24 August 2026 1 min read Buying guides
A wet room has no tray and no shower enclosure holding water back. The floor is the
containment, so everything under the tile has to be right.
Tanking is not optional
The whole floor and the lower part of the walls get a waterproof membrane — liquid-applied or
sheet — with matching tape at every internal corner and around the drain. Everything from one
manufacturer’s system, so the guarantee stands. Extra silicone is not waterproofing.
Falls to the drain
Water has to run somewhere. Either a pre-formed former is set into the floor, or the falls are
built in screed, typically around 1:80 towards the drain. Get it wrong and you get standing
water, which eventually finds its way through grout.
Drain choice
Linear drains against a wall suit large-format tiles because the floor only has to fall one way.
Centre point drains need the floor cutting in four directions, which looks best with small
formats or mosaics.
Tiles that are safe wet
R11 or better on the floor. Smooth polished porcelain is dangerous underfoot in a wet room, no
matter how good it looks dry.
What it costs
A wet room conversion is more than a bathroom retile — more preparation, more materials, a drain
and often floor structure work. Budget from around £60 per m² for tiling labour, plus the former
or screed, the tanking system and the drain.