A wet room is an ideal solution for a bathing area for disabled, mobility-challenged or older persons who require extra help and space to shower.
The provision of a fully waterproofed, level walk in (or roll in) floor allows for unhindered access to the showering area, greatly reducing the likelihood of falls associated with a traditional ‘step in’ shower area.
A floor former tray, such as the Impey Aqua Dec Easy Fit can accommodate over 300kg (47 stone) when fixed directly across standard floor joists, and does not require any under boarding for support. The Impey Aqua Dec is suitable for a vinyl floor finish and allows for showering in a wheelchair or similar without the risk of damage to the Aqua Dec itself.
Many styles of support bars, shower seats and grab rails are available to help with showering and allow the user as much independence as they require. Take a look at our grab rails and support bars here:
Whilst showering, a grab rail can be handy support and these stylish, chrome rails show that practical can look great too. Each is designed to complement the sleek lines of your shower or wet room. Wall mounted grab rails are designed to withstand a maximum load of 100Kg.
The availability of so many design led, mobility showering aids means there is no need for a mobility wet room to be a bland or sterile environment. Quite the contrary, by choosing the correct products the room can be used by the whole family for their daily showering, in a tasteful and supportive wet room setting.
When embarking on the installation of wet room for use by disabled or mobility limited person it is important to consider a number of factors at the planning stage:
CURRENT NEEDS OF THE USER:
It may sound obvious to consider the current needs, however, it is important to not overlook any factor, for example, the height of shower controls may need to be lower for those using the shower in a seated position / wheelchair.
THE FUTURE NEEDS OF THE USER:
For example, may the user need to resort to showering in a wheelchair in the future? This will affect the choice of under tray used, also think about the access of a wheelchair into the showering area.
DOES THE WETROOM AREA NEED TO BE WHEELCHAIR SUITABLE?
Not all wet room undertrays are suitable of supporting a wheelchair or other point loading device (such as a stool) where all the users weight is concentrated in points on the under tray.
If you need help deciding what tray to go for, check out our handy experts guide that will help you choose the correct tray. Click here.
HOW WILL THE FLOOR BE FINISHED?
The most common floor finish for a disabled / mobility use wet room is with a non-slip vinyl floor.
As above, with wheelchair use, not all wet room under trays are suitable for a vinyl floor. We recommend the Contour Shower Dec or the Impey Level Dec.
THE PLACING OF SUPPORT BARS:
Support bars now come in a wide variety of styles from support bars with a shower head holder to bars with integrated toilet tissue holders. By carefully choosing the support bars and grab rails with dual use a less cluttered look can be achieved.
When choosing a support bar, it is essential to check that they are fully supportive with a suitable weight load limit.
ACCESS TO, AND SIZE OF SHOWERING AREA:
If the showering area of the wet room is to be used by a wheelchair user, the access into the showering area will need to be wider than that required by an able bodied person. Extra room compared to a standard wet room will also be required in the area to allow for some manoeuvrability of the wheelchair.
Whilst considering the size of the showering area required it may be necessary to allow extra space for a career to also assist in the showering of the main user.
If you are purchasing wet room equipment and fittings (trays, grab rails and seats etc) and are registered disabled, or they are for use by a person registered as disabled, you may be eligible for VAT relief on the items.
For full details and eligibility criteria please see the following page: