Ceramic Tiling
Watertightness, wet zones and choosing the right covering kit
Tile and grout slow water down; the membrane beneath stops it. How BBV maps watertightness by wet zone and matches the membrane kit to the wall it's on.
Why this matters to you
The tile is the surface you see; the membrane beneath is what actually keeps you dry — matched to the wall it's on.
- Watertightness mapped by wet zone, like the waterproofing rules
- The membrane kit matched to substrate and zone
- No membrane type used where it isn't approved
It's worth being blunt about this: ceramic tile and grout are water-resistant, not waterproof. They slow water down, but the watertight membrane beneath them is what actually keeps a wet room dry. BBV's watertightness rules are all about that membrane.
All ceramic surfaces
BBV sets requirements for all ceramic surfaces in a wet room — not just the shower wall. Every tiled surface sits within the waterproofing scheme, so water has no easy route to the structure anywhere.
Wet zones
As with the waterproofing rules, a wet room is divided into wet zone 1 (the most exposed areas, around the bath and shower and the floor) and wet zone 2 (the rest). The zone determines how demanding the watertightness requirement is for each surface.
Choosing the covering kit
The watertight covering kit (the membrane system under the tile) is chosen by substrate and zone. The rules are specific — for example, in a board construction, a boards-with-watertight-membrane system is allowed in wet zone 2 but not in wet zone 1, whereas liquid-based and foil-sheet systems are allowed in both; in solid (concrete/masonry) construction, all types are allowed in both zones. The point is that no membrane type is used where it hasn't been proven for that wall and that exposure.
What M5 brings to Dubai
We map the zones, then choose a membrane kit matched to your walls and floor — so the tile you chose for its looks is sitting on a system chosen for its performance. Beautiful on the surface, watertight underneath.
Official source: this is M5's plain-language summary, not the official text. For the full rules see Byggkeramikrådet (BKR) — bkr.se.
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