Compared · Wicklow

Wet room or shower tray?

Two ways to get a walk-in shower, side by side: cost, time, the floor and the risk.

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€5,000 to €10,000a wet room
€9,000 to €20,400a walk-in on a low tray
No stepin a wet room
10 to 14 dayson site for a wet room

Real bathrooms

Before and after

Real bathrooms, before and after the work.

Before: A narrow bathroom with a bath under the window, and the same room with a glass walk-in shower — Bath out, walk-in shower in. A narrow bathroom: the bath under the window replaced by a walk-in shower, with a heated towel rail and a vanity unit.

After: A narrow bathroom with a bath under the window, and the same room with a glass walk-in shower — Bath out, walk-in shower in. A narrow bathroom: the bath under the window replaced by a walk-in shower, with a heated towel rail and a vanity unit.

Before: The bathroom stripped to bare brick, and the same room with the shower tray in and the walls tiled — The same room, mid-job. Stripped back to the brick, then a low shower tray, tanking and the walls tiled before the glass goes in.

After: The bathroom stripped to bare brick, and the same room with the shower tray in and the walls tiled — The same room, mid-job. Stripped back to the brick, then a low shower tray, tanking and the walls tiled before the glass goes in.

Before: An old corner basin with cracked tiles, and a new vanity basin with a lit mirror — Basin and vanity. The old corner basin out, a vanity unit with storage and a lit mirror in. The walls are still in primer here.

After: An old corner basin with cracked tiles, and a new vanity basin with a lit mirror — Basin and vanity. The old corner basin out, a vanity unit with storage and a lit mirror in. The walls are still in primer here.

The short answer

Wet room or shower tray?: the short answer

A low shower tray is cheaper and quicker: €9,000 to €20,400 in Wicklow. A wet room costs €5,000 to €10,000 and takes longer, but gives a level floor with no step, which matters for mobility. Both need the shower area tanked; a wet room needs the whole floor tanked and laid to fall to the drain.

Side by side

The two, compared

	Low shower tray	Wet room
Typical cost here	€9,000 to €20,400	€5,000 to €10,000
Step into it	A low lip, about 25 to 45 mm	None
Floor work	Only under the tray	The whole floor laid to a fall
Waterproofing	The shower area	The whole floor and up the walls
Time on site	1 to 2 weeks	10 to 14 days
Upstairs on timber	Straightforward	Joists strengthened and overlaid
Suits	Most homes, most budgets	Mobility needs, a level look, small rooms

Which one

How to choose

Pick a low tray if nobody needs a level floor and you want the lower price and a shorter job.
Pick a wet room if someone uses a wheelchair, a frame or a shower seat, or the room is so small a tray and door won't fit.
Upstairs on timber, a tray is simpler. A wet room can work, but the company needs to see the joists.

Questions

Questions people ask us

Is a wet room more expensive than a shower tray?

Usually, yes. In Wicklow a wet room is €5,000 to €10,000; a walk-in shower on a low tray is €9,000 to €20,400.

Which is easier to keep clean?

A wet room: there's no tray edge and no door track. But the whole floor gets wet, so a fixed screen helps.

Which suits someone with limited mobility?

A level floor with no step, which means a wet room or a level-access shower former set into the floor.

Can I have a wet room upstairs?

Usually, on a strengthened timber floor laid to a fall and fully tanked. A low tray upstairs is simpler.

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