What is a shower pan and how thick should it be?

A shower pan, also called a shower base, is the floor of the shower: the molded piece that the wall panels meet, that the drain connects to, and that carries water to that drain. On an Ella acrylic base the slope, the threshold and the drain are all molded in and the acrylic surface is the finished floor, so nothing is tiled over it, as Can You Tile Over an Ella Acrylic Shower Base? explains. Ella does not publish a sheet thickness for its pans, and thickness is not the figure that decides whether a base is right or feels solid; the footprint, the threshold height, the drain position and the support underneath are, and Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers? lists the sizes those figures are chosen from.

What a Shower Pan Is in Ella's Lineup

Ella uses pan and base for the same part. What changes from one Ella pan to the next is the material, the way you enter it, and where the drain sits. The main types are:

• Acrylic roll-in and barrier-free pans. These are the wheelchair accessible bases. The roll-in pan is an ADA curb-less pan that a wheelchair can roll straight into, and a barrier-free pan sits flush with the surrounding floor. Both ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam.
• Custom acrylic pans. Rectangular only, made for three-wall alcoves and for corners, with the drain placed left, right or center. A custom base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches, or a zero threshold for a flush entry.
• SMC low-profile pans. Molded from sheet molding compound and secured through a tile flange, offered as a 1 inch reversible linear-drain base and a barrier-free linear-drain base.
• Pans built into multi-piece shower kits. The low-threshold 3-piece and barrier-free 5-piece showers pair a modular pan with wall panels, made in the USA from fiberglass with the AcrylX applied acrylic finish.
• Cultured marble pans. Solid cultured marble with a gel-coat finish and an ADA textured floor, heavy enough to need two people. These kits have been on hold with no restock date, so check availability before planning around one.

Ella Shower Kits and Bases: Multi-Piece Showers, Roll-In Bases, and Cultured Marble explains where each of these is carried and which guide covers its installation.

The Sizes and Thresholds You Are Choosing Between

Because the pan is a finished floor, the comparison that matters is footprint and entry, not thickness. The table below uses only the figures published for each type.

What the table means for your remodel: if your alcove is 60 inches long and 30, 32 or 36 inches wide, a standard roll-in pan drops in with its drain already in a set position, which is the simplest route. If the opening is any other size, a custom rectangle covers it up to 44 by 80 inches, but the drain must sit at least 9 inches from every wall, so a drain only 7 inches from the threshold edge cannot be built even on a custom pan. Bases with angled or curved edges are not offered, and a request larger than the maximum, such as 53 by 76 inches, cannot be produced. No pan thickness is published for any row, and none is needed to make the choice.

Why Thickness Is the Wrong Number to Chase

People ask how thick a pan should be because they are worried the floor will flex or crack. On an Ella base, the answer to that worry is underneath the pan, not inside it. The acrylic shell is supported from below when it is installed, and that support is what makes the base feel solid. Adding material on top does the opposite: tile, thinset or a waterproofing membrane laid over the pan will not bond to the acrylic, can trap water with no path to the drain, and buries the molded slope and threshold the base relies on. The SMC pans are secured through their tile flange for the same reason, so that the floor is held firm by the structure around it.

The installation video on this page shows the checks that matter more than thickness. Before the pan goes anywhere near the bathroom, the installer dry assembles the pan and panels in a clean, open space to confirm the correct drain location, that nothing is damaged, and that the panels align, and takes a photo of the assembled unit. The video then has the installer check the framing pocket against the framing diagrams, check it for square, plumb and level with a plumb bob, and inspect the subfloor, noting that adjustments are more common than not and that a wall out of plumb is corrected by shimming the pan or notching the stud. The video also advises delaying demolition of the old tub until you are sure the new unit is the right size and condition.

What to Measure Before You Ask for a Pan

How Do You Measure a Shower Base, Including a Corner Base? turns the choice into five notes you can take with a tape measure.

1. Width, measured across the opening the pan will fill. On a standard pan the width is the figure that changes, so it usually decides which standard size fits.
2. Length, measured along the back wall. All three standard pans are 60 inches long, and on a custom pan the threshold goes on the longer side.
3. Drain position, measured from the center of the existing drain line to each wall.
4. Layout, whether the pan is enclosed by three walls or sits in a two-wall corner, because the drain and the finished edges are placed differently for each.
5. Entry, which side you step or roll in from and whether you want curb-less, a 3 inch step-in or a zero threshold flush with the floor.

With those notes, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can tell you whether a standard pan fits or a custom one is needed, and which drain position matches your size.

Looking After the Finished Surface

Because the pan surface is the finished floor, treat it like the acrylic on a walk-in tub. Fine scratches and dull spots come out with a fine grade automotive polishing compound on a soft cloth, and abrasive pads or powders should never be used. Run a fingernail across a mark: if it does not catch, it is a surface mark; if it catches, or there is a chip or gouge, photograph it with a coin for scale and send the photos before trying any filler. Damage found while unpacking must be reported within 48 hours with photos, with all packaging kept. There Is a Scratch in the Acrylic. Is There a Touch Up Kit? covers each case, including installer tools or dropped hardware chipping the pan near the drain.

Watch: Step-by-Step Low-Threshold Shower Installation for Remodeling | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• Shower Base Sizes and Thresholds Compared: AcrylX Barrier-Free, SMC Linear-Drain, Molded-Seat and Cultured Marble Bases

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