Should I order my walk-in tub before my installer confirms the flooring?

Order the tub now. Every Ella walk-in tub is assembled and tested to order, and a finished tub can wait, fully packaged, at the loading dock until you release it, so placing the order early costs you nothing in flexibility. The flooring question is not a reason to hold back either, because the tub is set before the finished floor goes down, not after it. Can Ella Deliver My Tub on a Specific Day? Choosing a Ship Date Versus Guaranteeing Delivery explains how a held tub ships on the weekday you choose.

Why the Flooring Does Not Need to Be Settled First

Ella's own installation sequence puts the tub ahead of the finished flooring. The old tub comes out, your licensed contractor makes the subfloor level and able to carry the tub, the bather and the water, the tub is set on its adjustable leveling legs and sealed to the walls, tiling follows, a bead of silicone goes between the tub floor and the tiles, and only then does the finished flooring begin. Should I install new bathroom flooring before or after the walk-in tub? walks through that order step by step.

So the thing your installer has to confirm before the tub is set is the subfloor, not the finished floor. The subfloor has to be sound and level under every leg, and that work belongs before the tub goes in. The finished flooring choice, whether tile or something else, is made around a tub that is already in place and sealed to the walls. If your installer prefers a different order for your particular flooring, that is their call under local code, but the surface under the legs still has to be ready first. None of this changes what you order or when, because the tub itself is the same whichever floor ends up around it, and the installer's decision about flooring can be made while the tub is being built.

What Ordering Early Actually Does

Placing the order starts the build and secures the configuration. Ella does not take deposits or partial payments. You receive a confirmation invoice to review, you pay it in full when you are ready, and the tub is scheduled for assembly and testing once payment is complete. Deposits and Partial Payments on a Walk-In Tub Order covers those rules, including the fact that the confirmation invoice can sit until you respond to it.

• Your configuration is secured. A door side or faucet finish in limited supply is not sold to someone else while your bathroom is being prepared.
• The tub can be finished ahead of time. Built and tested early, it waits at the dock rather than still being in production when your installer is ready for it.
• Nothing ships until you say so. Ask for the tub to be held, and it does not leave until you release it with a specific pickup date.
• The order carries your exact configuration. Give the number on your proposal so the model, door side, options and delivery details carry over, and check them on the confirmation invoice.

Waiting, by contrast, means the build has not started when the subfloor is ready. Ella does not publish a production or delivery timeframe and never promises a date, because total time varies by model, options and stock, and the team confirms current timing for each specific order. Ordering early is how you take that unknown off your installer's schedule instead of leaving the bathroom open while a tub is still being built.

Lining Up the Tub with Your Installer

1. Place the order through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and say that you want the tub held until your installer is ready.
2. Have your contractor assess the wall and floor conditions and prepare the subfloor. This is the step the tub actually waits on.
3. When the subfloor is ready, send your preferred pickup date in writing. Pickups are scheduled Monday through Friday, excluding major holidays, so choose a weekday that falls ahead of the day your installer needs the tub and leaves the carrier some room.
4. Check the shipment confirmation. It lists the ship date and the carrier, and if the ship date does not match what you requested, contact support right away.
5. Keep the phone number on your order answered. The carrier contacts you to arrange delivery, and the delivery day is in the carrier's hands, not Ella's. Support can share a transit estimate for your destination, but it is only an estimate.
6. Have someone on site to receive the tub and inspect the packaging with the driver present. If you cannot inspect thoroughly at that moment, write "Concealed Damage Possible" on the bill of lading, then date and sign it.

Once the carrier has picked up the tub, Ella cannot hold it back or ship it on a later date, so release it only when the room is genuinely ready for the tub to be set.

If Part of the Order Is on Backorder

If one item on your order is temporarily unavailable, such as a faucet finish or a shower screen, the invoice still must be paid in full before anything ships, and you then choose between two options: hold the whole order until the item arrives and ship everything together, or ship the tub now and have the item follow separately. Ella does not publish restock dates. When Will an Out-of-Stock Tub, Size or Part Be Back in Stock? explains how a backordered accessory is handled as a pre-order while the rest of the order ships. For a bathroom that is still being prepared, holding everything together is often the simpler choice, since the tub is being held for your installer anyway.

When the Tub Arrives Before the Floor Is Finished

Arriving ahead of the finished floor is the normal case, not a problem. Every tub gets a one hour pre-installation water test before the walls are closed up, and that test usually happens before the tub goes into its final position, so your installer wants the tub on site while there is still open access. The tub is then set on its adjustable leveling legs with every leg touching the subfloor and the weight distributed equally. An unlevel tub can leak at the door during the water test, which is why the subfloor work comes first and why the legs are leveled before the walls are tiled and the floor is laid up to the apron. Once the tub is down and the walls are tiled, the legs are no longer easy to reach.

Ella does not send technicians. A local licensed plumber or electrician does the labor, and the contractor on site decides how the subfloor is prepared, where waterproofing goes and what local code requires. Treat the sequence above as the plan to confirm with them rather than a substitute for their judgment.

Related Guides

• Common Installation Questions: Tile Order, Leveling Legs, Subfloor, Panels, Drain Size and the Outdoor Test
• How is a walk-in tub installed and what does the process involve?
• What you need before installing your Ella walk-in tub: a planning checklist

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