Wet Area
Wet areas refer to areas which are constantly subjected to the presence of moisture. In this context, internal wet areas defines areas like bathrooms, toilets and laundries. Wet areas function well with its sanitary-plumbing system, which include water supply and drainage distribution, thus subjecting it to constant damp state with interchanging dry and wet cycles. Special attention on wet area flooring is required due to its constant exposure to water which may cause unhealthy or hazardous conditions. Most wet area problems have their root lying in the failure to achieve internal watertightness. Waterproofing membranes are applied on the floors and walls in order to make the wet area watertight. Continuity of waterproofing suffers at the pipe penetrations and structural joints between floor and wall. The walls adjacent to fixtures such as the shower also require waterproofing because these fixtures are the source of splashing and seepage of adjacent walls and floors. The annual maintenance cost for wet areas can range from 35% to 50% of the total maintenance cost of a building, thus it is required to consider the maintainability aspects of wet areas at the design stage.