TARARA GUIDE
What Is a Wet Room?
How wet rooms work, why the waterproofing is everything, and whether one’s right for your home.
A wet room is an open, fully tiled and fully waterproofed bathroom where the shower isn’t boxed off in its own tray or cubicle — the whole floor is sealed and gently sloped to a drain, so water can go anywhere and simply runs away. Done well, it’s sleek, easy to clean and brilliant for accessibility. But because the entire room becomes a wet area, there’s zero room for error in the waterproofing. Here’s how they work, and the honest pros and cons, from a tiler who waterproofs and tiles them.
How a wet room actually works
The idea is simple; the execution is exacting. Instead of containing the water in a shower tray or enclosure, a wet room treats the whole floor as the shower base. That means three things have to be right, together:
- The waterproofing. The entire floor — and the lower walls — are sealed with a continuous waterproofing membrane, because water is no longer confined to one corner.
- The falls. The floor is laid with a gentle, deliberate slope (the “falls”) towards a drain, so water always runs the right way instead of pooling.
- The tiling. Everything is tiled over that sealed, sloped base, with the drain integrated neatly into the floor.
Get those three working together and you have a room where you can shower anywhere and the water just disappears. Get any one of them wrong and you have a leak in the worst possible place — the whole floor.
Why waterproofing is everything in a wet room
In a normal bathroom, the shower is the main wet zone. In a wet room, the entire room is the wet zone — so the waterproofing isn’t just important, it’s the whole thing holding the room together. There’s no tray as a backstop; the membrane and the falls are what keep water out of the structure. This is why a wet room is the last place to cut corners on the hidden work.
It’s also a New Zealand Building Code matter. Waterproofing of wet areas is a Code requirement, and in a wet room there’s simply more of it to get right. As an approved PS3 Producer Statement author, Marko can waterproof the room to the Code and, for eligible projects, document it — giving you, your builder and the council confidence the job was done correctly. Our waterproofing page explains the standard we work to.
Marko’s tip: “A wet room is the ultimate test of waterproofing, because the whole floor is the shower. There’s no tray to save you. I treat the membrane and the falls as the real job and the tiles as the finish on top — because in a wet room, if the water can’t find the drain, it finds your framing instead.”
The pros
- A sleek, open, modern look. No shower screen or step to break up the room — clean, continuous and spacious, especially with large-format tiles.
- Easy to clean. Fewer enclosures, trays and awkward corners mean fewer places for mould and grime to hide.
- Excellent for accessibility. A level, step-free floor makes a wet room one of the best options for ageing-in-place or wheelchair access.
- Great for small or awkward spaces. Removing the cubicle can make a tight bathroom feel bigger and use the space more flexibly.
The cons — the honest side
- The waterproofing has to be perfect. The upside of “water goes anywhere” is also the risk — the whole floor must be sealed and fall correctly, so it’s not a job for shortcuts or an inexperienced installer.
- The rest of the room gets wetter. With no enclosure, more of the room is exposed to spray, so ventilation and where you put the toilet, towels and storage need thinking through.
- Falls take skill to get right. Setting a floor that drains properly across the whole room — not just near the drain — is precise work. Done poorly, you get pooling.
- It’s a full wet-area build. A wet room is more involved than dropping in a standard shower, so it’s best planned as part of a proper bathroom project.
Is a wet room right for you?
A wet room is a great fit for a modern ensuite, a small bathroom that needs to feel bigger, or an accessible bathroom that has to be step-free. It’s less essential in a large family bathroom where a standard enclosed shower does the job fine. The deciding factor is rarely the look — it’s whether the waterproofing and falls will be done to a standard you can trust for the life of the room. If you’re weighing one up in Auckland, tell us about your space and we’ll give you honest advice on whether a wet room is the right call, and quote it clearly.
Frequently asked questions
What’s the difference between a wet room and a normal bathroom?
In a normal bathroom the shower is contained in a tray or enclosure; in a wet room the whole floor is sealed, sloped to a drain and open, so water can go anywhere and runs away. It means the entire room is waterproofed, not just the shower corner.
Do wet rooms leak?
Not if they’re built properly. The risk is higher than a standard bathroom because the whole floor is a wet area, so the waterproofing and the falls have to be spot-on. Done by an experienced installer and sealed to the Building Code, a wet room is watertight and lasts.
Do you need special waterproofing for a wet room?
The whole floor and lower walls need a continuous waterproofing membrane, sealed to the New Zealand Building Code. As an approved PS3 author, we can do that and provide a Producer Statement for eligible projects.
Are wet rooms a good idea for small bathrooms?
Often, yes — removing the shower enclosure can make a small or awkward bathroom feel more open and flexible. The waterproofing still has to be done properly, but the open layout suits tight spaces well.
Are wet rooms good for accessibility?
Yes — a level, step-free floor makes a wet room one of the best options for ageing-in-place or wheelchair access, with no tray or step to get over.
Keep reading
More practical tiling guides from Tarara Tiling
How Long Does Waterproofing Take?
The honest timeline — application, curing, and when tiling can start.
Read the guide →Signs Your Bathroom Needs Re-Waterproofing
The warning signs that waterproofing has failed — and what to do next.
Read the guide →Bathroom Renovation: The Complete Tiling Guide
How the tiling fits into a full bathroom renovation, step by step.
Read the guide →Want more like this?
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Thinking about a wet room?
A wet room lives or dies on the waterproofing and the falls — exactly the hidden work we specialise in. Tell us about your bathroom and we’ll give you honest advice on whether a wet room suits your space, plus a free, no-obligation quote.
PS3-approved waterproofing, a 10-year workmanship guarantee, and a 5.0 rating across 20+ Google reviews.