A bathroom design that's all wet

Read article : A bathroom design that's all wet

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Wetrooms are preferred in many parts of the world because they are easily… (terekhov igor, Shutterstock )

October 14, 2012

Americans are adopting an idea about the shower that's been around in other parts of the world forever: the wet room.

Unlike the typical bathroom, which contains a separate enclosure for a shower, the entire wet room is a shower. It is usually small, and the majority of the space is devoted to a shower area where the water rains down directly on the floor.

There is no stall and no curb to step over. There's no need to pull a curtain or door.

This style of bathroom is often seen in Europe or parts of Asia. Josef Erlebach of QuickDrain USA in Frisco, Colo., says that many homeowners traveling abroad "see wet rooms and then they want one for their own home."

There are a few reasons to choose wet rooms over bathrooms. One is accessibility, says Nancy Hugo, a kitchen designer in Glendale, Ariz. "Wet rooms are often requested by handicapped clients, since a wheelchair can enter the shower without any obstruction."

Wet rooms are also considered a green choice because they are significantly smaller than the typical American bathroom. Small rooms mean small hosues, which require less energy, notes designer Holly Rickert, Wycoff, N.J.-based member of the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

There's also an appeal in the simplicity of a wet room, which is easier to clean because the entire room can be sprayed down.

Here is a closer look at this concept:

Big ideas

In Europe, it's typical to walk into a wet room and see a shower head above — and the sink and toilet mounted on the walls for easy cleaning in the small room.

A few small tweaks to this concept make it more appealing to North American clients, where everything is big, Rickert says. Moreover, Rickert says her American clients often value privacy. "I've used a single tile wall that's 54 inches high, which hits at the shoulder level for most women," she says. Other designers say they've used a panel of frosted or etched glass.

Such a privacy barrier might be especially required when the shower area is open to the master bedroom, adds Joan Osburn, a San Francisco designer.

The right material

"Now there are far better drains, sealers, sub-straights, waterproof membranes and stone/ceramic tile options in the U.S. than there were 30 years ago, making these wet rooms easier to install," Osburn says.

Still, remodeling a bathroom into a wet room requires special modifications, which could add to the cost.

The rooms sometimes require a linear drain, which might mean modifications are needed to allow for the floor to slope in one direction. (In a traditional shower, the floor slopes in four directions towards a center drain.)

Adds Dallas architect Michael Malone: "The walls and ceiling finishes would have to be water- and moisture-resistant, which means you would probably have to remove the existing finishes and backing, properly prepare the walls for a resilient surface and then install new finishes."

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