Wet Room Installation

What makes a wet room work

A wet room done properly is a genuinely good shower space. One done poorly leaks into the ceiling below and causes significant damage. The difference is almost entirely in the preparation, not the tiles on top.

Three things matter most. First: the drain position. It needs to be central to the shower area or in a position where the floor can be properly graded towards it. Getting it wrong means standing water at the edges. Second: the floor build-up and the fall. Typically 10–15mm fall per metre towards the drain. That sounds like a detail but it's what makes the room self-draining. Third: the tanking system. Every surface that will see water needs a fully bonded, unbroken waterproof layer before any tile goes up. One missed joint and water gets in over time.

We also think about the floor structure. A timber first-floor bathroom needs deflection-resistant boarding before the tanking membrane goes down. You can't just lay a wet room on standard plasterboard floor and hope. Solid concrete floors are more straightforward but still need assessment.

Tanking and waterproofing

The tanking is not something to cut corners on. We use liquid-applied tanking membranes on walls and floors, with reinforcement tape at all junctions: wall-to-floor, floor-to-drain, pipe penetrations. Every penetration is sealed. The membrane runs up the walls to above the shower head height on all sides.

The tiles then go on top of that waterproof layer. The grout and silicone at the tile level provide secondary protection, but the tanking is what stops water getting into the substrate even if a grout joint opens up over time. A wet room that relies entirely on tile grout to be waterproof is a wet room waiting to cause problems.

For the tiling itself, see bathroom tiling. For wet rooms being incorporated into a wider renovation, see bathroom renovation.

Wet rooms for accessibility

A wet room with a level entry and a fold-down seat is often the best solution for anyone who finds getting in and out of a bath or shower tray difficult. We install accessibility wet rooms for older residents and people with mobility needs across Dorset, Devon and Somerset: fully tiled, grab rail positions planned in advance, anti-slip tile finishes where needed.

Underfloor heating works very well in a wet room too, particularly for accessibility installs where a towel rail or radiator isn't convenient. See underfloor heating for how that's typically incorporated.

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