incredibly beneficial in adding value to your property. This article will inform you about what goes in to creating a wet-room as well as how to perfect the space and not run into any errors.

Photo: Pinterest

First off, creating a wet room should not be done as a ‘one-off’ DIY project. There is a lot more planning that goes into creating a wet-room, in some cases, more planning than what goes into a bathroom. The space needs to be entirely waterproof, while also having very good ventilation. Due to the presence of heat, water and steam, building regulations require there to be a certain degree of accuracy to guarantee airflow performance and energy efficiency. Due to these factors, it is best to hire a professional than do it yourself.

So what is a wet room? In essence, it is a shower room that doesn’t have a tray and screen, and instead is just one open area. Sometimes, a sink and WC is also included. If the space is very small, then it is a good idea to fit a wall panel to stop water going everywhere and prevent splash out. With your glass panel, it is good to look for toughened safety glass and to opt for easy clean protective coating to help prevent the build up of limescale and soap.

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Everything needs to be tiled and waterproofed: floor, walls and sometimes ceiling because you do not want mould building up with the amount of condensation in the room.

With tiles, it is best to go for non-porous such as ceramic or porcelain. If you really want to go for a material like slate, limestone or marble, do bear in mind that it will need to be sealed every few months to prevent water damage. Also ensure that the tiles are slip resistant, you do not want any accidents! If you don’t like grouting, because it can discolour, big slabs of material will minimise grouting drastically.

Photo: livingetc.com

With wet-rooms, the trickiness comes with creating a gradient in the floor to allow the water to flow into the drain and not outside of it. Depending on what under-floor you have (concrete or timber joists) will mean different actions will have to be taken in order to create the gradient. For example, with timber, the floor may need to be raised in order to create the gradient. The wood flooring then needs to be primed and waterproofed and then covered in a waterproof membrane before finally being tiled and grouted. For these reasons, it is better to get a professional in to do the job for you.

So, once the room is waterproofed, how do you keep the room dry? You never want to have constant stagnant water lying in a space (which is why the gradient is so important in the floor). If water is stagnant, mould and smell will be created. Underfloor heating is recommended for wet rooms because not only does it feel that extra bit more luxurious, it will also aid the drying of the room.

Photo: Pinterest

In a bathroom, and wet-room a-like, lighting is a big factor to think about as lighting in property has to be fit for the right zone. In a wet-room, lighting has to be suitable for zone 1 IP65 and this all comes down to safety which is very important to comply with. Choosing exterior downlights is also an option.

Hopefully this post has given you an insight into the general actions that have to be thought through to create a wet room. If it is something you are interested in, we would always suggest getting a professional in in order to make sure everything is correct and stable.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us on 020 7731 6841.