Wet Room FAQs

A wet room is a shower area that is fully waterproofed (“tanked”) and tiled level with the surrounding floor, rather than sitting inside a raised cubicle or tray. The floor falls gently towards a hidden drain, so there’s no step, no lip and no shower tray to see — just a continuous, level tiled surface. It’s a look associated with modern, minimalist bathroom design across Europe, and it works equally well in a full bathroom, an en suite, or a small cloakroom conversion.

The terms are used interchangeably, and rightly so — a walk-in shower is essentially the same as a wet room: a level-access shower area with no step, lip or upstand between the shower and the surrounding floor. You’ll sometimes see this design referred to as “level access” rather than “wet room”, but both describe the same waterproofed, floor-level construction. Every Wetrooms Online WetBase® kit is designed to create this genuine level-access floor.

A wet room opens up a bathroom or en suite, removing the visual clutter of a shower tray and screen frame to create a more spacious, modern feel. Because a WetBase® wet room kit can be trimmed and configured to fit almost any space, it also offers far more design flexibility than a standard shower tray — particularly useful in awkward or narrow rooms. Level access also future-proofs a bathroom, making it easier to adapt for reduced mobility later without a full renovation.

Yes — in fact, small bathrooms are one of the best applications for a wet room. Removing a bulky shower tray and enclosure frees up visual and physical space, and a corner or end-wall wet room area can be built into spaces as tight as 800 × 800mm using our smallest WetBase® trays. A single glass screen, rather than a full enclosure, keeps the room feeling open.

Timescales depend on the size of the tray, the floor construction (timber or concrete), and whether the work is being carried out by a professional installer or as a confident DIY project. As a guide, fitting the WetBase® tray, drain and waterproofing typically takes a competent tiler or plumber a matter of days rather than weeks, usually run alongside the wider bathroom strip-out and tiling programme. For an accurate estimate for your specific project, call 0800 280 8008.

A wet room can be built into a wide range of spaces. Our smallest WetBase® tray is 800 × 800mm; our largest is almost 2 metres long. The most popular size is 1200 × 900mm — often fitted into the space once occupied by a standard bath. In a larger room, the shower area is often positioned across a corner or along one wall. Because trays can be trimmed and combined with insulation infill boards, the scope for tailoring the layout to your available space is almost unlimited.

Start by deciding where in the room the shower will sit — in a corner, a recess, along a wall, or across a corner — as this determines the approximate tray size you need. Every WetBase® tray can be trimmed by up to 50mm from each side to fine-tune the fit, and insulation infill boards of a matching thickness can fill any small gaps where the tray falls short of the wall. Our Choosing the Correct Wet Room Tray guide walks through this in more detail.

In most cases, converting an existing bathroom, en suite or cloakroom into a wet room is treated as an internal alteration and does not require planning permission. However, Building Regulations approval (covering waterproofing, ventilation and electrics) may apply depending on the scope of work, and if you live in a flat, listed building, or are altering drainage runs significantly, additional consent may be needed. We’d always recommend checking with your local authority building control department before work begins.

Yes, in principle — but if you’re in a leasehold flat, check your lease and speak to the freeholder or management company before starting work, particularly if the installation involves altering the floor build-up or waste pipe routing, which can affect neighbouring properties below. A WetBase® kit can be built up rather than recessed down where floor depth is restricted, which is often the preferred approach in flats. Speak to our team on 0800 280 8008 if you’re planning a wet room in a flat.

Mosaic tiles, supplied on flexible backing sheets, are the easiest option to fit over the contoured fall of a wet room tray, as the small format follows the slope without extensive cutting. Larger format tiles and natural stone can also be used, but need to be cut individually to follow the fall of the tray — our WetBase® ONE Infinity range uses a single-fall design specifically to make large-format tiling easier, avoiding the diagonal cuts a traditional four-way-fall tray requires.

Full fitting instructions are included with every Wetrooms Online WetBase® kit, covering both timber and concrete floors. On a timber floor, the existing floor covering is lifted and plywood, supported on battens, is fitted between the exposed joists level with the joist tops to create a solid platform. Once the drain waste is run and connected, the WetBase® tray is fixed to the platform, the drain fitted, and the joints between tray and walls sealed. Waterproofing is then applied by brush or roller across the entire shower area and up the surrounding walls. On concrete floors the same sequence is followed, though the slab is usually chased out to accommodate the tray and drain depth, or a shallow plinth built if level access isn’t essential.

The WetBase® tray itself is fully waterproof, so the critical detail is sealing where it meets the surrounding walls and floor. Every WetBase® range is compatible with an optional waterproofing tanking kit — a liquid tanking solution, a jointing tape for every seam, and a primer for porous surfaces. Tape is first applied to each seam where the tray meets the walls or floor, then two to three coats of tanking solution are applied across the full shower area base and up the walls to splash height, before tiling.

Provided a shower screen is fitted to contain water within the shower area, tanking the whole room isn’t usually necessary. Waterproofing should cover the shower walls and extend around 300mm onto the floor and walls immediately outside the shower entrance, creating a “splash zone”. In a very small room, or where water escape is more likely, we’d recommend tanking the full floor for extra peace of mind.

