Has anyone done a European style wetroom?

[Anonymous]

We are thinking about a bathroom reno.

Has anyone done a wetroom? I did see a post by a DIYer on reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/1gi76m2/bathroom_reno/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are thinking about a bathroom reno.

Has anyone done a wetroom? I did see a post by a DIYer on reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/1gi76m2/bathroom_reno/

While that person obviously has skill at renovating, I don't like their finished product.

Wet rooms are bad for kids and guests. I hate them in hotels. People generally screw up and end up making the bathroom floor moist. That doesn't impact the wet user but it impacts others who need to use the bathroom shortly afterwards. Wet socks in the bathroom - yuk!

The large soaking tubs are like basin sinks. They are having a style trend moment and will go out again. Not convenient to use. Older people especially can't use those. So that will have to be remodeled away if anyone but limber young adults needs to regularly bathe in there.

Drainability is one thing. Also consider how easy it will be to clean and maintain the wall tile and floor tile. Don't invest in difficult to clean materials.

[Anonymous]

I like it! Although, you won’t be able to have a steamy shower and could be chilly. I was worried it would be super modern looking but they made it classic. Very nice!

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand why you would want your tub to get wet when you’re taking a shower?

[Anonymous]

The main reason for a wet room is to save space.

Maybe, in an institutional/commercial setting to reduce the labor time of cleaning.

Because Europe has smaller houses and apartments, wet rooms are Euro chic and minimalist chic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The main reason for a wet room is to save space.

Maybe, in an institutional/commercial setting to reduce the labor time of cleaning.

Because Europe has smaller houses and apartments, wet rooms are Euro chic and minimalist chic.

Yep. the only place I have seen them is on boats and tiny hostels in Asia. I think they are gross and probably end up leaky and moldy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like it! Although, you won’t be able to have a steamy shower and could be chilly. I was worried it would be super modern looking but they made it classic. Very nice!

Awful design, drafty and chilly for sure. it's the reason why shower/tub are in enclosure with a door or shower curtain.

[Anonymous]

I have fond memories of flooding an European hotel by taking a shower in this kind of wet room bathroom and the plumbing was clogged. By the time I figured out what was going on, water was already cascading down the corridor and down the marble steps to the lobby. It was a small pensione in Italy.

A big no no for me.

[Anonymous]

Or a Japanese style one? I'd opt for the Japanese, OP.

[Anonymous]

Yes, lived with one in Europe and absolutely hated it.

I can live with a lot of things, but no thanks.

[Anonymous]

No way is that vanity going to hold-up with so much water and moisture.

[Anonymous]

Do you love remodeling? Is it your hobby?

As PPs have noted, this is a very short-term, impractical trend. If you think it would be fun to have for five years, go for it.

[Anonymous]

These are common in India. I hate them.

[Anonymous]

The wet room makes sense if done well. That particular example in the link is problematic. The entire room should have been waterproofed (the orange stuff). The green wallboard is moisture RESISTANT, not moisture proof.
Also the finished floor is not sloped towards the drain, and it doesn't look like the mud bed beneath it is either. So water is just going to sit on the floor tile. It's a rain shower so the water is assumed to flow vertically down on the person showering which is actually pretty unpleasant but I guess the homeowner thought that would prevent water from landing outside of the shower zone. But it won't because water bounces off the body and splashes away at an angle, it doesn't just ooze down the body vertically.
The space given to the toilet is too generous. Minimum is 30", and 36" if enclosed within its own closet. I would have just done the minimum, put in a space saving wall hung toilet and given the extra space to the shower.

Finally, how does one clean the floor behind the freestanding bathtub, with a very long toothbrush?

[Anonymous]

Also, in Europe, a floor drain is mandatory. They buy sinks without an overflow because their floors can take it if Larla forgets to turn off the spigot.
We here in the US are the buyers of sinks with overflow protection because we don't have a drain in the floor to absorb an overflowing sink.