Wet Room Bathroom Styles & DesignsWet Room style bathrooms are a hot trend in Australia right now, and for many good reasons. It’s a trend that's not disappearing anytime soon. In this article, we explain what a wet room is, the different styles of wet room bathroom design commonly seen in Australia, and the Pros and Cons of wet rooms.  Open Shower in Nashua NSW by Northern Rivers Bathroom Renovations What is a Wet Room?With its design roots from Japan, a traditional wet room would usually be two rooms. The first room, known as an entrance room, is used for undressing/ dressing and would also have a bathroom vanity/sink. The 2nd room would be the actual bathroom consisting of a shower and a deep bathtub. The toilet would be separate from these two rooms. In Australia, we don’t usually see the traditional Japanese style wet room, but rather we see many versions of wet room type bathrooms, especially in the bathroom renovation industry where the renovator is often limited by the existing room size and accessibility to existing plumbing. A wet room is a bathroom in which the shower is open (might have a partial screen but not fully enclosed) and its floor area is flush with the rest of the room. The following wet room bathrooms are the three most common wet room designs we see in Australia.
0 Comments
A Practical, Budget-Friendly Laundry RenovationA multi-functional laundry room gets a makeover to up-date it's look and to turn it's under-utilised space into a practical and stylish laundry. Before the renovation by Northern Rivers Bathrooms, the laundry room consisted of a built-in cupboard in one end of the room, and an old metal laundry tub cabinet in the other end. There was no bench space for folding and sorting clothes.  Laundry Renovation in Clunes NSW by Northern Rivers Bathroom Renovations  Removing Mould From Your BathroomBLEACH Okay, so most people when they have mould problems immediately reach for bleach, ammonia or marketed products such as Exit Mould. The trouble with these products is that they simply DO NOT KILL MOULD. You see mould/fungi contain melanin which gives it it’s colour. Bleach or bleach type products just removes the colour out of the mould. So effectively, bleach just masks the mould giving you the illusion of a mould free bathroom but the mould is still actually there, alive and growing. The other problems with harsh chemicals like bleach and Domestos is that it will harm your grout. Not only have these chemicals been known to remove the colour from grout but they will also weaken the grout’s structure. VINEGAR Vinegar is a great natural product when wanting to destroy or prevent mould growth. However it should be used with caution. Vinegar penetrates the structure of mould and causes it to explode, which kills the mould. Make your own vinegar solution from white vinegar using 70% parts vinegar and 30% part water. (Source: Dr Heike Neumeister-Kemp, Mycologist/mould expert). The trouble with using vinegar as your go to cleaner is that it is an acid cleaner. Over time the acid in the vinegar will weaken the structure of your grout. If you must use vinegar we suggest to only use vinegar to kill mould initially, then only use it occasionally to keep mould at bay. Never use vinegar as your daily/weekly cleaner. We approached ARDEX, an Australian grout manufacturer, about what type of cleaner should be used on grout. Here is what they had to say. "Domestic and some commercial cleaners contain acidic components (such as Phosphoric Acid and METHYLATED SPIRITS Methylated Spirits is the all round hero cleaner for your bathroom. When it comes to killing mould, methylated spirits works the same way as vinegar. It penetrates the mould spores and makes the mould explode. (Source: Dr Heike Neumeister-Kemp, Mycologist/mould expert). The best part about methylated spirits is that it is a neutral cleaner. This means it is safe to use on most surfaces in your bathroom, including grout. Methylated spirits is safe to use on glass, sinks, chrome taps, ceramic, stone, marble and grout. (Do not use on painted or varnished surfaces). Another positive about methylated spirits is that it is readily bio-degradable, meaning that it breaks down quickly and naturally. It is safe for the environment. To effectively kill mould, make your own methylated spirits cleaning solution with 80% parts methylated spirits and 20% part water.  How to Prevent Mould Growth in your new |
| Tiles Tiles are one of those finishes that can really blow out your bathroom renovation costs. This is because there are many different types and quality of tiles and the purchase price plus labor cost involved to lay can vary greatly. For example; materials and labor involved for floor to ceiling tiles will cost more compared to just a skirting tile and tiled shower area. Or even the tile type you choose; rectified or large format tiles take longer to lay plus they use more glue to achieve their flat, seamless finish, increasing both material and labor costs. |  Rectified Tiles on walls and floor. |
Vanity Units
Cost can change considerably depending on whether you choose something off the display room floor or out of a catalogue compared to if you want a one-of custom-made piece. Also, the material type can greatly impact on price. Timber is a popular choice at the moment, however it will cost a great deal more than Laminex or two pack. Bench top types is another cost that can vary greatly. Vitrified China tops are a great choice for a low budget bathroom, stone bench top for a medium budget and timber or concrete for a high-end budget.
Cost can change considerably depending on whether you choose something off the display room floor or out of a catalogue compared to if you want a one-of custom-made piece. Also, the material type can greatly impact on price. Timber is a popular choice at the moment, however it will cost a great deal more than Laminex or two pack. Bench top types is another cost that can vary greatly. Vitrified China tops are a great choice for a low budget bathroom, stone bench top for a medium budget and timber or concrete for a high-end budget.
 Vitrified China Top |  Stone Bench Top |
Tapware
Tapware is another item that can make a huge difference to your final bathroom cost. Budget tapware starts under $100 and can jump up into the thousands for high end tapware.
Tapware is another item that can make a huge difference to your final bathroom cost. Budget tapware starts under $100 and can jump up into the thousands for high end tapware.
 Image Source: Reece Bathrooms. Posh Bristol Shower Set $85.90 |  Image Source: Reece Bathrooms. Milli Pure Progressive Shower Mixer $3310.00 |
As you can see, it can be difficult to judge how much your bathroom renovation will cost without a detailed quote. It is important for homeowners to make sure the quotes they are getting compares apples with apples, so to speak. What is in one quote needs to be in the other quote, of the same quality and quantity for the quotes to be a fair comparison.
View actual Bathroom Renovations with approximate Cost provided in our Gallery.
Northern Rivers Bathroom Renovations are specialist bathroom renovators, providing a complete bathroom renovation service in and around Ballina, Lennox Head, Bangalow, Clunes, Goonellabah, Lismore, Alstonville and Wollongbar.
WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO NOW?
NRBR TEAM
Meet Julian & Shanna Driussi, a husband and wife team with over 25 years of experience in the building & renovation industry. Sharing their knowledge and passion for bathroom renovations.
Archives
February 2020
January 2020
May 2019
February 2019
October 2018
Categories
All
Bathroom Cleaning
Bathroom Designs
Bathroom Renovation Costs
Colour Palettes
RSS Feed
