Wet Room Tanking - Key Considerations

Tanking a wet room is the process needed to make a wet room waterproof and it is vital this is done with an appropriate product which will stand the test of time. This blog considers the factors which are important when deciding which tanking product is suitable to use when constructing wet rooms.

The Tanking System (Waterproofing System) used must be specifically designed for wet rooms. Normally these products consist of a rubber like paste with extra reinforcing tapes, sleeves and cloaks for wall to floor junctions, pipe penetrations and corners to ensure that there is no chance of any leakage from these weaker points in the wet room construction.

The specific conditions present in a wet room environment require that the product used must be:-

Flexible

Walls and floors have a certain amount of movement and the wet room tanking (waterproofing) system used must not crack with this movement otherwise leaks will occur.

Highly Temperature Stable

Any tanking product used must be able to withstand the wide variations of temperature which occur in a wet room shower environment, especially where underfloor heating is to be used.

Breathable

Buildings need to breathe to allow water vapour to pass in and out of their structure in a natural manner. If water vapour is not allowed to escape the structure, for instance when it meets a non-breathable membrane it will condense into water and can cause the normal problems associated with damp such as degradation of tile adhesive and mould growth.

Wet Room Tanking - Quality and Suitability Guarantees

To be sure that the product you are planning to use to tank your wet room has the above mentioned properties look for the CE marking, it should be clearly visible on the container your tanking product is supplied in. Within the European Union such systems should conform to ETAG 22. -Watertight covering kits for wetroom floors and/or walls." and will have their own ETA "European Technical Approval" number.

DIY Wet Room  Tanking or Professional Wet Room Tanking - Which to Choose

When considering whether to tank your wet room yourself or hire in the professionals be very honest about your DIY abilities. While it is perfectly possible to successfully tank your own wet room by following the suppliers guidelines to the letter, (Tanking Sequence) if you know you aren't the careful, precise type you would be well advised to leave the job to a professional wet room installer.

To find out the amount of  waterproofing/ tanking materials you require to tank your wet room please refer to our  Wetroom Waterproofing Material Calculations Guide which will open as a pdf in a new window.