The Differences between a Walk in Shower and a Wet Room

What's better, a walk in shower or a wet room?

The question is; what is right for you?

However there are some factors that you also have to consider?  The biggest difference, fundamentally, is often all to do with space. 

A wet room will often be an open-plan space, which means that it can be used effectively to make a safe and easy way to enter and exit a bathroom space. For older people who may not be so nimble or steady on their feet, this can be helpful.  The additional space also has, obvious, benefits for wheelchair users as well. 

A walk-in shower might have what’s called a shower tray, which will help to contain the water and funnel it down a basic drain. However, the wet room operates a little differently, having what we would call a former. This is buried in the floor and has a slight inward slope where water is collected and then sent away either by a pump or gravity. 

So What are the Other Differences Between a Walk-In Shower and a Wet Room

When it comes to a shower, we’ve all seen the basic design. You have an enclosed area which is often waterproof and a drain. The shower tray can often form a small puddle in some cases. 

There is much more to consider when installing an accessible shower than just space.  We will have hand rails to help with your stability and prevent falls.  There may also be a seat in the shower for those that are either very unsteady on their feet or struggle standing for long periods of time.   We will also normally install a scald resistant shower head and easy to use controls.

In addition to all of the safety functions mentioned above, hand rails, anti scold controls, seats etc, wet rooms can provide you with additional benefits.  For example when it comes to wet room flooring, there is obviously no step whatsoever making much more accessible for wheelchair users or those that need help bathing.  Furthermore, the flooring is often curved up against a wall. This is usually 100mm and is welded at the seams to create a completely waterproof space.  At Parish bathrooms we also install non-slip flooring in wet rooms to reduce the likelihood of a fall or a slip.

It depends on the situation in question, but there are definitely pros and cons to each option. However, it is possible to design an accessible bathroom for individual mobility needs.

Accessible Bathroom Design - Making it Beautiful

One of the common misconceptions is that an accessible bathroom that has been adapted to accommodate someone’s mobility issues will look like a ‘hospital bathroom’.  This is absolutely not the case and at Parish Bathrooms our project managers will design a beautiful bathroom that will a pleasure to spend time in and add value to your home.

Naturally, there are a couple of differences between a walk-in shower and a wet room. The design will obviously be different, but the way water is collected will also vary. It’s important to pick the offering which is going to best accommodate your mobility needs and allow you to live independently in your home.

Space is less of an issue than people often think.  Our Project Manager are very skilled at designing a bathroom that not only accommodates your mobility needs but is also a pleasant place to spend time and a beautiful addition to your home.

You’ve got a lot of choices. At Parish Bathrooms we designed and built accessible bathrooms to accommodate all types of mobility issues.  Whether you are just not so steady on your feet anymore or whether you are a wheelchair user who needs support whilst bathing there are a selection of different options to accommodate your mobility needs.

Having the right kind of setup for your needs is vital for keeping you safe and enabling you to live independently in your own home. 

About Parish Bathrooms

Parish Bathrooms are a local independent company that installs bathrooms for people who have mobility issues or disabilities which make bathing difficult.  We provide a free consultation to discuss the options available to you to help keep you safe whilst bathing and enable you to live as independently as possible in your own home.

We are located in Salisbury and Southampton and mainly operate from Bournemouth in the west to Portsmouth and up to Andover and Winchester.

If your need help adapting your bathroom to accommodate your mobility needs then please contact us either using the form below of calling us free on 0800 211 8204