Designing and Installing a Luxury Wet Room in Dublin

ot only do wetrooms look super stylish, they can also increase the value of your home. Wetrooms are a fantastic option for a smaller space…they are also easier to clean too! In addition to installing luxury bathrooms for the people of Dublin and its surrounding areas, at Ripples Bathrooms, we also design and install wetrooms. Find out how one of our recent projects turned out by reading on below…

The Brief

The below were the client’s requests prior to the build:

• Toilet: Toilet to be fitted off the floor for ease of cleaning and to give the effect of more floor space.

We took this request on board and gave the client exactly what they wanted.

• Basin: The basin was to be fitted into a unit with visible storage underneath it.

We fitted the basin into a unit that is shared with the toilet unit, eliminating the need for a separate vanity unit.

• Mirror: Have a large mirror over the sink.

We fitted a large mirror flush with the tiles which gave a feeling of less clutter on the walls. We also continued the mirror over the toilet.

• Towel Holder: Towel holder beside the sink for ease of use.

After designing the room, the best place for the new basin was to be fitted beside the wetroom glass panel, this left very little room for a towel holder to be fitted to the wall without fitting something that would only clutter the area. We came up with a solution and had the wetroom screen built with the towel holder fitted to it. This made a nice clean feature while giving the client what they wanted.

• Shower bottle holder: Have a bottle holder in the shower so that no bottles are on the floor.

We built a recess into the wall to house all the bottles, eliminating the need for any stainless steel wire baskets, again keeping the area clean and streamline.

The Build

The first step involved was stripping the wall back to the bare studs. We then centred out three areas that the client wanted some pigeon holes built into, with LED spots fitted over each of them. Our electrician wired all three lights together and onto an independent switch – this allows the client to use the lighting either as a feature or as mood lighting.

Tiling:

Tiling begins with 20mm thick 600 /400mm Crème Marfil Spanish marble and mixed marble mosaics in the pigeon holes, we also used a 15mm flat-edged Chrome tile trim around the edging to give a classy finish. When using a marble or natural stone tile the job can take up to twice as long to complete. This is down to the tiles weight and cutting process. Due to the weight of the tiles they can’t be laid on top of each other on the same day as the weight will push down and possibly bow the pattern.

The cutting process is also a longer process, as stone and natural stone can only be cut using a wet-saw, whereas ceramic or porcelain tiles can be cut with a manual tile cutter.  A wet-saw is a large electronic table saw built to cut stone and to leave a factory finish cut. Tiles like this should only be grouted after they have been sealed with stone or marble stain and water seal.  A wet-saw, due to its size, has to remain outside, unlike a manual tile cutter which can be left in the bathroom to cut the tiles, which speeds up the cutting process.

Tiling completed and lighting fitted

Tiles are fully laid and grouted with lighting completed. Tiles will now receive a second layer of stain and water proof sealer.

Flexible tanking system fitted in wet area before tiles

This is the wetroom area. The bottom half is tanked with 2 coats, 24hrs before tiling begins. This is to allow drying. The top half is also tanked.

Our tanking system is a flexible rubberised membrane that is applied directly onto the plasterboard dry lining. The complete area gets a first coat while in the corners and around the pipes there is a rubberised bandage used to fuse all areas together. This process is repeated after two hours to ensure all areas are water tight. This work is very important in wetrooms & bathrooms, as once an area is tanked correctly water cannot escape, even if it gets behind the tiles.

Unit built for sink and housing for toilet-enclosed cistern

Here we built a timber stud unit around our basin and concealed toilet cistern unit. This was then finished with plasterboards in order to enable us to start tiling.  On the underside of the basin area we built another large recessed pigeon hole which will house larger items like bath towels. We then put a false top that allows full access and servicing to the basin and toilet piping, if required.

Tiling begins

Tiling begins in this area now. As you can see from the pictures, the tiles are very heavy and require extra support to keep them level. An area like this takes time and effort ensuring tiles are cut to the perfect angles.

The End Result

Tiles have been polished and sealed and the wetroom suite has been fitted.  The wetroom is now ready for use and all the client’s requests have been met.

Want to create your dream wetroom but not sure where to start? Call Ripples at 01 969 6705 for some expert advice and take advantage of the opportunity to renovate your bathroom with the elegant accessories from our brochures.