Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jul 08, 2022 2:08 am Hi Guys, Trying to wrap my head around recessing wet areas. Why is the wet area Slab recessed at all? Can't you achieve a flush bathroom and hallway without recessing the wet area. So assuming I am doing tiles as my flooring for the whole house, why does the wet area need to be recessed at all? So the whole house has a level slab (bathroom & rest of the house) Wouldn't they just screed the bathroom and the main floor area the same height (let's say 30mm screed) and then tile on top of screed (tile is 10mm), that's total 40mm. So it will be 40mm height for both bathroom and hallway, which means everything would be flush? I see some plans have a 40mm recessed wet area, which is like a step down of 40mm...but wouldn't that mean after you do screed and add the tile in this 40mm ditch, it will be level with the main concrete sub floor? Sorry, as I might have the wrong end of the stick here ? Just don't get why it needs to be recessed? Or is the recessing only really required when you choose a different flooring to that of your bathroom? Any help.on this matter is appreciated Thanks Re: Recessed wet areas - help please 2Jul 08, 2022 7:07 am you would not normally screed the rest of the house, only the bathroom, the 40mm allows for the fall in the bathroom, you can do it with less depending on the bathroom size but it will give a decent thickness screed bed Re: Recessed wet areas - help please 3Jul 08, 2022 9:32 am Right, i see. I was always under the assumption that the main floor also required a screed bed (was told by a tiler screeding was needed). If you don't screed the main area, then it makes sense now recessing the wet areas. So just clarify, if someone decided to do lets say, engineered timber as main flooring, is this how it would work? Engineered timber 15mm Glue 3mm --------------------------------------- Total height for flooring is 18mm So wet area needs to be recessed Lets assume bathroom is 30mm screed + 10mm tile. Would this mean they need to recess wet area by 22 mm? This leaves a 18 mm height from slab, so when the engineered timber is glued, it will be flush? Is this how it works? (I always see on plans that recessed wet areas are like 40mm?, does this mean the screed bed is 48mm + 10mm tile, which would give 18mm height so engineered timber is flush?) Thanks Re: Recessed wet areas - help please 4Jul 08, 2022 12:20 pm ![]() Hi Guys, Trying to wrap my head around recessing wet areas. Why is the wet area Slab recessed at all? Can't you achieve a flush bathroom and hallway without recessing the wet area. So assuming I am doing tiles as my flooring for the whole house, why does the wet area need to be recessed at all? So the whole house has a level slab (bathroom & rest of the house) Wouldn't they just screed the bathroom and the main floor area the same height (let's say 30mm screed) and then tile on top of screed (tile is 10mm), that's total 40mm. So it will be 40mm height for both bathroom and hallway, which means everything would be flush? I see some plans have a 40mm recessed wet area, which is like a step down of 40mm...but wouldn't that mean after you do screed and add the tile in this 40mm ditch, it will be level with the main concrete sub floor? Sorry, as I might have the wrong end of the stick here ? Just don't get why it needs to be recessed? Or is the recessing only really required when you choose a different flooring to that of your bathroom? Any help.on this matter is appreciated Thanks Rookie Your question is a good one. Yes you can screed your whole house. We do this and in fact I am doing this in my duplexes. The only issue is that you will lose some floor to ceiling height throughout your living areas. This is probably more a custom home thing rather than a project home practice as screeding does cost more money but it gives you an amazing finish to lay either tiles or floating flooring on. So yes it is a very valid question Cheers Simeon Architectural Homes & Duplexes - specialising in custom designing homes to your budget Get a Free Onsite Consultation Today or send a PM for information, questions or advice. Re: Recessed wet areas - help please 5Jul 08, 2022 12:33 pm I believe the recess in bathrooms comes from the requirement that tiles can't be flat there as there should be some angle for the water to drain. Same applies to the shower area. So ideally it will be two levels - one set of tiles inclined towards the bathroom drain and then another set of the tiles inclined even further down towards the shower drain. In fact, if you do not use tiles in the bathroom and use waterproof laminate, the same concept still applies, but a bit easier to achieve with the floating floor. Personally, I would only use tiles in the living areas when they have an underfloor heating under them. All sorted guys. Just needed to buy a blade with the correct bush. Dunno how to delete this post, can't find any help file. Cheers. 1 3910 i had the my concreters concrete right up to the fence. I have pits all along my path, so the water tends to drain away from the house and into the pits. There's only one… 7 13519 All 3 items listed are defects and are of concern. Please seek qualified independent inspector and/or legal advice for your state. 1 8513 ![]() |