Wet Room: Pros and cons please.

A

Athiest Liasion

New Member
Messages
4
Hi,

My downstairs bathroom (shower/toilet/basin) is giving me a bit of trouble in the last 12 months (I won't go into the details just now).

I'm considering an upgrade, to a wet room. One of the places I lived in in Australia had a wet room. I don't think it was just the novelty of it I liked. It just seems like the best way to have a bathroom. I'd be interested to read other members experiences and/or opinions of wet rooms. The only negative I can think of is storage. My downstairs bathroom has a cabinet for toilet paper and towels. Unless it's possible to get a waterproof cabinet, storage may have to go elsewhere.

Thanks,

AI.
 
Their is one in my late father's house through necessity, while it did the job as in plenty big and no shower tray the non slip tiles are a pain to clean because of the texture, now you could in theory hose it down but the shower hose seldom reaches everywhere and it takes a hell of a long time to dry off without some bit of mopping dry first.
 
One in my mothers house as above it was a requirement for her. Like above difficult to clean because of the nature of the non slip tiles. They do look well though to be honest.

The other concern is making sure it’s done properly. Major problems if not
 
I dislike them for all the above reasons, however, I do love a walk in shower in the style of a wetroom with a glass screen to stop the water going everywhere. I would opt for mosaic tiles on the floor for grip and always have a big shower head along with a hand shower for cleaning the shower area. Also more and more i've been advised to get the t bar shower with its fittings outside the tiles and they are easier to fix should anything go wrong and the tiles do not have to be moved.
 
My pet hate. Water all over the floor. Bringing water outside the room on your feet. But then again I also dislike the rain shower heads....much prefer the hand held type.
When staying in a hotel, one of the first things I look for are photos of the bathroom. Must have a decent walk in shower, not a shower over bath, lethal....
....and what's with the hotels with open showers and baths in the middle of the bedroom....
 
Thanks for much for the replies. Some interesting food for thought. Will have a think about it, to digest.

My initial thoughts:

Monbretia said:
...but the shower hose seldom reaches everywhere...
Click to expand...
I had this problem with my existing shower. Bought a longer one on Amazon for €20, and it was smooth and easy to clean not like those old manky spiral ones.

Monbretia said:
...it takes a hell of a long time to dry off without some bit of mopping dry first.
Click to expand...
Being a wet room... the drying off is not a concern (apart from the doorway/toiler/basin triangle, possibly).

rustbucket said:
...difficult to clean because of the nature of the non slip tiles...
Click to expand...
Must research this more. When I was in Australia I found cleaning the wet room very easy. Spray everywhere, hose everywhere, job done.

phoenix53 said:
...a walk in shower in the style of a wetroom with a glass screen to stop the water going everywhere.
Click to expand...
Here we go! This is what I'm looking for. Good tip. Still a wet room but restricting the water from going everywhere. Thanks!

phoenix53 said:
I would opt for mosaic tiles on the floor for grip...
Click to expand...
Also good advice.
 
Well I suppose it depends on the size of the wet room, a small one and yes a longer hose could reach every corner and a small wet floor not so bad, our one was large built to size required for grant and a shower hose long enough would be a serious length! I actually used to stick the garden hose in the window for my big cleans and couldn't have a sopping wet floor when someone is using it regularly. In winter here with our damp climate it would take forever to dry/evaporate.

But horses for courses and if you have a small one and a warm house all that would be easier!
 
I have two in my house since 2004

Downstairs bathroom, the bath was removed the floor was tanked and recessed by 2cm in the shower area and then tiled
we put a glass screen to make it more enclosed but way bigger than a cubical shower
when showering I put a bathmat or hand towel on the open side to catch any spray while showering and never have a problem with water on the floor

Upstairs is a proper open plan wet room that is long and slightly narrow so the shower is in the middle with the sink and toilet at each end
Water doesn't reach either the toilet or sink and the drainage is quick leaving a damp floor for about an hour in summer and a couple during winter

All in all I'm very happy with each and can't find anything negative about our setups though Mrs C does miss not having a bath and really enjoys having one when on holidays if the accommodation has a bath
 
Monbretia said:
Their is one in my late father's house through necessity, while it did the job as in plenty big and no shower tray the non slip tiles are a pain to clean because of the texture, now you could in theory hose it down but the shower hose seldom reaches everywhere and it takes a hell of a long time to dry off without some bit of mopping dry first.
Click to expand...
You need a sloped profile in the shower area to drain the water away. The OP could try Donabate Bathrooms http://www.donabatebathrooms.ie/ who installed my wet room and who I recommend. [No connection, just a satisfied customer.]
 
