Planning to install a wet room? In this article, we discuss the costs of fitting a wet room based, looking at the overall prices, while also breaking down the labour and supply costs.
If you intend to fit a wet room in your home, this guide will prove especially useful. Wet rooms have seen a rise in popularity due to their style, contemporary appearance, and openness. We’ll also delve into other relevant topics, like how to install a wet room, the different types of wet room flooring, and how long an installation might take.
Let’s start by looking at how much it costs to fit a wet room based on the size and quality of the installation.
For a low-budget option, you can expect to pay about £1700 to £2800 for a small wet room, £2000 to £3400 for a medium wet room, or £2500 to £4000 for a large wet room.
If you’d prefer a mid-budget wet room, the wet room cost lands around £3000 to £4500 for a small wet room, £3700 to £5200 for a medium wet room, or £4100 to £6000 for a large wet room.
As for a high-budget or premium quality wet room, a small installation would set you back between £5000 and £7000. Expect the wet room installation cost to reach £5700 to £8100 for a medium luxury wet room or £6700 to £9300 for a large luxury wet room.
Looking specifically at the labour cost, you’d need to pay approximately £150 to £250 a day to hire a plumber and the same price estimate applies to tilers.
You’d most likely need to hire one plumber and tiler for the job. Based on this assumption, to have a small low-budget wet room installed would come with a labour cost of about £1200 to £2000.
For a medium low-budget wet room, expect a labour cost of around £1500 to £2500.
For a larger low-budget wet room or a mid-budget wet room that is small or medium in size, the labour costs would be approximately £1800 to £3000.
If you’d like to install a large mid-quality wet room, the labour price would land around £2100 to £3500. For a small high-quality wet room, expect to pay £2400 to £4000 in labour costs.
It would set you back about £2700 to £4500 for a medium high-quality wet room. Lastly, to have a large high-quality wet room constructed would likely cost around £3000 to £5000.
When it comes to supply costs, these tend to make up the bulk of the overall cost of having a wet room installed.
In this subsection, we’ll first look at the supply costs involved in different installations, before breaking down the cost of specific materials, which is particularly relevant if you intend to install a wet room DIY.
If you’d like to have a small low-budget wet room fitted, the material costs would end up at approximately £500 to £800.
As for a mid-sized low-budget wet room, it would cost about £500 to £900. To buy materials for a large low-budget wet room, expect to pay about £700 to £1000.
For a small mid-quality wet room, the costs would land around £1200 to £1500. As for an average medium-budget wet room, the cost would end up about £1900 to £2200. In the case of a large mid-budget wet room, you’d pay roughly £2000 to £2500 for the materials.
In the case of a luxury wet room, expect the supply costs to be £2600 to £3000 for a small installation, £3000 to £3600 for a mid-sized wet room, or £3700 to £4300 for a large wet-room.
To be specific about the cost of individual supplies, you’d pay somewhere in the range of £200 to £600 for a wet room shower tray, £100 to £450 for a toilet, £50 to £250 for a sink, and £100 to £450 for a shower.
You’d pay about £20 to £100 per m2 for wet room tiles, £70 to £300 for a tanking kit, and £70 to £260 for a wet room shower screen.
As with any installation, there are a range of factors that can shape the overall cost. The most important cost factors are the size and quality of the wet room.
In addition, ease of access, the state of the installation area, and the location of your property. The latter point is relevant because contractors charge different rates depending on the region of the country.
Labour prices are generally highest in the southeast (London especially) but lower in regions such as the north of England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland.
| Quality | Size | Supply Cost | Labour Cost | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low-budget | Small | £500 to £800 | £1200 to £2000 | £1700 to £2800 |
| Medium | £500 to £900 | £1500 to £2500 | £2000 to £3400 | |
| Large | £700 to £1000 | £1800 to £3000 | £2500 to £4000 | |
| Mid-budget | Small | £1200 to £1500 | £1800 to £3000 | £3000 to £4500 |
| Medium | £1900 to £2200 | £1800 to £3000 | £3700 to £5200 | |
| Large | £2000 to £2500 | £2100 to £3500 | £4100 to £6000 | |
| High-budget | Small | £2600 to £3000 | £2400 to £4000 | £5000 to £7000 |
| Medium | £3000 to £3600 | £2700 to £4500 | £5700 to £8100 | |
| Large | £3700 to £4300 | £3000 to £5000 | £6700 to £9300 |
Choosing the right flooring for you is an instrumental part of the process of planning a new wet room. In this section, we’ll look at the features, costs, and pros & cons of the various types of wet room flooring.
