CRF Services Ltd

Wet room installation: level floors that stay watertight

A wet room does away with the shower tray altogether. The floor itself slopes gently to a drain, the whole room or the shower end is waterproofed, and the shower is usually separated by a single glass panel or nothing at all. It is a clean, open look and easy to step into, but it relies on careful preparation underneath. Whether a wet room suits your house depends mostly on what the floor is made of and where the water can drain, and those are the first things Danny checks.

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What makes a wet room different

In an ordinary shower room, the tray is the waterproof layer and the rest of the floor stays dry. In a wet room, the floor is the tray. A shaped former or a screeded fall sets the slope towards a linear or square drain, and a tanking membrane is laid across the floor and taken up the walls so water has nowhere to go but the drain.

That means a wet room is built from the floor up. The old suite and floor covering come out, the subfloor is assessed, and the former, drain and waterproofing go in before a single tile is laid. Every joint, corner and pipe entry is sealed with tapes and collars made for the system.

Strip out of the old suite, tiles and floor covering
Subfloor strengthened or overboarded where needed
Shower former and drain set with a consistent fall
Floor and walls tanked, with sealed corners and pipe entries
Floor and wall tiling, then screen, valve and fittings
Flood test of the drain area before sign off

Timber floors, concrete floors and upstairs wet rooms

Ground floor rooms on concrete can often take a recessed drain, though it means breaking out part of the slab. Timber floors, which most upstairs bathrooms have, are usually a good candidate too: the former can be dropped between the joists so the finished floor stays level with the landing. The joists need to be sound and stiff enough that the floor does not flex, because movement cracks grout and stresses the membrane.

Drainage is the deciding factor. The drain has to reach the soil pipe with enough fall, and the direction of the joists affects how easily the waste can run. Where a level floor is not practical, a very low profile tray gives a similar look with less disruption, and the walk in shower installation page covers that route.

Tiles, grout and the wet room floor

Smaller floor tiles follow the fall more easily and give better grip underfoot, so mosaics or modest format tiles are common in the shower zone. Larger tiles can work on a linear drain where the slope runs in one direction only. Grout and adhesive should be suitable for wet areas, and the bathroom tiling page explains how walls and floors are prepared and finished.

Wet room floors can be retiled in future if the waterproofing underneath is intact, which is one reason the tanking stage matters so much. Painting over a wet room floor is not a lasting fix, because ordinary paint will not stand up to standing water and foot traffic.

What affects wet room prices

A wet room usually costs more than a tray and screen in the same space, because of the extra floor preparation and waterproofing. The main drivers are the floor type, how far the drain is from the soil pipe, how much of the room is tanked, the tiles chosen and whether heating or ventilation needs improving. On this site's bathroom pricing, layout changes and walk in showers sit in the 7,000 to 9,000 pounds band; a written quotation sets out the figure for your room after a visit.

The wet room vs shower enclosure guide weighs up the two options in more detail, including cleaning, resale and how each copes with a busy household.

Booking a wet room survey

Wet rooms are planned as part of the bathroom renovation service, sized for one experienced tradesman working through the room in order. Specialist items such as underfloor heating circuits or new electrics are arranged with the right trade and explained in the quotation.

To get started, send photos of the room, a note of whether it is upstairs or downstairs and your postcode through the contact page, or call 07470 053613. Danny works Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm.

What decides the price is explained in the wet room cost guide.

Fully tiled floors also suit accessible bathrooms.

This work is part of our Bathroom Renovations service.

Common questions