WaterWater said:
My pet hate.
Click to expand...

My own pet hate is en-suite bedrooms. The bathroom part of it, to be precise.
For centuries it was the norm to have a potty under the bed. Need to use the toilet, Number 1 or Number 2, in the middle of the night? You just do it there in your bedroom!

Come the 20th century, the invention of indoor bathrooms. A dedicated room within the household.
Late 20th century and into the present day... let's combine the potty concept with the bathroom concept. Surely a regressive step.

Especially back in the "dating years"... what did I just hear?
 
I know! I kind of like the ones where the entrance is through a wall of wardrobes or in the newer bigger fancier houses through the dressing room, a bit of distance and noise insulation can be a good thing!
 
We had our bathroom modified to have a wet room and it has proved a great idea. Lots of room to shower without hitting off walls . A sheet of glass to divide it from the rest of the bathroom. The slope on the floor allows the water to drain away quickly. I clean out the drain area once a week and I scrub the mosaic tiles once a week also. The glass is cleaned every second day. But it is well worth it to have comfort in the shower. I would recommend the wet room .....where it suits of course.
 
Athiest Liasion said:
My own pet hate is en-suite bedrooms. The bathroom part of it, to be precise.
For centuries it was the norm to have a potty under the bed. Need to use the toilet, Number 1 or Number 2, in the middle of the night? You just do it there in your bedroom!

Come the 20th century, the invention of indoor bathrooms. A dedicated room within the household.
Late 20th century and into the present day... let's combine the potty concept with the bathroom concept. Surely a regressive step.

Especially back in the "dating years"... what did I just hear?
Click to expand...
Couple of things here
One, the toilet is a modern invention and probably one of the greatest inventions of all time when you think back to how we used to live
Secondly, I'd think I'm not the only one who would prefer that a prospective mate would open their "lunch box in an enclosed room
and not on the field of play and certainly not before you both become an official couple;)
 
I have a concern about damp lingering and travelling to rest of house with consequent mould issues. We had bath removed and a large low level rectangular shower tray instead with glass wall to one side. A very tall or splashy person might sent water out onto tiled floor. If need be a shower curtain could be provided to square off the shower area but so far no needed. Wet area gets squeegy wipe over and bit of a towel dry, usually a towel on way to laundry that is handy or a face flannel would do. It is nice to wipe over chrome rather than allow to dry off with water marks.
 
I hate shower trays and the associated silicone or the plastic strips that goes with. I would love a wet room and would happily put up with the cons listed above not to have to suffer trying to get into corners and crevices to keep the areas around the shower doors clean. I always feel like the design of the showers in our house are rubbish. Even going for higher end German Hans Grohe the quality of the chrome on the shower doors is not great and the hinges are all covered in silver plastic coatings. Maybe an option of a fixed glass door might work if there was sufficient space.
 
hazelgreen said:
I have a concern about damp lingering and travelling to rest of house with consequent mould issues.
Click to expand...
That's just a matter of adequate ventilation which applies equally to wet rooms and conventional bathrooms.
 
Leo said:
That's just a matter of adequate ventilation which applies equally to wet rooms and conventional bathrooms.
Click to expand...
Yes it is one of my obsessions as suffer asthma and mould is a trigger. Window of bathroom is always open and we have dehumidifiers running. I see issues in so many houses with 'internal' bathrooms
 
  • Like
Reactions: Leo
Cervelo said:
One, the toilet is a modern invention and probably one of the greatest inventions of all time when you think back to how we used to live
Click to expand...
Kinda miss ye olde thunderbox myself. Venturing out in the dark, not knowing what would be lurking to snare the unwary, literally being caught with your pants down. Hoping the candle wouldn't blow out, or ignite the fumes emanating from the depths.
Tell that to the kids today!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top