Tiles are among the most prevalent wet room flooring choices. Moscai, stone, and porcelain tiles are especially common.
On average, it costs £20 to £100 per m2 to purchase tiles, making tiling usually the least expensive option. One key advantage of tiling is the amount of design choices available.
Further, tiles tend to be resistant to moisture and heat, as well as being low-maintenance.
On the other hand, tile grout is susceptible to mildew accumulation and staining. Tiles are also at risk of cracking and suffering chips if objects fall on to them.
They also provide a cool underfoot that can be uncomfortable to walk on, and this can be the case even if you wear socks.
✔ Cheaper
✔ Various design options
✔ Tend to be resistant to moisture and heat
✔ Do not require much maintenance
✖ Cold underfoot
✖ Can crack and experience chips
✖ Tile grout is at risk of staining and mildew build-up
If you’d prefer a more modern option, consider microment flooring. Microcement consists of cement, water-based resins, colour pigments, and composite materials.
On average, microment flooring costs approximately £80 to £120 per m2. Though more expensive, it isn’t as costly as vinyl flooring tends to be.
Microcement floors provide a seamless and smooth finish with an absence of joints. This type of flooring is chemical- and scrape-resistant.
Further, you can find microcement flooring over existing flooring. However, fitting this flooring is complicated.
✔ Modern choice
✔ Generally less costly than vinyl flooring
✔ Smooth, seamless finish
✔ Chemical- and scrape-resistant
✔ May be fitted atop existing flooring
✖ Complex installation
✖ Not as cheap as tiling
Though also a common choice for a wet room, vinyl flooring is a more expensive option, with an average cost of £200 to £400 for both the labour and supply costs.
Among the advantages of vinyl floors is that they contain a water-resistant layer and an anti-slip barrier, plus, they are easily installed.
With that said, vinyl flooring is prone to fading over time as a result of sunlight exposure. In addition, high temperatures can lead to damage and vinyl floors are damaged relatively easily if sharp objects fall on to them.
✔ Waterproof layer
✔ Anti-slip barrier
✔ Easy to fit
✖ Most expensive
✖ Can easily be damaged by sharp objects
✖ High temperatures can cause harm
The first stage of fitting a wet room involves coming up with a design plan and hiring the right professionals for the job.
You may want to discuss your plans with a plumber and tiler either separately or of the same company. However, to further develop your plan, you might want to consider hiring a professional designer.
It’s a good approach to brainstorm different wet room ideas before reaching a conclusion. Small wet room ideas may differ from plans for a larger wet room where you have more space to work with.
Once you’ve decided on your design choice, a professional will need to come by and measure the bathroom. When hiring professionals, you should ask for three quotes before deciding on specific contractors or a particular company. It’s also worth asking for references too.
On the first day of having the wet room installed, the initial step required in the work is to remove the existing floor. That is, of course, unless you go with microcement flooring, in which case, you may not need to have the floor removed.
However, if a floor removal is required, the floor joists that exist beyond the shower area need to be located as this is the point at which the flooring will need to be lifted.
Once the flooring has been lifted up, solvent weld adhesive should be applied to the right wet room drain connector prior to the shower drain base being twister onto the waste pipe and connector.
After this stage, the professional will take a look at the drainage and pipes to ensure they’re functioning right. This is achieved by pouring water through the drain and then checking for leaks.
Now it’s time to fit the new flooring. The first step involves fitting the new floor foundations by covering exposed pipes by timber battens.
Next, they need to be screwed down. It’s important the shower drain is measured against the floor. This ensures that it is effectively exposed through the new floor.
To make certain that the shower fits right, the wet room shower tray must be lined up with the shower base. Once these measurements are checked, the flooring can be positioned or painted and given time to dry.
