A primary bathroom remodel usually starts with a few obvious decisions. Tile. Vanity. Fixtures. Maybe a soaking tub.
But one choice can change the entire room: Do you build a traditional enclosed shower, or turn part of the bathroom into a wet room?
Wet rooms have become more common because they create a more open look and make curbless entry easier to incorporate. Traditional showers still have advantages, especially when it comes to water containment, warmth, privacy, and simpler maintenance.
Many people can agree that climate adds another consideration. An open tiled shower area can feel very different on a cold January morning than an enclosed shower.
Neither option is automatically better. The right choice depends on your bathroom’s size, how you use the space, how much maintenance you want, and whether accessibility is part of the long-term plan.
In this article:
A wet room is a bathroom layout where the shower is designed as part of a larger waterproofed area instead of sitting inside a conventional shower enclosure.
Some wet rooms are completely open. Others place the shower and bathtub together behind a large glass panel while leaving the vanity and toilet outside the wet area.
The main difference is usually the floor. Instead of stepping over a shower curb, you move across a continuous or nearly continuous surface that slopes toward the drain.
That open layout can make a primary bathroom feel larger and less divided. It can also work well when the tub and shower share the same waterproofed area.
The tradeoff is that more of the room may be exposed to water. Showerhead placement, drainage, towel storage, nearby cabinetry, and the location of other fixtures all matter. If water regularly reaches areas you would rather keep dry, the open design can quickly become frustrating.
A traditional shower keeps most of the water inside a defined enclosure.
That might be a tiled shower with a curb, frameless glass, or even a curbless shower that still separates the shower from the rest of the room.
You do not need a full wet room to have a low- or zero-threshold shower. For some homeowners, a curbless traditional shower offers the accessibility they want while keeping water contained.
A more enclosed shower can also hold warmth better and keep the rest of the bathroom dry. That may be especially useful when two people regularly use the primary bathroom at the same time. There is also more privacy. One person can shower while someone else uses the vanity without the entire bathroom feeling like one open wet area.
Wet rooms get a lot of attention for aging in place because they can eliminate the raised curb at the shower entrance.
That can make the space easier to use if stepping over a threshold becomes difficult later. But a wet room is not the only way to plan ahead.
A traditional shower can also include:
- A zero- or low-threshold entrance
- A wider opening
- A built-in or fold-down bench
- A handheld shower fixture
- Controls placed within easier reach
- Slip-resistant flooring
- Blocking behind the walls for future grab bars
This gives homeowners more flexibility.
If you prefer the water containment and warmth of an enclosed shower, you can still design it with long-term accessibility in mind. The same idea applies to the rest of the bathroom. Clear walking space, good lighting, reachable storage, and enough room around fixtures can matter just as much as the shower style itself.
Every tiled shower needs proper waterproofing.
A wet room simply increases the area where waterproofing becomes especially important.
Water may reach a larger portion of the floor and surrounding walls than it would in an enclosed shower. The floor also has to direct water toward the drain without leaving low spots where water sits.
That makes the work behind the tile just as important as the tile you see.
A continuous tile floor can create a clean, open look, but the floor still has to provide traction and work with the required slope. Tile size, texture, grout joints, drain location, and installation all play a role. The biggest tile in the showroom is not automatically the best choice for a wet-room floor.
An open shower area may also feel cooler because there is less glass around you to hold warmth.
That matters more in Minnesota than it might in a warmer climate. Heated flooring is one option homeowners may want to discuss during a larger primary bathroom remodel. It is not required for a wet room, but warming a larger tiled area can make the bathroom more comfortable during the colder months.
This is one of those decisions that is much easier to make before the floor is installed than after the remodel is complete.
There is not a universal winner here.
A wet room may have less shower glass, fewer tracks, and fewer enclosure edges to clean.
On the other hand, more of the bathroom floor may get wet.
That can mean more tile and grout to wipe down and more surface area exposed to soap residue and mineral buildup.
A traditional shower keeps most of that water inside one smaller area. The tradeoff is cleaning glass panels, doors, and hardware.
So the better question is:
Which kind of maintenance would you rather deal with?
If cleaning shower glass bothers you, a more open wet room may be appealing.
If you would rather keep water confined to one defined area, a traditional shower may be easier to live with.
They can be. A curbless entrance removes the step into the shower, and the open layout can provide more room to move. The rest of the design still matters, including slip-resistant flooring, good lighting, reachable controls, and enough clear space to use the bathroom comfortably.
Yes. A traditional shower can be designed with a zero-threshold or very low-threshold entrance while still using glass to contain water. This can be a good middle ground for homeowners who want easier access without creating a full wet room.
Not necessarily. Wet rooms may have less shower glass and hardware to clean, but a larger area of the floor and walls can get wet. A traditional shower keeps water and soap residue in a smaller area, although the enclosure itself requires cleaning.
They can feel cooler than an enclosed shower because there is less glass around you to hold warmth. For a Twin Cities bathroom, homeowners may want to consider heated floors, good ventilation, and the overall size and placement of the shower when planning an open wet-room layout.
A well-designed wet room can appeal to buyers who like open layouts and accessible bathroom features, but it is not a guaranteed way to increase resale value. Proper waterproofing, a practical layout, and good workmanship are more important than choosing a wet room simply because it is popular.
Yes. Because water can reach a larger portion of the room, the floor and surrounding wet areas need a properly designed waterproofing and drainage system. The slope of the floor, drain placement, and installation behind the tile are especially important.
Willet’s current remodeling cost guide places Twin Cities bathroom remodels at about $30,000 to $85,000+. Their published ranges are approximately $30,000–$40,000 for a refresh, $40,000–$60,000 for a mid-range remodel, and $60,000–$85,000+ for a higher-end bathroom with features such as custom tile, heated floors, premium fixtures, or layout changes. A larger primary bathroom with a wet room, extensive waterproofing, plumbing changes, or custom finishes could fall toward the upper end or beyond it.
Willet Remodeling & Construction can help you compare layouts, materials, accessibility options, and the practical details that come with each approach. Start planning your bathroom remodel with our team.