--- title: "Wet Room Installation in Brighton & Hove | R.K Plumbing" description: "Design-and-fit wet room installation across Brighton, Hove & Sussex from R.K Plumbing & Heating. Tidy, properly tanked work. Call 01273 911551." canonical: "https://www.rkplumbingandheatingservices.com/services/wet-room-installation" --- Bathrooms # Wet Room Installation A wet room turns the whole floor into the shower area: tanked wall to wall and laid to a gentle fall, with no tray to step over. We design and fit them end to end for homes across Brighton, Hove and the surrounding Sussex towns. [Call 01273 911551](tel:+441273911551) ![Frameless glass corner shower enclosure with a rainfall head and riser rail beside a white bath](/_next/image?url=%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2Frk-bathroom-installation-kemptown-brighton-02.jpeg%3Fprefix%3Dtenants%252F6a73367026944505f092a67a%26v%3D1787000029101&w=1536&q=75&dpl=dpl_J3UkotoCWSfG7mH3JdDuNRVcD7J7)![Frameless glass corner shower enclosure with a rainfall head and riser rail beside a white bath](/_next/image?url=%2Fapi%2Fmedia%2Ffile%2Frk-bathroom-installation-kemptown-brighton-02.jpeg%3Fprefix%3Dtenants%252F6a73367026944505f092a67a%26v%3D1787000029101&w=1536&q=75&dpl=dpl_J3UkotoCWSfG7mH3JdDuNRVcD7J7) ## What's involved A wet room is a sequence of stages, and each one has to be right before the next goes on top of it. ### Design and Survey Working out the layout, the drain position and the fall, and checking the floor structure will carry the former, screed and tiles. ### Strip Out and Drainage Taking the old bathroom back to bare walls and subfloor, then setting the gully and waste at the right depth and fall. ### Tanking and Waterproofing Primer, membrane and taped joints across the floor and shower walls, with corners and pipe penetrations sealed before any tile goes on. ### Tiling and Second Fix Boarding and tiling with wet-area adhesive and grout, then the shower valve, screen, basin, WC and extraction fitted and tested. ## A floor that is built to get wet A wet room is not a shower enclosure with the tray taken out. The whole floor becomes the shower area, which means the structure underneath has to be right, the fall has to be right, and the waterproofing has to run unbroken from wall to wall. Done properly it gives you a level-access shower, a floor that is quick to clean, and a room that feels considerably larger than the one it replaced. We design and install wet rooms from the first drawing to the final seal, working in homes across Brighton, Hove, Woodingdean and the surrounding Sussex towns. Complete bathroom design and installation is what we do most of, so the same team surveys the room, does the strip out, sets the drainage, tanks the floor, tiles it and fits the sanitaryware. Nothing gets handed between trades at the points where wet rooms usually go wrong. > Everything you can see in a finished wet room is sitting on something you cannot. ## The order of work First the existing bathroom comes out: sanitaryware, tiles, boarding and floor covering are taken away until we can see the subfloor and the pipe runs. That is the point at which we can say honestly what the floor is capable of. A concrete floor is usually straightforward. A timber floor may need noggins, extra support, or a former designed to sit between the joists rather than on top of them. With the structure sorted, the waste and gully are set. This decides everything about how the room drains, so the fall is formed toward it, either with a pre-made former or in screed, and checked with a level before anything covers it. Pipework for the shower valve, basin and WC is run at first fix, and if a radiator or heated towel rail is moving, that happens at the same time. Then the room is tanked. Primer goes down, the membrane goes over the whole floor and up the shower walls, and every internal corner, joint, pipe penetration and drain flange is sealed with tape and collars. This is the stage that decides whether water stays in the room or finds its way into the ceiling below, and it is not a stage to rush. Tiling follows onto boarded and sealed surfaces, using adhesive and grout intended for wet areas, cut around the fall so water runs to the gully and not to the doorway. Second fix brings in the shower valve and head, the glass screen, basin, WC, towel rail, lighting and extraction. We then run the shower properly, watch where the water actually goes, and check the drain clears as it should. More information ### What we check before recommending a wet room - Whether the floor is timber or concrete, and what it can carry - The depth available below floor level for the gully and the fall - Where the existing soil and waste runs are, and whether they can be reached - Room size and door position, so spray stays where it belongs - Ventilation, since an open shower area puts far more moisture into the room > If the floor will not take it, we would rather tell you at survey than halfway through. ## Accessibility and everyday use Level access is why a lot of people ask about a wet room