Sleek and stylish open-concept bathrooms—with entire walls and floors clad in gorgeous tile—are all the rage these days. But are these artfully designed, modern spaces suitable for everyone? To get the lowdown on so-called “wet rooms,” we consulted designer Hanna Wiegers, who’s worked with the likes of Berman Horn Studio and Jocelyn O. Dickson Architecture. Here’s what you need to know.

What is a wet room?

A wet room is a fully tiled and waterproofed bathroom with an open floor plan. Often, it features a curbless walk-in shower at the same level as the rest of the floor and, if space allows, a tub. Usually there are no boundaries or dividers between the bathing area and the rest of the room.

What are the benefits of an open-concept, fully tiled bathroom?

Open layouts create a feeling of spaciousness and steam-room-like luxuriousness, especially in bathrooms with a smaller footprint. While the visuals are often the draw, the lack of doors and thresholds provide many other practical advantages, including a space that’s easier to clean.

Barrier-free entry also provides easier access to shower areas for people with limited mobility, wheelchair users, or those who plan to age in place. “I once worked with a very elderly client, and this would have been the perfect bathroom for him because he had nurses who bathed him,” Wiegers says. “This type of bathroom is ideal for a situation where you need to have other people helping you as you get older.”

What are the challenges?

The primary difficulty in a wet room is controlling the flow of water and maintaining a relative separation between the “wet” bathing areas and “dry” areas around the vanity, particularly if the bathroom is on the smaller side. If you’re going with a curbless shower design and your flooring is not installed correctly—with a sufficient slope to direct the water to the drain and prevent pooling—it’s easy for the water to escape into other areas of the room. 

Another concern is that wet rooms are often completely open, which means there’s a lack of privacy and the potential for chillier showers since there aren’t any partitions to contain the steam and warmth. Adding a single glass panel can help contain some heat and also create a barrier for the water—providing functionality while still maintaining a seamless open-concept look. To help mitigate the cold, Wiegers recommends adding radiant heat mats to the floor before installing your tile (ensuring it’s properly waterproofed). “It’s really easy to do and not super costly,” she says.

What are the installation considerations?

While a curbless shower design is super chic and excellent for accessibility, it’s not always possible from a structural perspective if you’re renovating a house. “Installing a curbless shower in an existing house on the first floor will depend on how your foundation was built,” Wiegers says. “If you have a slab-on-grade foundation and your finished floors are only a few layers above the slab, then you may not have enough room to cut into the floor to get the slope for a curbless shower.” 

The same thing goes for a second-floor bathroom. The structure and finish layers of your flooring will dictate if you can cut into it and obtain a sufficient slope. “If you’re building a house from scratch, or if your situation allows for a curbless drain, then the most important thing is to make sure that there’s enough slope,” Wiegers advises. “Because there’s nothing worse than having a drain you think is going to work and then the water doesn’t flow to the drain because the floor hasn’t been sloped enough.”

If a curbless shower design isn’t possible from a structural standpoint, don’t fret. “Building a small curb between the ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ areas can help contain the water against something, and I don’t feel that it impedes the aesthetic of a modern look,” Wieger says. “It prevents the water from escaping and seeping under your vanity.”

In addition to installing adequate drainage, another essential consideration is to ensure that the entire bathroom is fully waterproofed and sealed, a process often referred to as “tanking.” A “tanked” floor includes a waterproof membrane between the tiles and the underlying surfaces that prevents moisture from seeping through, protecting the layers beneath from water damage and mold.

What type of flooring is best for a wet room?

Wet rooms can be slippery with the wrong tile selection. Large-format tiles are better suited for walls or floor areas that are farther away from the shower and splash zones. Because small-scale tile requires more grout and adds more traction to the floor, it can help prevent any slipping. Additionally, if you’re installing a curbless shower, small tiles are much easier to lay properly and install on a sloping floor. The best materials are porcelain and natural stone in small mosaics, or tiles sized 6”x 6” or smaller in a honed finish.

What’s the best way to maintain a relative separation between the “wet” and “dry” areas?

While you can expect a wet room-style bathroom to be, well, wetter than a bathroom with an enclosed shower, it’s safe to say that no one wants a damp vanity or toilet area. How you lay out your bathroom is of utmost importance. “It’s nice to have all of the wet parts of your bathroom together in one area,” says Wiegers. “In a bathroom I recently designed, we had to install a curb because of the way that we had to construct the floor. The curb was between the vanity area and the shower and bath area, so the tub and shower shared one space.”

Adding a glass partition as mentioned above can prevent the water from splashing and escaping outside of the shower area, and placing the showerhead as far away as possible from the dry areas can help immensely to limit the reach of the spray.

Clever design decisions can also play an essential role. “Your material choice can help maintain the open layout while still controlling water,” Wiegers says. “You can tile all of the walls in the same tile, either floor to ceiling or almost to the ceiling. It gives the effect of an open space even if you build a small wall, perhaps two feet deep, that can serve to separate your spaces.”

Are wet rooms easy to clean?

The open layout of a wet room naturally makes it easier to clean since there are fewer nooks to address. There are also several design choices that can make cleaning even less of a hassle. Selecting a wall-mounted vanity and toilet are not only space-saving options, but they’re much easier to sweep and mop under and behind. If you decide to select floor-mounted options, make sure that there are at least several inches of space between the toilet and the wall and bottom of the vanity and the floor so that you can clean each space properly and mop up any potential standing water.

Are wet rooms more expensive to design?

A wet room may not necessarily be more expensive—the cost will ultimately depend on your design and material selection. While there is the additional tile, waterproofing, and drainage to consider, there are other costly features—such as framing, partitions, doors, glass, and hardware—that you may not need or want to include. “Obviously there’s a way to spend infinite amounts of money on a bathroom,” Wiegers says. “You can always splurge on your tile, plumbing fixtures, lighting, etc. But in general, the material needs are less in a wet room. You may not need glass, which can be very expensive.”

A Wet Room Recap:

Pros

• Open and spacious feel.
• The design and material choices can shine.
• Easier to clean.
• Greater accessibility for people with limited mobility.

Cons

• Lack of privacy.
• Open spaces can feel cold.
• If not properly designed, water can get everywhere.
• May be more expensive.

More bathroom quandaries, answered:

• Remodeling 101: How to Install Flattering Lighting in the Bathroom
• Expert Advice: 6 Common Bathroom Plumbing Jobs You Can Tackle Yourself, From Plumber Carly Carey
• Remodeling 101: Romance in the Bath: Built-In vs. Freestanding Bathtubs