How do you fit and install an Ella shower base?

Fitting an Ella shower base is a four-stage job: measure the opening and choose a base and drain location that match it, confirm the base can reach the bathroom, prepare a subfloor that is sound and flat and level within 1/8 inch, then dry fit the base, set the drain and bed the base on beads of 100 percent silicone adhesive. Ella bases install on either a concrete or a wood subfloor, and a local licensed plumber or contractor does the work while Ella's technical support answers their questions. How Do I Install an Ella Shower Base on a Wood Subfloor? gives the floor detail for wood. This page covers the whole job from measuring to setting.

Stage One: Measure the Space and Choose the Base

Measure the width, length and height of the existing tub or shower alcove, and measure every doorway the base must pass through on its way in. Then match the opening to a base. The 32 by 60 inch barrier-free roll-in base comes in left and right configurations and is ready to ship, and a 3-inch step-in threshold base is offered for anyone who prefers a slightly raised edge. When a standard footprint does not suit the space, a custom base can be ordered to specific dimensions, for example a 36 by 36 inch corner base, with the drain placed to your exact measurements, such as 9 and 5/8 inches from each of two adjacent walls. Walk-In Tub and Shower Base Sizes and How to Measure for Fit lists the standard sizes.

Two details decide whether the base will fit once it arrives. The first is the drain. On an acrylic base the drain position is molded in and cannot be moved afterward, and the online drain-placement tool can round measurements up to the nearest inch, so confirm your exact drain location with the team at (800) 480-6850 before the base is built. The second is the framing pocket. The barrier-free roll-in gel coat manual calls for a pocket 1/4 inch larger than the shower, with the framing square, plumb and level, and its framing table gives the width, drain offset and depth for each unit. Have your contractor check the pocket against that table before ordering rather than after.

If the opening is a little wider than the base, an 8 inch wide L-shaped plastic filler piece closes the gap between the base and an adjoining wall or fixture. It comes with brackets and can be trimmed down if it is too large for the space. Shower Bases, Walls, and Filler Pieces covers the filler piece and the acrylic wall systems that pair with the bases.

Stage Two: Get the Base to the Bathroom

The base is the largest single piece of a shower, so check its route before delivery day. On a three-piece Ella shower the base goes through a doorway turned on its side, which makes the base height, not its width or length, the figure to compare with the door opening. The 60 by 33 inch unit has a base 33 inches wide, 60 inches long and 28 inches high, plus or minus 1/2 inch. The unit with the 48 by 36 3/4 inch base is 22 1/2 inches high. A 36 inch doorway passes either base without removing anything, and a 30 inch doorway passes both with the base turned sideways. At 28 inches the 60 by 33 base is a very tight fit, so plan on removing the door trim and possibly the jamb, while the 48 inch base clears comfortably. Will a Three-Piece Ella Shower Fit Through My Doorway? has the full breakdown, including the L-shaped wall panels.

Weight matters too. The video on this page shows the cultured marble shower bases, molded in solid cultured marble with a glossy gel coat finish and an ADA compliant slip resistant textured floor. Unlike lightweight acrylic bases, these are heavy and require at least two people to install, so line up the help before the base arrives.

Stage Three: Prepare the Subfloor and Locate the Drain

Ella shower bases are designed to install on either a concrete or a wooden subfloor, so a wood floor needs no special base. What the base needs is a floor that is sound and flat. Soft or water-stained wood should be repaired first, because the base bears on the floor directly and cannot bridge a weak spot. Then check that the surface is flat and level within 1/8 inch. If it is not, float it with leveling compound and allow it to harden fully before the base is set. Correct dips with leveling compound rather than a mud bed, because the acrylic base's high-density foam reinforcement is designed to bear on a hard, level surface, and a mortar bed defeats that design.

Have your plumber locate the supply lines and the drain before the base is positioned. The drain has to align with the base, and on an acrylic base the drain position cannot be moved once the base is made, so this is the moment to confirm the rough-in matches the drain offset you ordered.

Stage Four: Dry Fit, Set the Drain, Then Set the Base for Good

1. Dry fit the base in the framing pocket and level it. On a multi-piece gel coat unit, dry assemble the whole shower in an open space first to confirm the panels, the drain location and the alignment before moving it to the bathroom.
2. Mark the front of the threshold on the floor so the base can go back exactly where it was leveled.
3. Pull the base back out and set the 2 inch drain body according to the drain manufacturer's instructions. On a barrier-free roll-in gel coat unit, follow the manual's drain detail: a 6 inch drain core with a 10 x 10 x 1/2 inch recess.
4. Check the supports. Where your model has wood shims or a support leg under the back edge, they must make solid contact with the subfloor, and on the low-threshold gel coat units the wood support wedges are mandatory, not optional.
5. Lay beads of 100 percent silicone adhesive rather than a mortar bed and set the base back to the marks you made during the dry fit.

The order of these steps is what makes the base fit. Leveling happens during the dry fit, the drain is set while the base is out of the way, and the marks on the floor return the base to the leveled position for its final set. If any step raises a question, your plumber or contractor can call Ella's technical support at (800) 480-6850, and the wood subfloor article linked above carries the same steps with the floor-specific detail.

Watch: Cultured Marble Reversible Shower Base with Low Threshold for Safer Bathing | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How do you install a shower wall panel kit from Ella's Bubbles?
• Does an Ella Shower Base Need a Mortar Bed to Keep Its Warranty?

Common Questions