in the first place. Taking out the step makes the shower usable with a stool, a frame, or someone helping, and it is far easier to build that in now than to retrofit it later. Grab rails, seat positions and a screen that folds back can all be designed in from the start. Timescales depend on the size of the room and on what turns up once the old bathroom is out, so we give you a realistic run of dates once we have surveyed it. We are based in Woodingdean and cover Brighton, Hove, Worthing, Lewes, Shoreham-by-Sea, Haywards Heath, Seaford, Burgess Hill and surrounding Sussex towns. Call 01273 911551, or come and see us at 58 Warren Road. ### Ready to talk? Send us a few details about the room you have in mind and we'll come back to you with honest advice on what will work. [Call 01273 911551](tel:+441273911551) ### While you're here - [Bathroom Installation](/services/bathroom-installation)→ - [Bathroom Design](/services/bathroom-design)→ - [Bathroom Renovation](/services/bathroom-renovation)→ ## Worth considering Bathrooms ### Shower Installation Showers fitted watertight and level, from a simple replacement to a fully tiled walk-in enclosure, for homes across Brighton, Hove and Sussex. [Shower Installation→](/services/shower-installation) Bathrooms ### Bath Installation Bath installation across Brighton, Hove and Sussex, from panelled straight baths to freestanding tubs, fitted level, connected and properly sealed. [Bath Installation→](/services/bath-installation) Bathrooms ### En Suite Installation Design-and-fit en suite installation for homeowners across Brighton, Hove and the surrounding Sussex towns, from first fix through to tiling. [En Suite Installation→](/services/en-suite-installation) Bathrooms ### Accessible Bathroom Installation Design-and-fit accessible bathrooms with walk-in showers, grab rails and level floors, installed tidily across Brighton, Hove and Sussex. [Accessible Bathroom Installation→](/services/accessible-bathroom-installation) Bathrooms ### Cloakroom Installation Design-and-fit cloakroom installations for homeowners in Brighton, Hove and Sussex, from planning through to finished tiling. [Cloakroom Installation→](/services/cloakroom-wc-installation) Bathrooms ### Bathroom Tiling Precise, watertight bathroom tiling from R.K Plumbing & Heating, part of their full design-and-fit bathroom service across Brighton & Hove and Sussex. [Bathroom Tiling→](/services/bathroom-tiling) ## Before you book The questions people ask us most before committing to a wet room. What is the difference between a wet room and a walk-in shower? A walk-in shower still sits on a tray with a low lip to step over, whereas a wet room has no tray at all: the floor itself is tanked and laid to a fall toward a drain. That makes a wet room fully level access. It also means the waterproofing has to cover the whole floor rather than just the inside of an enclosure. Can any bathroom be turned into a wet room? Most can, but the floor decides it. A concrete floor is usually straightforward, while a timber floor may need extra support or a former designed to sit between the joists. We look at the subfloor and the depth available before committing to a design. What is tanking, and why does it matter so much? Tanking is the waterproof membrane applied across the floor and the shower walls, with every corner, joint and pipe penetration sealed. It is the layer that stops water reaching the structure or the ceiling below. It is completely hidden once the tiling goes on, which is exactly why it is worth doing carefully. Will I be without a bathroom while the work is done? Yes. The room being converted is out of use from strip out until second fix is finished and tested. If it is your only bathroom we will talk the dates through with you beforehand so you can make arrangements. Are wet rooms a good idea for accessibility? Yes. Level-access showering removes the step or lip of a tray, which makes the shower far easier to use with a stool, a frame, or someone helping. Grab rails, seat positions and a folding screen can all be designed in from the start rather than added on later. Do I need a glass screen in a wet room? Not necessarily, though many people choose one to keep spray off the rest of the room while keeping the open feel a wet room is known for. It depends on the size of the room and where the shower sits in relation to the door. We will go through the options with you at design stage. How do I get a price for a wet room? Call us on 01273 911551 with an idea of the room and what you want from it. We will arrange to come and look at the space, because the price of a wet room depends on the floor construction, the drainage route and the finish you choose rather than on floor area alone. Which areas do you cover? We are based in Woodingdean and cover Brighton, Hove, Worthing, Lewes, Shoreham-by-Sea, Haywards Heath, Seaford, Burgess Hill and surrounding Sussex towns. ## Let's design your wet room Tell us about the room you have in mind and we'll talk you through what's possible. [Call 01273 911551](tel:+441273911551)