Have you thought about a wet room?

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?

A wet-room can add value to a property, and it uses a room that would otherwise be storage. This article sets out what goes into building one, and where these jobs usually go wrong.

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. For those reasons it is sensible to hire a professional rather 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.

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 sensible 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.

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. It is pleasant underfoot, and it helps the room dry out between uses.

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.

That is the shape of the job, and the decisions that have to be made before any tiling starts. If a wet-room is something you are considering, get a professional in to check the floor build up and the drainage.

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