After the floor is cured, the shower tray should be added with adhesive. It’s important to ensure that it’s level before being fitted.
Next, the internal dome and internal bowl should be fitted into the shower drain before silicone may be used to add the drain base to the shower tray.
To be certain that the wet room is entirely water-resistant, adhesive must be added to the floor, before waterproof boards should be fitted to the area surrounding the shower area.
It will take approximately three to four hours for these applications to dry. Then, fixing plates must be fitted atop the waterproof board joints. Waterproof internal corners must also be screwed into the flooring.
As soon as the floor is waterproofed, a tiler may then fit the actual flooring, ensuring that they cut along the lines located along the shower base and fit the tiles on a measured slope.
Lastly, a drain top should be fitted carefully. Any gaps that remain which surround the shower drain should be filled with grout that is used for tiles (if tiling has been added).
Next, a shower drain finishing grate should be fitted. Once the installation is complete, give it a fully day for everything to set.
There are some additional jobs which you may wish to pay for, either before, during, or after the installation of the wet room.
For instance, to install a new soakaway drain would cost about £500 to £1000. In the case of underfloor heating, this would cost around £1000 to £1500 for electric underfloor heating in a new build property.
Wet underfloor heating with a new build property would cost about £2500 to £3000. If a home renovation is needed, expect the cost to be around £1500 to £2000 for electric underfloor heating, or £4000 to £4500 in the case of wet underfloor heating.
Should you wish to install new lighting, fitting a light chandelier would cost around £110 to £150. To install a six lamp lighting grid where new wiring is required would set you back about £800 to £1000.
Alternatively, to have four dimmed wall lights fitted in a living room may cost between £300 and £450.
Want some bathroom mirrors? Expect to pay roughly £140 to £400. Additional plumbing work if necessary would be priced at around £150 to £500, while extra drainage work would most likely cost somewhere between £2000 and £7000.
Though it is possible to install a wet room DIY, it means taking on a complex and time consuming project. So, only undertake this work if you feel confident that you can pull it off and understand each step in detail.
In addition, it’s important to consider any necessary safety precautions. The main upside to installing a wet room by yourself is the money it will save you, since you don’t need to pay for labour. You should also consider buying a wet room kit.
With that being said, if you were to install a wet room DIY and make errors, you’d need to pay quite a bit to have these issues fixed.
Among the issues that may arise including unintended damage, such as to the pipework and improperly laid flooring.
There are, of course, also safety risks involved when working with sharp tools and heavy equipment and materials.
It’s unlikely that planning permission will be required, but if you’re unsure, contact your local council. Building regulations may also apply to drainage work, though for the most part, it’s unlikely that there are specific regulations that must be followed.
A contractor will not need to sign off your work in most cases, unless specific approval was needed, in which case, this may apply.
Of course, setting aside the pros & cons of each specific type of wet room flooring, there are some downsides related to wet room installations in general worth considering.
Firstly, it is expensive and time-consuming work. Also, it’s possible that, should planning permission or building regulations approval be needed, your application(s) will be rejected.
If this happens, it’s important that you analyse why (you will be provided with feedback in a response), so that you can re-apply with the necessary changes taken into account.
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A: With modern waterproofing methods and wet room drainage, it is possible to have a wet room constructed on wood flooring.
A: For a general clean on a tiled floor, you should use a mop and a bucket with warm water and a bathroom cleaner product. The mop should be moistened in the water before being used to clean the wet room floor.
Scrubbing with an appropriate piece of equipment (e.g. a sponge) in small circles will help to remove dirt. The mop should be dunked, used to wash the floor, and then drained over the bucket, allowing the dirt to spill away.
Repeat this process until the floor looks fresh. Of course, the cleaning process can vary depending on the type of flooring you have.
A: It is not ideal to use ceramic tiles for wet room flooring, but they are better suited to the walls of a wet room. The main issue with ceramic is that it is not waterproof.
A: Though there aren’t major differences in the two designs, walk-in showers tend to come with a glass screen or two and a shower tray that is located at a low level.
A: In general, wet rooms add a few percent of value to a property and sometimes more, depending on the quality of the wet room, among other factors.
