Wet Room Installation

In a wet room, the floor itself does the job of a shower tray. It slopes gently to a drain, and the whole floor and the walls around the shower are waterproofed before tiling. The result is a level-access, open shower that's easy to clean, often with a fixed glass screen to keep the rest of the room drier.

The floor needs a fall towards the drain so water runs away instead of pooling. On timber floors this is often done with a pre-formed wet room former set into the floor; on concrete floors the falls can be formed in screed or with a former. The floor must be stiff and stable, because movement can crack tiles and break the waterproofing.

The position and type of drain, whether a linear drain or a central point drain, affects the falls and the tile layout, so it's decided at the start. The drain connection and all plumbing are done by your plumber. Vanta Tiling doesn't do plumbing; Robert works around your plumber so the drain sits at the right height for the finished floor.

The floor and the walls around the shower are tanked with a waterproofing system, with tapes at every corner, joint and pipe, following the manufacturer's instructions. Many wet rooms are waterproofed across the whole floor, not just the shower area, because water spreads further without a tray to contain it.

Robert does full plasterboard and wall alterations, so walls can be built or boarded with tile backer board ready for waterproofing. This is also the stage to add shower niches, boxing for pipes and any changes to the layout.

Floor tiles are set out to follow the falls to the drain. Small tiles and mosaics follow a point drain easily, while larger tiles often work well with a linear drain. Wall tiles are set out so the grout lines run through from wall to wall.

Glass screens are generally fitted after tiling by the supplier or your fitter, and the tiling is planned around where the screen will sit.