What Is a Wet Room Bathroom, and How Is It Different From a Traditional Bathroom?

A wet room bathroom is one that doesn’t have a standard partition for the shower and tub area. It may have glass walls or half walls to separate the room, but the shower head sprays directly onto the floor, which slopes downward toward a drain. 

Wet rooms are becoming increasingly popular due to accessibility and cleaner aesthetics, but there are some drawbacks to consider before committing to this bathroom remodel. Learn about the typical features in a wet room and how the space differs from a traditional bathroom in this guide.

Quick Takeaways

• A wet room requires additional waterproofing behind walls and underneath the floor, so converting a standard bathroom to a wet room requires a full bathroom remodel.

• The average cost to convert to a wet room is around $17,000, which is around $5,000 more than you’d pay for a standard bathroom remodel.

• Wet rooms make your bathroom feel significantly larger and also contribute to accessibility, so they’re growing in popularity and should add significantly to your home value.

What Is a Wet Room Bathroom?

A wet room bathroom typically has no partition separating the shower and/or tub from the rest of the room, so there’s usually no shower curtain, glass door, or wall around the area where you shower. 

Instead, the shower floor slopes gently toward a floor drain to get rid of the water, and there may be a small splash guard between the shower and vanity. The sink and toilet can be in the same open area, but the toilet is sometimes in a separate water closet.

Below are a few key components that make a bathroom a wet room:

• Waterproofing: Waterproofing under the floor and behind walls is the number one priority in a wet room. Without it, you’ll see major water damage in a matter of days.

• Open concept shower design: The key component in a wet room is the open shower design, which can be completely curbless for greater accessibility. It may include a freestanding tub, glass partition or shower door, but these are optional.

• Sloped, non-slip flooring: All flooring in a wet room slopes gently toward a floor drain to encourage good drainage. Non-slip flooring is also crucial to prevent slipping, as much of the room can and will get wet.

• Tile floor and walls: In a standard bathroom, you might see a tiled floor and standard walls. In a wet room, you’ll need tile going at least halfway up the walls, too, and the shower space often includes tile up to the ceiling.

• Wall-mounted fixtures: Since the entire floor in a wet room can get wet, many feature wall-mounted vanities, toilets, and plumbing fixtures. This keeps things looking clean and minimalist while also protecting everything from excessive water exposure.

• Ventilation: Much like in a standard bathroom, good ventilation to the exterior is paramount for reducing mold growth and excessive humidity in a wet room.

How Is a Wet Room Bathroom Different From a Traditional Bathroom?

There are a few key differences when it comes to a wet room vs. a bathroom. You should consider all of the following before deciding which is right for your home.

Cost

A standard bathroom remodel costs an average of $12,000, and prices range from $6,000 to $17,000 in most cases. Remodeling a bathroom and converting to a wet room costs an average of $17,000, and most homeowners pay between $11,000 and $22,000. 

Wet rooms are more expensive than bathrooms because they require a floor drain, sloped flooring, and additional waterproofing under the floor and behind walls — all of which add to the cost.

Space

Wet rooms are designed to shower and bathe with no barrier separating that area from the rest of the room. This creates a much more open appearance that can look minimalistic, which many homeowners love. 

The lack of partitions makes a wet room appear significantly larger, and if you have windows in your wet room bathroom, the natural light will fill more of the room and create an open, airy appearance.

Traditional full bathrooms lose an average of 12.5 square feet of floor space to the tub, which is usually 60 inches long and 30 inches wide. Half baths with a shower stall miss out on an average of 9 square feet, as most stalls are 3 feet by 3 feet, which makes half bathrooms feel even smaller and more cramped. This is especially true if you have a glass shower enclosure separating the shower and/or tub area from the rest of the room.

A window in the shower area in a traditional bathroom is also typically going to introduce less natural light to the bulk of the room, as the partition will block some of it.

Like traditional bathrooms, wet rooms contain other common fixtures, such as toilets, sinks, and medicine cabinets, but many of these are wall-mounted in a wet room. Getting them up off the floor can also make the room feel larger, even if the actual amount of floor space available is about the same.

There is a related downside to the open layout of a wet room, though. While you do not need a specific bathroom size to convert to a wet room, anything in it placed near the shower head or body sprays could become wet. This includes things like toilet paper, hair dryers, and makeup. Therefore, it is best to create the shower portion of a wet room area where other fixtures and items will be out of the way of the spray. This often means wet rooms require a bit more space than you might find in a traditional bathroom — especially in a half bath.

