If you’re considering vinyl flooring for wet rooms, this post is for you. It’s packed with things you should know before installing wet room flooring, so you’ll know what to look out for before hiring a professional to do the job properly for you. Whether you’re looking for luxury wet room flooring or an affordable wet room flooring option, these tips will help ensure the job is completed correctly. So keep reading to make sure you’ve got all of the information you need, so you don’t end up with a bathroom floor leak.
Product Suitability for Wet Room Flooring
This is the most important thing to make sure of before selecting your preferred vinyl for your wet room flooring. You need to ensure it’s suitable for use in a wet room, as many aren’t. You need to ensure it’s labelled as suitable for wet rooms / high-moisture areas. Standard vinyl flooring is water-resistant, but it’s not fully waterproof. This could be a costly mistake if you make the wrong choice when researching vinyl flooring for wet rooms.
If you’re opting for under floor heating in your wet room, you’ll need to ensure the vinyl’s waterproof rating isn’t affected by heat, too. (There are wet room vinyl floor options designed for use with under floor heating – don’t choose one which isn’t rated as compatible).
Floor Preparation When Installing Vinyl Flooring for Wet Rooms
Choosing a waterproof vinyl floor isn’t enough to ensure your wet room flooring will be watertight. You’ll also need to ensure damp proof membrane has been applied to the necessary surfaces, and that the subfloor is completely smooth, to prevent tears or leaks over time.
Some people opt to install Wet Room trays designed for vinyl floor, as an extra precaution. This is a good idea if the wet room isn’t for someone with accessibility concerns
Seams, Joints and Edges
When installing wet room flooring, seams, joints and edges are often leak risk-points. It’s worth ensuring ahead of time that your installer will be using welded joins or sealed edges, to minimise the risk of a bathroom floor leak.
Safety First
When considering vinyl flooring for wet rooms, it’s essential you remember that this floor will end up with soap, shampoo, conditioner and more on it. This means it has the potential to become VERY slippery. With that in mind, it’ll come as no surprise that you need to ensure you choose a wet room vinyl floor which offers some grip, to prevent accidents. Look for floorings which have an appropriate slip rating for bathrooms.
Durability and Maintenance of Your Wet Room Vinyl Floor
Decent wet room vinyl floor will have a good wear-layer. (This is the thick / hard-wearing layer on the top of the flooring). You can help extend the lifespan of your wet room flooring by ensuring you always use mild, pH-neutral floor cleaners, and avoid using harsh chemicals like bleach on your floor. This can corrode the seals around drains, in particular.
Ventilation in Your Wet Room
Most people assume ventilation is only important when it comes to mould in wet rooms and bathrooms, but this is simply not true. Good ventilation is also essential to prevent condensation happening underneath your wet room flooring.
Any high humidity room can lead to condensation and damp, especially internal bath or wet rooms, without decent windows or ventilation. With this in mind, it’s important to install (and use) an extraction fan, which is adequate for the space it’s being installed in.
Fixture and Drain Compatibility
If your wet rooms won’t have a shower tray, you’ll need to ensure the vinyl is installed correctly around all of the room’s drains, slopes, plumbing. This needs to be properly integrated with waterproofing systems, to prevent leaks down the line. You’ll need to make sure your floor installer works alongside a local plumber to ensure all chosen fixtures and fittings are correctly integrated and designed for use in wet rooms.
Warranty and Manufacturer Compliance
In order for the warranty on your wet room flooring to be valid, it needs to be installed according to the manufacturer’s guidelines. I personally would only ever use a professional floor layer, who is experienced with wet-rooms and vinyl to install a wet room floor, as a DIY job could potentially invalidate the warranty, or even void any home insurance claims, down the line.
Other Potential Causes of a Bathroom Floor Leak
The final thing to ensure doesn’t happen in your wet room, is standing water or puddles. If the sub-floor doesn’t allow all of the water to flow straight into the drain, the vinyl’s wear-layer will quickly become worn out. The same applies around the drain too. This area will have had sealant applied, but if your drain is blocked with hair or other items, any standing water or products could corrode the seals.
Final Thoughts
So there you have it – nine things to consider when considering vinyl for your wet room. Do let me know in the comments if these tips have been helpful, or if you’ve had any issues with your wet room flooring.
