Taking a shower is as essential as eating and sleeping. But have you ever given a second thought to the different showering solutions? Let’s look at some of them.
A Bathtub is the most preferred alternative to showering. This large container –equipped with an overflow and a waste drain – holds water, enabling a person to take a bath.
A Shower/Shower Enclosure is the most common and widely prevalant showering solution in the US, UK and Europe.
A Shower Bath is a flexible alternative that combines the convenience of a shower and the luxury of a bath.
A Wet room is a unique alternative to a typical bathroom.
In this blog post, we will look at wet rooms in great detail. We hope to cover the most important questions related to Wet rooms, so if you're considering them for setting up your new bathroom or renovating an old one, you're able to make the right decision.
- What Are Wet Rooms?
- How Are Wet Rooms Different from Shower Enclosures?
- What Are the Benefits of Using Wet Rooms?
- How Much Do Wet Rooms Cost to Buy and Install?
What Are Wet Rooms?
A wet room is essentially a fully waterproof shower room minus the shower screen and tray. Water is allowed to run free right through the entirety of the room, without being confined to the shower area.
However, if you have a small bathroom, you may need a shower screen to avoid spraying water all over.
This design makes your bathroom more open, allowing you to use the room as a steam room as well. Quick water drainage is the distinctive feature of a wet room floor with the shower water needing to be channelled into a drain and the whole room needing to be waterproofed.
For these reasons, wet room installation is a job that is best left to professionals.
How Are Wet Rooms Different from Shower Enclosures?
Wet rooms, also labelled walk-through showers, are simple in their overall design.
While a walk-in shower is a raised cubicle that is separated from the rest of the room, you simply walk into a wet room, shower and don’t bother about the possibility of tripping. However, tripping is a common hazard associated with a conventional shower tray.
Also, since the need for a shower door is eliminated in a wet room, it is the perfect choice for wheelchair users, people with reduced mobility or any person who has difficulty with gripping handles.
Another important difference is that compared to a wet room, it is relatively cheaper to install a walk-in shower.
What Are the Benefits of Using Wet Rooms?
- Perfect Space-Saving Solution: In a small bathroom, a wet room does away with bulky fittings and fixtures and creates a fully functional, practical and usable space.
- Simple to Clean: The elimination of fittings and fixtures makes cleaning a wet room incredibly easy. A wet room bathroom that is fitted with a floating basin and wall-hung toilet doesn’t gather much dirt and grime, making it simpler to clean compared to a conventional bathroom with a separate shower cubicle.
- Increased Safety: As already discussed, a wet room presents quick and easy access, especially for young children and people with disabilities.
- Highly Durable: Due to their natural waterproof nature, wet rooms are more resistant to moisture damage and leaks compared to conventional walk-in showers. As a result, wet room bathrooms need less maintenance.
- Greater Aesthetic Value: A wet room presents a stylish and sophisticated appearance and feel to any bathroom. The open design with minimalist fixtures and wall-to-ceiling tiling simply ooze contemporary elegance.
How Much Do Wet Rooms Cost to Buy and Install?
The installation cost of a wet room is heavily dependent on the materials and fittings you choose as well as the size of your room. Also, the amount of labour that goes into stripping existing accessories (in case of a remodel) and fitting the wet room shower and flooring can cost quite a bit.
The average size of a bathroom in homes in the UK is 4.4sq.m. And the installation of a 4.4sq.m. wet room will cost around £5000, taking all things into consideration.
Shop Wet Rooms and Shower Enclosures
At Bathroom City, our collection of fitted wet rooms allows for an exquisite showering experience. If you choose to have a separate shower area in your wet room, the product range includes crystal-clear shower screens and sparkling frames and fixings that are perfect for creating a long-lasting shower enclosure.
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