As the popularity of wetrooms continues to grow, more and more of us are installing them into our homes. But how long can you expect a wetroom to last? We take a look at the life expectancy of a wetroom and how to ensure your wetroom never leaks.
Choosing the right materials
You can expect a correctly fitted, high quality wetroom to last for the lifetime of your chosen tiles. But never underestimate the importance of waterproofing. To make sure your wetroom lasts, it needs to be watertight. Make sure that you or your wetroom installer use high quality materials throughout the installation and never scrimp on waterproofing.
Waterproofing
Water leaks are one of the key causes of a damaged wetroom. To ensure your wetroom lasts for as long as possible, you need to make sure that the wetroom area is 100% waterproof.
There are many ways to waterproof, or tank, a wetroom and a variety of different systems and installation methods available. We recommend a “belt and braces” approach. This involves a self adhesive waterproof membrane on the wetroom floor and a liquid membrane on the walls.
Our Tilesure Membrane is a self-adhesive membrane. It consists of a 1.4mm butyl-based waterproof layer, incorporating a woven fabric on one face. This guarantees that your wetroom area is waterproof. Plus, once laid, you can tile over it immediately.
The decoupling properties of Tilesure ensure that any small movements over time are accommodated across the floor substrate. This safeguards your tiles from cracking.
To waterproof the walls of a wetroom, we recommend applying FWM (Flexible Wall Membrane) to the full height of the shower walls. Make sure you overlap onto the Tilesure to provide a waterproof base for wall tiles of any weight to be fixed on to.
Other tanking materials include primers, tape and jointing compounds for edges and corners.
Correct installation of these within the shower/splash area and at least a metre out, will ensure the shower area is fully waterproofed.
Tiling
Tiling styles and personal tastes may well change over the years. If you’re fed up with mosaics and fancy a change, by all means replace them. But always replace the waterproofing membranes to ensure the wetroom remains watertight.
If your property is prone to mould, your wetroom grouting may need replacing after 10 or 15 years. Replacing your tiles will make your wetroom last longer, but it’s important that you replace the waterproofing at the same time, to guarantee the wetroom will remain watertight.
Tiling Adhesives
The size and depth of tiles in your wetroom will have an impact on the height of the grill that you install. The method of applying the tiles is always the same, regardless of the depth or size of the tiles.
Use a rapid-set Flexible Adhesive S1 or C2 with the tiles and always use a 100% bed of adhesive. Do not use the dot and dab method. It doesn’t allow for a full adhesive coverage of the tiles, and gaps and voids will be present. These gaps will allow water to track below the tiles and can cause potential leaks and irreparable damage.
Plumbing
Most homes have a variety of pipes that make up their plumbing. Brass, copper, galvanised steel, cast iron and PVC and these can all play a part in your network of plumbing. In wetrooms, you are most likely to encounter brass or copper pipes. This type of wetroom pipe is likely to last between 50 and 70 years over their natural lifespan.
How long does wetroom lighting last?
The wiring regulations in the UK state: “All fixed electrical installations in dwellings must follow BS 7671:2008 Requirements for Electrical Installations.”
This standard provides guidance on design, installation, testing, verification and certification of electrical installations. These strict regulations mean that wetroom lighting and electronics should last 50 years. It is important to consult a qualified electrician when undertaking any electrical installations in a wetroom.
Sanitaryware and fittings
Depending on your wetroom or bathroom furniture, the life span of your fittings will vary. The primary challenges are damage as a result of moisture. But, you can reduce the effect through treatments and waterproofing solutions. This will make your wetroom furniture, such as shelving, cupboards and other storage last for around 10 years. The life span will vary depending on your ventilation and usage.
The CCL Wetrooms Guarantee
At CCL Wetrooms, we’re so confident in our products, that we offer a lifetime guarantee. With over 30 years experience in waterproofing, our unrivalled track record allows us to lead the way in wetroom design whilst embracing the latest technology. We pride ourselves on providing exceptional customer support.
Explore our comprehensive range of products. We have designed our specialist range to offer a variety of solutions for architects and designers. We strive to overcome the challenges presented by today’s modern floor structures.
