The popularity of wet rooms has increased dramatically over recent years, with busy lives leading to the preference for taking quick showers rather than long, relaxing baths. However, this doesn’t mean that style has to go out of the window. Wet rooms can create a striking impression with the clever use of glass partitions, niche shelving, and a range of tiling designs.
Installing a wet room requires careful planning and preparation to ensure a versatile space is created, utilising the available area to its full potential—something that is essential in small or awkwardly shaped rooms.
The biggest concern when installing a wet room is ensuring the area is fully waterproof. The building materials commonly used in these areas, such as plasterboard, plywood, MDF, softwood, blockwork, and concrete, are all highly susceptible to water and excessive moisture. Protecting both walls and floors before tiling is essential, as the failure to achieve a totally watertight seal behind these areas will almost certainly lead to water leakage and expensive damage.
The Aquaseal Wet Room System Tanking Kit is a comprehensive solution designed to make the installation of wet rooms as straightforward and simple as possible. It contains everything needed to provide a permanently flexible, watertight membrane prior to tiling, including a Primer, Tanking Tape, Tanking Membrane, and drain mat. With this kit, you can be confident that you have all the necessary components for a successful installation.
Remember, achieving a permanently waterproof seal is a crucial part of wet room installation. By following the four easy steps, you can ensure that your wet room is fully protected against water and moisture.
Step 1
Apply the ready-to-use primer by brush to all porous and semi-porous surfaces in the areas to be waterproofed. It is quick-drying and can be overcoated in just one hour.
Step 2
All corner joints, board joints, and pipe penetrations must be covered with the self-adhesive butyl-backed Waterproof Tanking Tape to provide a watertight seal that accommodates cross-directional movement. First, apply the tape to all corners and roll firm. Second, apply to base joints with at least a 5mm overlap over corner tape. Third, apply the tape to vertical joints, again ensuring an overlap with the horizontal tape. Finally, use the tape to seal all pipe entries.
Step 3
Fix the self-adhesive Drain Mat, which is capable of coping with board movement around the drain outlet.
Step 4
Apply the first coat of the ready-to-use Tanking Membrane with a brush (sized 3 inches plus) using horizontal strokes to provide a permanently flexible waterproof membrane. Ensure the Tanking Membrane is applied generously and covers the Drain Mat and the Tanking Tape. Once the first coat is dry, after a minimum of 6 hours, apply a second generous coat by brush, ensuring the strokes are vertical, to create a permanent waterproof barrier with a thickness of no less than 1mm.
After 12 hours of drying, tiling of the area can commence. It is recommended that a suitable waterproof tile adhesive and waterproof grout be used and that all tiled corner joints be sealed with a waterproof and mould-resistant silicone sealant such as Forever White.
