Wet Room - Who's done it?

[rexehuk]

Howdy all!

Who has embarked on building a wet room in their house? I'm heavily set on the idea and want to know your experiences.

From my research so far (doing myself), I know that the materials to do the floors and walls are going to set me back about £600-800.

If you've built one, did you get it professionally done, or DIY and could you share some pics?

By wet room, I don't mean a sissy raised shower bed, talking flush to the floor drainage.

 

[panthro]

I'd be interested to know about this as I've had an extension built and the plumber has said that a wet room needs to have angles cut in the joists to tilt the floor so the water drains properly.

 

[joey1211]

My father installed ours. Make sure that you get the floor levels perfect as we get a slight pooling of water around the drainage hole which is annoying.

 

[rexehuk]

I'd be interested to know about this as I've had an extension built and the plumber has said that a wet room needs to have angles cut in the joists to tilt the floor so the water drains properly.

What I thought originally... but no.

Apparently the best way is to buy a tray for the shower area, and the rest of the flooring should be level. Shower tray gets tiled (smaller tiles better). These get a great write up - https://www.wetrooms-online.com/wet...oom-base-floor-former-800-x-800mm-detail.html

I'm talking about wooden floors here, concrete ones I've just seen warnings saying "seek professional advice".

I've probably watched a few hours of tutorials today for wet rooms... so naturally I'm now fully qualified .

 

[Participant]

This is the sort of job I'd always get done by a professional company with lots of experience, cost be damned, because the cost of getting it wrong as a DIY-er is potentially massive.

 

[Valo]

I had a wet room put in as part of my bungalow renovation a few years ago. I converted an existing en-suite then knocked through into an existing storage and airing cupboard to extend it. My wet room has a tanked vinyl floor so it's easier for me to use my shower chair, as I'm a wheelchair user.
I took care of the rip out and basic prep but had my actual install work done by a professional company.

Before:


After:

 

[the_r_sole]

Have done this a few times for clients, you don't ever need to cut joists, you get shower trays which can be fitted into the depth of the floorboards and tiled with the rest of it, I've got some decent links for products on my work machine which I can dig out if they are any use? The kits are fairly straight forward if you know what you are doing but always better to get someone reputable to fit them Incase there are any future issues. One system I used a lot in Canada is the schluter system which is now becoming more popular over here now...

Get a single sloping tray with a slot drain so you don't need to cut angles into the tiles, it looks a million times better!

 

[rexehuk]

Have done this a few times for clients, you don't ever need to cut joists, you get shower trays which can be fitted into the depth of the floorboards and tiled with the rest of it, I've got some decent links for products on my work machine which I can dig out if they are any use? The kits are fairly straight forward if you know what you are doing but always better to get someone reputable to fit them Incase there are any future issues. One system I used a lot in Canada is the schluter system which is now becoming more popular over here now...

Get a single sloping tray with a slot drain so you don't need to cut angles into the tiles, it looks a million times better!

Any information would be fab! Still weighing up the options.

I've read about the schluter one also, but all of them seem pretty simple if I'm honest installation wise! Albeit any leaks are down to you, but if you're worried about that then you probably shouldn't be touching it!

I'm guessing 99% of us would do tiling ourselves, this is another step that just needs a bit more attention paid, doesn't scare me in the slightest. Even if you're fitting a shower, you should be pretty much be tanking the area, for a wet room you just have to do more. I'll be back in 6 months when I have a new downstairs swimming pool...

 

[gt_junkie]

Apparently the best way is to buy a tray for the shower area, and the rest of the flooring should be level. Shower tray gets tiled (smaller tiles better). These get a great write up - https://www.wetrooms-online.com/wet...oom-base-floor-former-800-x-800mm-detail.html

My mate at work used one of these for his wet room. He swears by it. Also used the Impey waterguard tanking membrane too.

He ripped out the floorboards, sistered joists by glueing and screwing 2x4's onto the joists to get the floor levels and put 25mm ply down.

It's not quite finished but is nearly there!

Pics below:

 

[wedrum]

nice, i like the floating sink and toilet, will be having ours done next year. maybe try and do it myself.

 

[-Ad-]

Use the Impey system as above, I've done x2 wetrooms with it.

Make sure you get a great tiler as that can be the difference between a good wetroom and a great one.

Plenty of videos on youtube to help you out for a start, but make sure you plan things well and ensure your floor is strong enough for the tiles. We cross battened the joists as advised by Impey, then put down new 18mm T&G chipboard followed by a layer of 9mm ply (then waterproofed). The Impey 100W electric UFH is great and puts out more than enough heat. Insulated below with 50mm Celotex offcuts, but I've got more of these leftover to double up said insulation.

Also use a waterproofing solution on the green type plasterboard and get the tanking right first time. No need to go crazy with it on the walls as shown above by another poster, get the floor and joins between floor/wall nailed and you're set to go. The internal/external tanking corner section are handy, but if you don't get any, then it's easy enough to cut your own from the tape.

The sealing compound to go at the interface of the various tanking parts sounds fancy, but it just an everbuild butyl rubber sealant with a fancy label on. Get that stuff as it'll save you a few pennies.

Don't forget a decent 4" extractor, ideally with a ceiling vent not too far from the shower area. A wall one will do fine if you cannot get an inline fan between the joists or hidden in say a loft space above.

 

[rexehuk]

Use the Impey system as above, I've done x2 wetrooms with it.

Make sure you get a great tiler as that can be the difference between a good wetroom and a great one.

Good to hear! That wet room looks really nice, makes a small space look very stylish.

I'm planning a "wet area" rather than a wet room, but plan to completely seal the entire room anyway, so NoPly floors, and wall panels. The bit I'm still puzzled about is fixtures...

I.e. Fixing a hanger to the wall - Don't want to breach the sealed room surely!