Wetroom buying guide

A wet room is the ultimate in luxury bathroom design, creating a calming, spa-like space you can enjoy every day. This guide will explain the basics about a wet room, so you can find the perfect products to create your own bathroom paradise.

Wetroom vs walk in shower

You’ve probably heard both these terms used to describe similar types of bathroom, but they do describe different set-ups:

Wetroom

This type of bathroom is completely tiled on the walls and floor, and is sealed underneath, creating an entirely waterproof space. There may be a partition or screen to separate the shower area, but you don’t need a shower tray as the water all drains to a main wastepipe. Essentially, the whole room acts as the shower enclosure.

Walk in shower

This refers to a shower area within a bathroom, such as in an alcove with sealed and tiled walls, creating a kind of mini wetroom area. You would need a shower tray or lip to keep the water contained and separate from the rest of the bathroom.

With this 8mm wet room glass panel & return panel, you can utilise a nook or recess and partition off your walk in shower from the rest of the room

Is a wetroom right for me?

Before deciding to create a wetroom, you should consider if it’s the right choice for your bathroom space. If you have a smaller bathroom you need to use your space efficiently as you need to be able to screen off the shower area to avoid soggy towels and drenched surfaces.

We advise that a wet room needs to be installed by a professional unless you’re very confident in your DIY skills. The key to a wetroom is that it drains properly and is robustly watertight. This means it needs a sloping floor that’s perfectly sealed underneath, so the water will all drain to the same point.

If you have the space, a walk in shower can be a good alternative, especially if you have an alcove or nook that could be utilised. This means you only have to waterproof this area, and you could use a shower door or a shower screen to separate off the space.

What do I need to create a wet room?

A wetroom needs to be designed from the ground up, as the whole bathroom must be sealed and waterproofed, as well as a sloping floor and drain installed, before any tiling or fitting can be done.

Why not take a look at this video, to see how it can be achieved:

Handy hint: Check out our article on installing a wet room to see the full step-by-step instructions

Sloping floor/wetroom shower tray

You can either create a gradient on the floor yourself, or use a preformed wet room shower tray, which has a natural gradient built in. This means all the water in the room will naturally drain to the waste outlet.

For a more open style of wetroom, our 8mm luxury wet room glass panels are perfect, to keep water from splashing onto ceramics, furniture and towels

Waterproof wall and floor kits

Special waterproof wall and floorboards create a seal between your tiles and your bathroom floors and walls, keeping all the water where it should be. Here at Victoria Plum, all our waterproof wall and floor kits are British-made, and manufactured from a high density EPS foam with a cement based coating. This means they are lightweight and can be easily cut down to size, whilst providing a fully watertight seal.

There are some real benefits to waterproofing any bathroom, including those which aren't wet rooms:

It prevents leaks from accidental spills
With anti-mould polymers, it protects plaster, brick or timber from damp or rotting
It insulates your bathroom, keeping the warmth in
It gives you more options when it comes to your walls and floor
It will increase the value of your property

Take a closer look with our video:

Waterproof tape, corners and pipe collars

Included in our wetroom installation kits, waterproof tape is required to seal any joins between boards. The tape expands as your boards settle to ensure a watertight seal is maintained.

Corners and pipe collars give extra waterproof protection for vulnerable areas, including both internal and external corners, and around water pipes.

Underfloor heating

You should consider installing underfloor heating, as this not only creates a warm and comfortable environment but also helps evaporate any standing water on the tiles.

Tiles

A completely tiled bathroom will look really stunning, and in a wetroom it serves a practical purpose too: waterproofing the surfaces and allowing water to run off to a wastepipe. You should also make sure you only use [tiles specifically designed for bathroom floors], as they need to provide a non-slippery surface when wet.