Yes. Where enough of the slab can be chased out to accommodate the full depth of the drain (75–80mm), the WetBase® tray is set directly into the concrete. Where that’s not possible, a raised timber and plywood platform can be built on top of the slab instead, and the tray fitted exactly as it would be on a timber floor.

Yes. Any competent installer — trade or a confident, methodical DIYer — can fit a WetBase® wet room kit successfully on an upper floor. The key is careful attention to the waterproofing detail at every stage. Every kit comes with step-by-step fitting instructions, and adding the optional tanking kit gives a complete, tested waterproofing system that, followed correctly, will ensure a leak-free installation.

Many customers fit their WetBase® kit themselves, particularly those with tiling or general building experience, using the supplied step-by-step instructions. That said, waterproofing is the single most important part of the job, so if you’re not confident with tanking, drainage or tiling, we’d recommend using a qualified tiler or wet room installer. Our team can advise on the right approach for your project — call 0800 280 8008.

Yes — provided the natural fall built into the WetBase® tray, which channels water towards the drain, isn’t disrupted by an uneven adhesive bed. Larger tiles need to be cut individually to follow the contour of the fall; mosaic tiles on flexible backing sheets are the easiest option as they naturally follow the slope.

Yes. Underfloor heating kits sold by Wetrooms Online are embedded within the tile adhesive bed, making them compatible with installation over a WetBase® tray. The tray materials also help retain and reflect the heat generated, rather than absorbing it.

At the heart of every wet room is a purpose-made former tray — a WetBase®. Around that, you need a fast-flow drain, and typically a shower screen to contain splash water. Every WetBase® wet room kit is supplied complete with tray and drain body and cover included, so you’re not left sourcing the core components. A waterproofing tanking kit is available as an optional extra alongside each range.

Drains can run horizontally or vertically. A horizontal drain, running just beneath the existing floor level, is suitable for most installations. A vertical drain is only needed where existing pipework or a structural obstruction prevents a horizontal run to the waste. If you’re unsure which suits your floor, call 0800 280 8008 and our team can advise.

Most WetBase® trays use a small square drain, positioned centrally or offset towards one end. A linear drain is a narrow, rectangular channel drain, usually running along one end of the tray, and is particularly well suited to large-format tiles where a discreet, single-line drain looks cleaner than a central point drain. Our WetBase® Linear range is built specifically around this drain type — see our WetBase Shower Tray FAQs for full detail on how the outlet is positioned during installation.

Wetrooms Online use a Dallmer fast-flow drain, chosen for its efficient handling of high water volumes. At only 80mm deep, it fits comfortably beneath the floor or WetBase® tray with enough clearance to connect to the waste pipe. We’d recommend building a supporting platform from plywood on noggins between the joists to position the drain securely.

Every WetBase® tray can be trimmed by up to 50mm from each side. We’d recommend choosing a size slightly larger than needed and trimming the excess with a good-quality handsaw, taking care not to disturb the contoured falls that channel water to the drain. Where a tray needs to be reduced on more than one side, remove equal amounts from opposite sides rather than trimming the full reduction from a single edge — this keeps the tray centred correctly on the drain and preserves the pre-formed fall.

A shower screen fitted along the open edge of the WetBase® tray, resting on the finished tiles, prevents water splashing or running into the rest of the room. Screens are available in a wide range of sizes and styles, from simple fixed clear-glass panels to hinged, wall-fixed or freestanding versions.

Standard WetBase® trays are not rated for wheelchair or stool use, as a wheelchair’s weight concentrates through four small contact points rather than being spread evenly. For wheelchair-accessible wet rooms, we recommend the Impey AquaDec EasyFit, AKW Tuff Form or Contour ShowerDec ranges, all engineered to withstand point loading and available with a tiled or vinyl finish. See our Choosing the Correct Wet Room Tray guide for a full comparison, or call 0800 280 8008 for tailored advice.

Every WetBase® kit ships complete with the former tray and a fast-flow drain body and cover. A waterproofing (tanking) kit — tanking solution, jointing tape and primer — is available as an optional extra alongside each range, giving you a complete, tested waterproofing system ready to prepare the shower area for tiling.

Cost varies considerably depending on tray size and range, drain finish, shower screen choice, and whether you’re installing yourself or using a professional. Because every wet room is different, the most accurate way to get a figure for your project is to browse the relevant WetBase® collection for tray and kit pricing, or call our team on 0800 280 8008 for guidance based on your room dimensions.

In most cases, yes — you can replace an existing bathroom or en suite with a wet room in almost any property. The exact build-up depends on your floor construction: for true level-access showering, the drain needs to sit within the floor depth available, which isn’t always possible if the floor screed or joist depth is shallow. Where full recessed access isn’t achievable, a low-level platform build-up can still achieve a near-level wet room look.

WetBase® wet room kits are covered by a 20-year guarantee when installed in accordance with the supplied fitting instructions. Full guarantee terms are available on each product page.

Trade Club members receive exclusive pricing across the full WetBase® range and all third-party tray brands we stock. Registration is free and applies once across every future order — visit /pages/trade-club or call 0800 280 8008 to join.