Appearance

The open and airy layout of a wet room means the decor that’s appropriate for the space may differ from what you’d find in a standard bathroom. Most wet room ideas harp on minimalism, as that’s what the wet room design calls for and lends itself to. You can get creative and make natural partitions with different tile colors and patterns or different materials altogether, but things like wall art and towels stored under a vanity may not fly in a wet room.

A traditional bathroom generally doesn’t have the same threat of things getting wet, so wall decor, natural materials like wood and wicker, and open storage for towels and toilet paper aren’t a concern.

Installation

While there are differences in the installation between a traditional bathroom and a wet room, the process is mostly the same. Both will include tile work, vent installations, and putting in a toilet, vanity, plumbing fixtures, and a sink. The differences mainly come in how the wet area is treated.

In a traditional bathroom, the area is separated or contained, usually by a door, panel, or curtain, in addition to the side of a tub or a shower curb. While the walls outside this area may be waterproofed, they do not need to be. So, drywall or a cement backer board, which are not normally meant for wet areas, may be used.

In a wet room, the entire space is treated with the same waterproofing material. Vapor barriers and a specific type of backer board are used under all flooring and behind the walls, usually from floor to ceiling. There is no curb and thus no need to caulk and risk leaks over time.

Another big difference is in the flooring. In a wet room, the entire floor must slope gently to the drain. This means it’s best to use 2-inch or smaller tiles throughout most, if not all, of the room, or switch to a smaller tile in the pattern as you approach the slope of the drain. Using smaller tiles reduces the risk of cracking over the slope. 

The floor in a wet room will also need a drainage system installed underneath it, and you’ll have an actual drain set directly in the floor near the shower area to remove water.

Maintenance

In both wet rooms and traditional bathrooms, the degree of upkeep you need to perform is tied largely to the materials you choose. 

Choosing a high-quality tile or natural stone for the floors and shower walls will reduce the chance of damage over time and minimize cleaning and upkeep. Less porous materials are typically best in both cases, as they’re less likely to harbor mold and bacteria.

However, in some wet rooms, extra ventilation may be necessary to prevent mold and mildew growth. This is because the room is so waterproofed that it can often be more difficult to dry completely after use, which may lead to mold growth. 

Because a wet room is designed to get wet, any splashes are less likely to cause damage, but since water and moisture can’t get in or out, you need an efficient way to remove humidity.

Aside from these minor factors, though, maintenance will be about the same between bathrooms and wet rooms.

Accessibility

In most cases, wet rooms allow for great flexibility of movement, which is an advantage. Not only do you have more space to move around, but there’s also no curb to step over or door to navigate around, which makes the wet room an ideal setup for people who have trouble with mobility.

Wet rooms are gaining popularity with homeowners who want to age in place for this same reason. Because there is no curb, door track, or barrier to entry, it is easier for people who use wheelchairs, walkers, and other mobility aids to use the space.

Traditional bathroom designs can be modified to be more accessible, with curbless showers or additions such as walk-in tubs, roll-in or walk-in showers, grab bars, and transfer seats, but wet rooms are typically easier and may be less expensive to install than a modification to an existing room.

Resale Value

Wet rooms and traditional bathrooms have about the same resale value. Bathroom remodels currently recuperate between 56% and 70% of the investment, depending on the quality of the materials used.

Converting to a wet room could lead to either a higher or lower ROI, depending on the buyer. Some homeowners will prefer standard bathrooms and may shy away from a home or offer less for it if it has a wet room. They do require a bit more care and maintenance, so if a wet room isn’t specifically on a buyer’s checklist, you may get less money for your home. 

On the other hand, some buyers may adore the idea of a wet room, especially if there’s another standard bathroom in the home. In that case, you may see a higher ROI from a wet room.

Wet Room vs. Bathroom

If you’re deciding between the two, you may want to consider what’s typical in your area, as conforming to the local standard is a good way to maximize home value. If you plan to live in your home for the foreseeable future, though, consider the pros and cons below to help decide which will suit you better.

Wet Room Pros and Cons

Traditional Bathroom Pros and Cons

FAQ: Wet Room Bathrooms

Yes, you can have a toilet in a wet room, but most homeowners either put the toilet in a designated water closet or create a partition between the shower area and the toilet to help keep it dry. Placing the shower area and the toilet on opposite ends of the bathroom is also a viable option.

Installing a wet room involves a complete bathroom remodel because you need to rip out the flooring and walls to install fully waterproof materials. As such, expect one to two weeks for wet room installation.

No, wet rooms are completely waterproofed, which means even pooling water on the floor won’t lead to water damage. Of course, for a wet room to be fully waterproof, it should be installed by a professional.