I-NTERIOR - WETROOMS ROMAN SHOWERS
How to design a wetroom in 10 steps Here, we talk to the experts at Roman Showers to find out their top 10 tips for designing the wetroom of your dreams. 1. Why do you want a wetroom?
1.
Before designing a wetroom, it is vital that you correctly brief the designer (or understand yourself) why you actually want a wetroom. Is it led by user needs with reduced mobility or arthritis; is it due to previous problems with leakage; or is it simply a fashionable look that you desire? These three questions fundamentally alter how you design and construct a wetroom – and will also have a major impact on the cost of materials and installation.
2. What size showering area do you need?
This is another fundamental starting point – very much linked to the user’s needs. Wetrooms can be the smallest en-suite or cloakroom if it is driven by mobility concerns. Otherwise, in a large bathroom, you have the luxury of planning an essentially unrestricted showering space. In Scandinavia, the whole bathroom is tanked (covered by a waterproof membrane), but this has been driven by insurance. In the UK, we generally only tank the active wet showering area, so your costs are dictated by the size of the wet area – it is a section of the bathroom rather than the full room. If you have the space, be generous.
3. Choosing the system
Once you have your fundamentals answered, the appropriate system should then be identified by you or your installer. There are so many options available in the market which cover all requirements. Each system tends to focus on a particular need. There are substrates which are suitable I-B U I L D/ M AY/20
2. for concrete floors and some which are structural for wooden floors – understand where your joists are and how the substrate fixes. Some systems are suited to small mosaic tiles only, and some have large angles to minimise the cutting lines on larger tiles. It may be that you simply use a levelling compound – in which case you must ensure that the fall is correct. If you are just aiming for the ‘wetroom look’ (which is actually the vast majority of installations), then you simply need a low-level shower tray – very much the cheapest option.
4. Installation and tanking
There are a number of stages in correctly tanking a wetroom. Be sure to check your installer’s experience and ask for images of completed projects. A wetroom is the ultimate waterproofing failsafe, if done correctly. Poor installation is the main variable with whatever system you choose. Once the substrate is installed, then there is a primer to be applied; seal strips for all joints and corners (which have elasticity for floors moving); special mats around the drain; and then the actual tanking
32
membrane itself. Each process needs to dry, so it is generally a three-day installation – obviously depending upon the area that you are tanking.
5. Water delivery
It is, of course, ultimately all about the shower. If your wetroom is a small cloakroom or en-suite, then you will need a simple shower with a flexible hose for cleaning or assisted showering. If your desire is more driven by luxury, then you do not want your shower to disappoint. The positioning of your showerhead, multiple heads or body jets is absolutely critical to the rest of the design – and ensure that pipework can be accommodated appropriately at a very early stage. Also, ensure that you have the required water pressure and design in a shower pump if required.
