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Wet Rooms
Wet rooms are becoming an increasingly popular
way to fit a bathroom into a small space
without the cramped feeling of a traditional
enclosed shower area. Generally, they are
fully waterproofed areas where the walls
of the room serve as the shower walls. They
usually also include a sink and toilet, although
the toilet may be somewhat enclosed by a
short wall. The water from the shower drains
directly into a floor drain. Wet rooms can
be installed in awkwardly shaped areas where
it would be hard to fit regular bathroom
fixtures.
If you are thinking of building
a wet room
in your home, consider the following:
- Wet rooms must be completely waterproof.
They usually need to be constructed from
dense materials such as stone or tile. A
concrete sub floor is often required to form
a stable base. This may limit the placement
of a wet room to the first floor. Wooden
floors tend to move with temperature and
humidity changes; this can cause water damage
through cracking in the walls and floor.
- The shower fixtures can be sited on one of
the walls, in a corner, in the ceiling or
freestanding in the middle of the room. A
wet room will need strong water pressure
to provide a satisfactory experience. Consider
installing a power shower system. Check to
make sure that your water pressure mains
can produce the water pressure you require.
- Wet rooms need to be well heated, or they
will feel miserably cold. Heating systems
that can be used include radiant sub floor, wall mounted panel radiators and heated towel racks. All electrical work must be properly and
safely installed.
- Additional space can be saved in small wet
rooms by using wall hung sinks and toilets. These will keep the floor area clear and
allow surfaces to be easily cleaned.
Wet rooms can be incorporated into a regular
bathroom or sleeping space as long as a waterproof
partition separates the areas. |
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