Can a Custom Ella Shower Base Have a 2 Inch Threshold Instead of 3?

Yes. A custom size Ella shower base can be ordered with a 2 inch low threshold, the lower of the two published threshold options of 2 inches and 4 inches, so a 2 inch step is available in place of the roughly 3 inch step that older descriptions give for a typical custom base. The 2 inch low threshold is offered for three-wall alcove installations, while the 4 inch threshold is offered for both alcove and corner installations. The full menu of base styles, drain positions and wall systems is laid out in Shower Bases and Walls: Roll-In, Seat, Custom Sizes, Thresholds and Wall Systems.

Where the 3 Inch Figure Comes from

Several Ella pages describe a custom shower base as typically having a threshold of about 3 inches. That is a description of what a standard custom base has commonly been built with, not a fixed specification you are stuck with. The current custom base specification lists two threshold choices, 2 inches and 4 inches, and the 3 inch step most people picture falls between them. If a 3 inch lip is what you were quoted or saw on an older base, the real question is whether you want to go lower or higher, and both directions are available. The published overview uses the same two figures, so the sources agree: the threshold is 2 or 4 inches, chosen when the base is ordered.

What a 2 Inch Threshold Does to the Basin

The threshold is the lip that holds shower water inside the base, so its height sets how deep the basin is inside the shower. With a 4 inch threshold the inside basin depth is approximately 2 inches. With a 2 inch threshold the inside basin depth is approximately 0.25 inch. That quarter inch is a very shallow basin, and it is the trade you make for an easier step over the lip. A bather who needs the lower step more than a reservoir of standing water is the person the 2 inch option is made for.

What the table means in practice: if you want the lowest curbed step, order the 2 inch low threshold and plan a three-wall alcove. If the shower sits in a corner with two walls, the 4 inch threshold is the custom option, and you gain a deeper basin with it. If any step at all is a problem, the zero threshold bases are a different product that sits flush with the floor, and the roll-in versions ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in while a wheelchair rolls over it.

Size and Drain Limits That Apply with Either Threshold

Choosing the threshold does not change the other custom rules. Custom bases are made from 30 by 30 inches up to 80 inches long and 44 inches wide, specified in 0.25 inch increments, and only as rectangles. Angled or curved edges are not offered. The published layout puts the threshold on the longer side of the base. The drain can be set left, right, center or at a custom position, and 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 base. The size limits and examples of what has and has not been produced are in What Is the Largest Custom Shower Base Ella's Bubbles Can Make?, and the layouts a custom rectangle can and cannot solve are in Who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts?.

Before you go custom, check the standard sizes. Ella makes its own acrylic bases in 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches, each with a left or right drain, and a standard base is the simplest choice when it fits because the drain sits in a set position for that size.

Walls and Finish Around a Low Threshold Base

A custom base has a tile flange, so it works well in a shower where the walls will be tiled. If you prefer panels, Ella's acrylic wall systems are made 98 inches high, with 40 inch side panels and a 60 inch back panel, in a plain white finish, a CNC routed design with light gray grout lines, or a digital print option, as described in Shower Bases and Wall Panels. The base itself is finished acrylic and does not need to be tiled over. Your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it.

How to Specify the 2 Inch Threshold

1. Measure the space and decide whether it is a three-wall alcove or a corner. The 2 inch low threshold is for the alcove.
2. Write down the length and width you want, remembering the 30 by 30 inch minimum, the 80 by 44 inch maximum, and the 0.25 inch increments.
3. Choose the 2 inch low threshold, or the 4 inch threshold if you need the deeper basin or have a corner.
4. Choose a left, right, center or custom drain position, keeping any custom drain at least 9 inches from the back and side walls, and mark where your existing drain line is.
5. Decide between tile on the flange and acrylic wall panels.
6. Send a simple drawing with these choices to your Ella dealer, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850. Custom bases are built to the exact values you give, so confirm every measurement 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?
• How Deep Is a Shower Pan and Does Depth Matter?

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