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Nobody wants to walk through a puddle of water after a refreshing shower. That’s why it’s important to separate the wet and dry areas in your bathroom.
To many homeowners these days, the need to have distinct wet and dry areas within the bathroom is becoming more and more desirable. Not only is this a great way to add value to your home but it also allows you to keep your space water-free and clean.
More so, since bathrooms tend to accumulate moisture, separating wet and dry areas can create a usable bathroom, while removing the possibility of mold and mildew building up in moist areas.
There are so many ways to do this and in this article, we share the best wet room ideas to ensure your bathroom is an inclusive space for every user:
1. Build a Half-Wall
Whether your bathroom is large or small, a half wall is a very functional way to ensure water doesn’t spill over to the dry areas.
Half walls also don’t look as invasive within your space. Just be sure to design it in a way that doesn’t obstruct how much natural light both areas receive. Also, ensure that the wall doesn’t make your bathroom look cramped, especially if space is limited.
This idea is particularly great for small bathrooms or joined bathrooms as they make your space more compartmentalized whilst giving a glass shower stall a bit of privacy. More so, you get much-needed privacy when using the toilet.
Boost its functionality by hanging towels, and storing your toiletries. Even if you have a larger bathroom, you can still install a half-wall to separate the wet and dry areas.
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2. Install A Walk-in Shower Enclosure
Walk-in showers have become a very popular option for those renovating their bathrooms.
This shouldn’t really come as a big surprise since most people prefer to shower rather than bathe, considering our busy lifestyles.
A walk-in shower is essentially a separate shower cubicle that’s distinct from the rest of the bathroom. Glass panels surround the outside of the shower, and a slightly-raised shower tray that allows water to flow into them is included in its flooring.
Such a simple glass splash guard helps to keep water in check in this curbless shower, particularly since the showerhead is centered in the space.
Walk-in showers are ideal for small bathrooms where there’s limited space and no natural light as they help to create the illusion of more space. They provide an uninterrupted view through the bathroom, making it appear bigger and brighter.
A walk-in shower is an excellent solution for persons with limited mobility or the elderly. With plenty of shower room available, you can easily bathe small children.
Because of its clean lines and minimal looks, a walk-in shower provides a high-end look and makes a statement too in your bathroom. For added luxury, two shower heads might be installed.
More so, if you ever decide to sell your home in the future, a walk in shower can make a real selling point.
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3. Or A Wet Room
Walk-in showers are great but wet rooms are even more popular.
A wet room is a completely open-plan bathroom space that is fully waterproofed. Since it has no enclosure separating the shower or tub from the rest of the bathroom, the whole space is designed to get wet as all the walls and the flooring is waterproofed.
Shower trays are not typically included in wet room showers. Instead, the water is allowed to flow directly into a drain on the floor.
In wet rooms, the main flooring is built on the same level as the shower floor but the floor has a sharp slope in the section of the wet room where the shower is located to aid with water drainage. The rest of the bathroom floor is sloped gradually toward the same drain.
Many wet room bathrooms are built without any shower enclosures. You can, however, choose an open enclosure with no door. You can also create a half-wall to minimize splashing.
A wet room, however, makes it easy for splashes from the shower to go everywhere. Therefore, they are best for larger spaces to keep the shower separate from dry areas. In smaller bathrooms, it’s safer to make all your dry areas water-resistant.
NOTE: Wet rooms are more popular because they are easy to clean with no worries of cleaning enclosures, they make the bathroom to feel brighter and more spacious because they have fewer walls and barriers.
Tip…
If you’re thinking about having a wet room but are worried about the entire room getting wet, you can install extra ventilation to help prevent mold and mildew.
You are also open to installing floor-to-ceiling glazing to separate the wet and dry areas, especially if the shower area is located within an alcove.
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Consider incorporating in-built wall storage or closed cabinets for toilet paper, towels, and other items to avoid dampness.
Anti-slip flooring also makes it safer to walk around in a wet room while a radiant heat flooring system helps water evaporate more quickly from the floor surface.
Tiles are perfect for use with underfloor heating and can make for a very pleasant surface for bare feet. Just remember to check that the chosen base is also suitable for use with underfloor heating.
Ideally, underfloor heating should be placed between the wet room tray and the tiles but bear in mind that thicker tiles extend the heating time so the tiles will take to reach the set temperature.
4. Use a Bathtub Screen
Frameless glass bathtub screens are a great way to break up the space in the bathroom without creating a sense of so much enclosure.
They are the ultimate minimalist bathtub feature that allows you to use your shower tub without the worry of water spilling over to your vanity. Attach your bathtub screen to the left or right of your shower, ideally, in front of the shower head for functional purposes.
Frameless bathtub screens can be fixed in place using U-channels or allowed to swing using hinge clips to attach the screen to the wall so you can open your shower up completely. They really take your bathtub to the next level.
5. Raise the Shower or Tub Floor
A floor base is a great way to add a distinction between the wet and dry areas of your bathroom.
You can raise the shower area or build a concrete base to set up your bathtub. Not only does a raised floor allow the water to effectively flow towards the drain to protect the floor from water damage.
A raised floor also allows for plumbing. That is, the drain pipes from the toilet, tub, and shower need to go through the floor especially if the floor structure is a solid slab, and if in an apartment, the neighbors below won’t let you lower their ceiling to hang the pipes below the slab.
Distinct kinds of waterproof titles can be used to protect the floor from water spills.
6. Use a Shower Curtain
Shower curtains can also be used. They can add more visual texture to your bathroom unlike glass shower doors while still serving as a useful partition for wet and dry areas.
Because many fabric shower curtains quickly soak up moisture and start developing spots of mold over time making them a pain to use, we recommend using a vinyl liner with a cloth shower curtain.
Even if you choose a fabric shower curtain designed to repel water and not absorb moisture, using a liner can help your curtain stay in great shape.
Tip…
Shower curtains get moldy over time and this can become unsightly and unhygienic. That’s why many don’t use them.
However, they are a great way to prevent water from splashing in your bathroom, especially if on a budget. But we recommend using an exhaust fan to ventilate the bathroom after use.
Have the exhaust fan on while showering and even after, for approximately 30 minutes to clear out moisture. You can also leave the door open to facilitate air movement as the circulation of air will minimize the problem of mold, which is what you want to do.
If you can’t have an exhaust fan, then right after a shower, remember to leave the curtain open for air to properly circulate and dry out the curtain.
Preferably, spread the curtain out to its maximum extent and make sure that the folds are reasonably even. This helps it dry quickly and looks better than a retracted curtain.
After a while, though, it’s best to close the curtain so the bathroom, too, can dry fully. Otherwise, there’s the risk of mold/mildew in the areas that stay moist.
You want the curtain/liner to dry as quickly as possible to minimize trapped moisture that can lead to mold.
Conclusion
Separating the wet and dry areas of your bathroom allow you to upgrade your space and make it more usable.
Just remember to include a bath rug so you can dry your feet by the time you leave the shower or hop from the tub.
Plus, before you start this project, it is always important to first zone your bathroom into the wet showering or bathing area, as well as the dry areas i.e. the WC and storage areas.
