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Small Spaces: Small wet room? No worries...
Inspiration

Small Spaces: Small wet room? No worries...

Posted by Ruth Foster in Inspiration | 2 years ago 4 min read

If you think a small space can’t be transformed into a spa-like wet room, we’d like to convince you otherwise! As part of our celebration of The Great British Bathroom, we demonstrate exactly how it can be done with some great small wet room ideas.

A wet room, if you’ve never come across the term before, is a bathroom where the showering area is incorporated fully into the overall design of the room. This is done by tanking (waterproofing) part or all of the room, so that there’s no need for a conventional shower tray. Usually, a specially-designed wet room shower tray will be fitted level to your floor and tiled over the top, with a drain cover leading to the waste outlet.

A wet room can be sleek, minimalist and is considered by many to be the ultimate way to turn your bathroom into a luxurious, spa-like space.

Whilst all of this may sound great, I expect you are reading this and thinking it’s a pipe dream and something you couldn’t achieve in your own bathroom. Well, you’d be wrong. In this article, I’ll answer some of the most commonly asked questions about wet room and show you how to achieve this in a small space.


Commonly asked questions about wet rooms

Is a wet room suitable for my home?

Virtually any space can’t be turned into a wet room, so there’s no real reason why your existing bathroom wouldn’t be suitable. Obviously, the smaller it is, the more likely you’ll need to add some form of protection from spray, like a glass screen.

Where does the water go?

Instead of water from your shower being contained within a shower tray, in a wet room environment, it will usually spill straight onto your floor, before leaving through a waste outlet.

To achieve this, your floor needs a gradual slope leading down to the drain itself. This can carried out by re-flooring part of your room or by using a ready-made shower tray former. You can then add tiles over the top.

How do I waterproof my bathroom?

Depending on the size of your room, you should only need to fully waterproof the flooring and lower section of walls in your showering area, whilst adding splash protection for the rest of walls in this section. Even if you aren’t creating a wet room, a waterproofed bathroom can bring many benefits.

Why should I fit a wet room?

There are many advantages to be gained from installing a wet room and we touch more upon these in our wet room benefits blog post.

What other things do I need to consider in a small wet room?

A small wet room space means less protection from splashes, so you’ll need to think carefully about how you store items like towels and toilet rolls. You may also need to be more creative with storage, as wooden units might not be suitable.

Also, if you’re transforming your master bathroom into a wet room, it may mean your property becomes less attractive when the time comes to sell, as many home buyers want a bath.

Next, let’s take a look at some fabulous small wet room ideas.


Small wet room ideas

To demonstrate just how a wet room can be achieved in a small space, here’s one we created earlier.

Small wet room ideas

We’ve chosen a clean, contemporary appearance which uses space-efficiently. As you can see, our wet room features both tiles and shower wall panels, which are key to the overall look. Large format tiles are quicker to install, however, depending on the type of shower tray former you use, smaller tiles may be easier, due to the angle of the slope towards your waste. We’ve opted for wood effect tiles but you could dramatically alter the appearance with white gloss or stone effect designs. Always make sure your tiles are suitable for wet room use before buying.

To achieve the wet room showering space at far end of our bathroom, we’ve used a single fall wet room shower tray former and installation kit with end waste, although you could have your waste in the middle of the tray, depending on the position of your waste outlet pipe. This has then been tiled over and waterproofing wall and floor kits used around the lower sections of wall and surrounding floor.

A luxury wet room demands a luxury shower, which is why we’ve selected a premium shower riser system from Mode Bathrooms, complete with dual heads and precise, thermostatic control. Although, a concealed shower, where the valve sits within your wall cavity, can save on space and give your bathroom an even more streamlined appearance.

Whilst we’ve included a wall hung heated towel rail to store towels, one thing that many people don’t realise is that underfloor heating can be added to your wet room, meaning no need for a bulky radiator. Not only will underfloor heating keep your toes warm (great on cold mornings), it’ll also help to dry out your floor more quickly.

Finally, whilst we haven’t been able to include any storage units, we have added a wire basket in the corner of the room, to keep all those bottles of shampoo, conditioner and shower crème close at hand.


Your small wet room layout

The layout of your small bathroom may ultimately dictate how your wet room functions. It certainly helps if your shower area is at one end of your bathroom, away from your door access. The position of your toilet and basin are also key considerations.

As our wet room space is quite narrow, we decided against adding any form of splash protection, with the wall hung basin (which is suitable for a wetter environment) positioned closest to this end of the room. The toilet, for obvious reasons, is situated as far away from the shower as possible, to ensure this remains dry and usable at all times.

Small wet room overhead

With such a small room, one thing you will need to seriously consider is your door opening. With our room, we have a door that opens outwards, although this may not always be practical. One other thing to take into consideration is ventilation, especially if your wet room has no windows. You will need to ensure you have a good quality extractor fan fitted.

As well as being easier to clean, a wet room is ideal if you lack mobility, whether it’s due to old age or disability. If this is the reason you wish to install a wet room, why not browse our Independent Living bathrooms, with a full range of products like grab rails, shower seats, enclosures and more, to make your space accessible yet stylish.


How to install a wet room

Whilst we’d always recommend hiring an experienced trade professional, you can find out more about installing a wet room, along with a step-by-step video, in our latest DIY advice guide.


More walk in and wet room ideas & advice

Whether you choose a wet room or not can often come down to the budget you have at your disposal. A walk in shower enclosure may help you to achieve a similar look and feel, without going to the expense of waterproofing large parts of your bathroom. Check out just some of our walk in and wet room ideas below.

If you need more advice on what to buy and how to plan a wet room, take a look at our expert guides by clicking the links below.


Shop wet rooms

If our small wet room ideas have begun to “wet” your appetite, why not browse our comprehensive range of wet room bathrooms? From wet room installation to shower trays, enclosures and accessories, we have everything you’ll need to create your perfect wet room in a small space. Click on the image below to begin shopping.

Shop wet rooms


The Great British Bathroom

At Victoria Plum, we’re celebrating The Great British Bathroom, from the smallest cloakroom to the grandest master suite. Why not discover even more inspiration by clicking on the image below?

The Great British Bathroom

Author, Ruth Foster

Posted by Ruth Foster in Inspiration | 2 years ago

As our resident Interior Designer, Ruth is passionate about home-related trends and loves light, airy interiors shaped by organic forms and colours. With a background in textiles for interiors, she is studying for a masters in interior design.

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