Should I choose a linear drain or standard drain shower base?

Choose by where your drain line already sits in the floor and by how the bather will enter the shower. Ella's standard acrylic bases have a single drain opening molded into the floor in a set left or right position that can never be moved, while the SMC bases carry a linear drain, and the reversible SMC base can be turned so that linear drain lands at either end. If your existing trap matches a standard position, the standard base is the simplest choice; if it does not, What if my existing shower drain does not line up with the Ella base? lays out the four routes, and the reversible linear-drain base is one of them.

What a Standard Drain Base Gives You

Ella manufactures its own acrylic shower bases in three standard sizes, 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches, each with a left or right drain. The drain opening is molded into the floor as the base is made, so it sits in a set position for that size and drain side, and Ella cannot relocate it on request. Most Ella stalls and bases are center drain, and some bases are molded with a left-hand drain only, with no center or right-hand alternative.

That fixed position is the appeal of a standard drain base when it matches your floor. The base arrives ready to set, and your plumber connects the trap exactly where the drawing says it will be. It is also the limitation. Every Ella base has a dimensioned Specification drawing that gives the drain location as the distance from the back wall and from the side wall to the center of the opening, and those distances change from model to model and with the drain position. As two examples, one right-drain base lists the drain center 15 1/2 inches from the back wall and 9 1/2 inches from the front, while one center-drain base places it 19 inches from the back wall and 24 inches from the side wall. If your existing trap is not within the tolerance your plumber accepts of those figures, a standard drain base means moving the trap, not moving the drain. The full run of footprints, from the smallest custom pan to the largest, is in What sizes do shower pans come in, from smallest to largest?.

What a Linear Drain Base Changes

Ella's linear drain bases are the SMC bases, and two are described in the published material. The SMC 1 inch low-profile reversible base has a 1 inch profile, which is a low threshold you step over, and because it is reversible it can be set so the linear drain sits at either end of the base. The SMC barrier-free linear-drain base has no step at the entry at all and belongs to the roll-in family.

The practical difference from a standard drain base is when the alignment decision happens. With a molded drain the position is locked the moment the base is made, so the choice between left and right has to be right at the time of order. With the reversible SMC base the same base serves a drain line toward either end wall, and the end is chosen on site, which is why it is listed as one of the four routes when an existing drain does not line up. The published material does not give the SMC base sizes or the distance of the linear drain from the walls, so ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for the specification drawing before your plumber commits to a trap location.

The Ella Bases Side by Side

Read the table as two decisions. The drain column tells you how much freedom you have to match the trap already in the floor: none on a standard base, left, right or center within the 9 inch rule on a custom base, and either end on the reversible SMC base. The entry column tells you who can get in. A bather who steps comfortably can use any of them, while a bather on wheels needs the curb-less roll-in base or the barrier-free SMC linear-drain base. The best base for your bathroom is the one where both columns fit, and the standard acrylic base earns its place only when its molded drain position and your plumbing agree.

Entry Height Decides the Rest

Drain style and entry height travel together on Ella bases, so settle both at once. The wheelchair accessible roll-in bases are ADA curb-less pans in 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches, with the drain position specified when you order; left-hand and center-drain bases are among those the team has supplied. Without a curb, a collapsible rubber dam fixed across the entry holds the water in. It flattens under a wheel and springs back once the wheel passes. Two rules protect that result: on a tile floor the grout line beneath the dam must be caulked so water cannot travel under it, and the base threshold must never be drilled, because drilling the threshold voids the base warranty. What is a roll-in shower for wheelchair users? explains the roll-in family, and Wheelchair Accessible Shower Base Sizes, Drain Positions, and What Is Sold Separately lists what ships with the base and what is bought separately.

For a bather who does not need a flat approach, Ella also makes bases with a raised entry: a three-inch step-in threshold and the SMC 1 inch low-profile reversible base. A custom base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches, while zero threshold bases sit flush with the surrounding floor instead. Confirm the threshold figure on the spec sheet rather than judging from a product photo.

How to Decide Before the Floor Is Opened

1. Have your plumber measure from the center of the existing drain pipe to the wall framing behind it and to the framing on the nearer side wall. The base sits against the framing once finish materials are removed, so measure to the studs where possible.
2. Get the Specification drawing for each base and drain position you are considering, and always name the drain position when you ask, because the figures change with it. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can send it.
3. Compare your two measurements with the back-wall and side-wall figures on the drawing. If a standard left or right drain base matches within the tolerance your plumber is comfortable with, order it.
4. If nothing matches, weigh the four routes: have a licensed plumber relocate the trap to match the base, choose a different Ella base whose molded drain position matches your line, order a custom base with the drain placed to suit, or use the reversible SMC base with the linear drain at either end.
5. For a custom base, the drain can be placed left, right or center but must sit at least 9 inches from each wall, and a drain only 7 inches from the threshold edge is not possible even on a custom pan. Custom sizes run from 30 by 30 inches to 44 by 80 inches, in rectangles only, and What Is the Largest Custom Shower Base Ella's Bubbles Can Make? covers the limits.
6. If the drain is in an unusual spot, or the shower sits on a concrete slab with no access from below, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with a simple drawing showing the walls, the size you want and where the existing drain is. The team confirms whether a base can be made to match and what drain hardware ships with it.

Whichever base you choose, it arrives as finished acrylic that needs no tile on top. Your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it. A drain that does not line up is usually discovered when the base is set on the floor, which is the hardest point to change course, so this comparison belongs before the order is placed.

Related Guides

• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• What does barrier-free mean, and which shower bases have no threshold?
• What is a roll-in shower and who is it designed for?

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