What is a “Wet Room Bathroom”?

Consider incorporating this same style into your bathroom if you love large open kitchens and spacious dining rooms. The wet room bathroom is essentially a combination of the bathroom and shower in one space. It combines the practicality of a shower with the open-plan feel of a bathroom.

Ezra Laniado is the founder and president at Landmark Construction in Los Angeles. Wet rooms bathrooms are a common feature in bathrooms, particularly in homes that require wheelchair access. He says that they have been popularized recently due to the growing trend towards minimalistic, open-concept homes.

What is a wet room bathroom?

Laniado states that a wet bathroom bathroom is one where the shower flows with the rest of a bathroom. This allows for water to splash around without damaging walls or floors. There are no curbs or shower pans to prevent users from moving freely between the shower and other areas of the bathroom. The tiles are used on the floors and walls.

What is the difference between a standard bathroom and a wet room bathroom?

Although a wet-room bathroom has the same functions and features as a regular bathroom, there are key differences.

• The showers in wet rooms flow seamlessly into the other parts of the space. The standard bathroom separates the shower by a curb or another threshold.
• A floor-to-ceiling tile creates a waterproof seal in a bathroom. Standard bathrooms can have wallpaper or beadboard.
• The shower drain slopes towards the wet room bathroom floor. The standard bathroom floor is flat.

The pros and cons of a wet room bathroom

Pros

• Your bathroom will appear larger and more spacious without increasing its square footage.
• You have more freedom when planning the layout of your bathroom. Lanaido claims that you get an additional four inches of space without the curb and the shared space allows for more creativity.
• Showers are accessible from all sides, so there is no curb.
• According to Laniado it increases the home’s resale price because it is essentially a bathroom remodeling project.

Cons

• Remodeling a bathroom significantly increases the cost by extending the shower pan to cover the entire bathroom floor and wall tiles.
• It can be difficult to keep clean and dry depending on how the structure is laid out. Water goes everywhere.
• All furniture and storage in bathrooms must be waterproof.
• There is a limited range of materials. It is not possible to use drywall or medium density fiberboard (MDF). Lanaido suggests that if the sink is located in a high-splash area, Lanaido recommends that you consider installing a wall-mounted basin for your sink. It will not contain any metal or wood that could lead to corrosion.

Can You DIY Retrofit a Standard Bathroom Into a Wet Room Bathroom?

Laniado says that not all bathrooms can convert to wet rooms. It is not as simple as removing the shower curb and tiling your walls. The shower drain must be lower than standard bathroom drains, and the entire floor should slope toward the drain.

Laniado states that this project would be difficult for DIYers. Laniado recommends that you hire a professional to make sure the flooring, plumbing and tiling are done correctly.