Can a Custom Shower Base Be Made With a 2 Inch Threshold?

Yes. Ella's custom size shower base offers a 2 inch low threshold for three-wall alcove installations and a 4 inch threshold for alcove and corner installations, so a 2 inch threshold is a standard choice on a custom base rather than a special request. The 3 inch figure people ask about comes from Ella's standard step-in base and from guides that describe a custom base as typically about 3 inches, but the current custom options are 2 inches or 4 inches, as Shower Bases and Walls: Roll-In, Seat, Custom Sizes, Thresholds and Wall Systems lists. Your choice changes how deep the basin is inside the shower, so pick the threshold with the layout and the bather in mind.

What a Shower Base Is and Why the Threshold Matters

A shower base, also called a shower pan, is the finished floor of the shower that the rest of the shower is built around. Ella bases are one molded acrylic piece that arrives with the slope, the threshold and the drain opening molded in, so the base is the walking surface as shipped and needs no tile, thinset or membrane on top. Water that lands on it runs down the molded slope to the drain, while the wall finish comes down over the edges of the base so water lands on the pan rather than behind it. Your contractor sets the base and connects the drain line, and once it is installed it is ready to use.

The threshold is the raised front edge of that molded piece. Its height decides two things at once: how high a bather steps or rolls to get in, and how much water the basin can hold before it reaches the edge. On a custom Ella base a 4 inch threshold gives an inside basin depth of approximately 2 inches, while a 2 inch threshold gives an inside basin depth of approximately 0.25 inch. That is why the 2 inch option is offered only for a three-wall alcove, where walls on three sides contain spray and the shallow basin only has to manage the open front. A corner installation has two open edges and is offered with the 4 inch threshold.

2 Inch, 3 Inch, 4 Inch or No Threshold: The Options Compared

The table pulls together every threshold style Ella publishes for its acrylic bases. Where a figure has not been published the cell says not listed.

What the differences mean for you is a trade between entry height and water containment. The 2 inch threshold is the lowest edge you can have on a custom base, and its quarter inch basin means the walls and a well placed shower head do most of the work of keeping water inside, which is fine in an alcove. The 4 inch threshold holds roughly eight times that depth inside the pan and is the one offered when the base sits in a corner. If the bather uses a wheelchair, neither custom threshold is the right answer; the standard roll-in bases have no threshold at all and ship with the self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that wheels roll over while it springs back to keep water in the stall. The video on this page shows that dam being measured, cut, set in silicone and tested, so you can see how a barrier-free entry contains water without a molded lip. Shower Bases, Walls, and Filler Pieces covers the 32 by 60 inch barrier-free base and the 3 inch step-in base in more detail.

Sizes, Drains and the Shape a Custom Base Can Take

Choosing the 2 inch threshold does not change the other custom rules. A custom base can be made from 30 by 30 inches up to 80 inches long and 44 inches wide, specified in quarter inch increments, and the published layout puts the threshold on the longer side of the base. Only rectangles are made; angled or curved edges are not offered. Who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts? walks through which awkward rooms a rectangle can solve.

• Examples within the limits that have been produced or confirmed: a 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain, a 36 by 36 inch corner base, a 38 by 80 inch base with a left drain, and a 45 inch by 60.75 inch base.
• A request such as 53 by 76 inches cannot be produced because it exceeds the 44 inch width.
• The drain can be placed left, right, center or in a custom position, but a custom drain cannot sit closer than 9 inches to the back or side wall. A drain only 7 inches from an edge is not possible, even on a custom pan.
• A custom base has a tile flange, so it works well in a shower where the walls will be tiled. Acrylic wall systems are also available if you would rather not tile.

Because a custom base is made for either a three-wall alcove or a corner, the team asks which layout you have so the drain, the edges and the threshold side are placed correctly. The threshold choice follows from that answer: 2 inch or 4 inch for an alcove, 4 inch for a corner. What Sizes Do Ella Shower Bases and Shower Pans Come In? lists the standard sizes to check first, since a standard base is the simplest choice when one fits.

How to Order a Custom Base with a 2 Inch Threshold

1. Confirm the layout. A 2 inch low threshold is offered for a three-wall alcove, so the base must be enclosed on the back and both sides.
2. Measure the finished length and width of the space in inches to the nearest quarter inch, and note which side will be the open front. The threshold goes on the longer side.
3. Locate your existing drain line and measure its distance from the back wall and the side wall. It must be at least 9 inches from each.
4. Decide whether the walls will be tiled over the base's flange or finished with acrylic wall panels.
5. Share the measurements, the drain position and the 2 inch threshold choice with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

Custom bases are built to the measurements on your order and are final once the order is placed and paid, so check every figure twice before you confirm. Ella also makes cultured marble shower bases in three sizes, which are heavy and take at least two people to set, but the 2 inch low threshold option described here belongs to the custom acrylic base. Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers? explains how the custom pans fit into a complete accessible shower with walls and accessories.

Watch: The Ella Shower Dam, Keep Water In, Roll In With Ease | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• How Deep Is a Shower Pan and Does Depth Matter?
• Shower Base Sizes and Thresholds Compared: AcrylX Barrier-Free, SMC Linear-Drain, Molded-Seat and Cultured Marble Bases

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