How do I fit the folding glass shower screen beside my walk-in tub?

The Ella folding glass shower screen is fitted to the wall beside the tub, never to the tub itself, with its wall channel fastened into a stud and set at a height where the rubber gasket along the bottom brushes the tub deck lightly and evenly. The screen ships in several pieces and is assembled on site, so fitting it means choosing the wall, building the screen (and removing one panel if your tub uses an extension panel), setting the channel plumb and level, and finishing the horizontal seal and end cap so water stays in the tub. What Is the 4-Fold Shower Screen on a Walk-In Tub? describes the screen; this page walks through the fitting decisions in order.

Decide Which Wall and Which End Before Anything Is Drilled

The screen is 44 inches wide by 42 inches high, in a chrome ionized aluminum frame with 1/8 inch tempered glass panels joined by PVC geared hinges. It is reversible for a left or right installation and pivots 90 degrees at the wall channel for entry, so the first decision is which wall it mounts on. It goes on the wall side away from any extension panel. It normally starts at the back wall at the seat end and runs toward the grab bar at the front, crossing the door, so it covers the seating area where most showering happens. Starting it at the standing end instead may not be possible because the grab bar can be in the way.

Check the deck for anything the screen will meet. On a Capri with a right-hand door and drain, a deck-mounted grab bar sits on the plumbing side, which is also the hinge side, and a customer who wanted the screen on that side was told the bar would need to come off, leaving two visible holes that Ella does not sell a cover for. If your tub has the swivel tray, position the screen so the tray can still rotate clear for entry and exit. Sharing a sketch of the layout with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before mounting lets them flag a conflict while it is still free to fix. Because one 44 inch screen fits every seated tub, a tub whose top measures about 59 to 60 inches is left with roughly 15 inches open at one end. If you want that closed, ask the team whether a fixed glass panel can be placed beside the folding screen before you drill. The screen can be added after the tub is installed, and it follows the standard 30-day return policy for uninstalled products in original packaging, so confirm coverage against your tub before the first hole goes in. The LayDown tubs use a different bi-fold screen with its own mounting positions and diagram; this page is for the 4-fold screen on seated tubs, as Which shower screen or curtain fits your Ella walk-in tub model? explains.

Convert to Three Panels If Your Tub Has an Extension Panel

In a 60 inch alcove where a 52 inch tub uses an extension panel, one section is removed to make the 32 inch wide 3-fold screen. The assembly video shows the conversion step by step.

1. Lay the four-panel screen carefully on a soft surface.
2. Lift the third panel from the wall side and remove the inside screw, then do the same on the other side, removing the outside screw.
3. Use any long screw to push out the plastic retainer insert, which releases the panel connection, and repeat on the other side.
4. Go to the other end of the screen and repeat the same process on the third panel, removing the screw and both retainer inserts. The third panel now lifts free.
5. Remove one plastic spacer while leaving the other in place, bring the outside panel in to meet the middle panel, and reconnect the hinge.
6. Replace the retainer insert and secure it with the same screw. Tighten securely without over-torquing, and repeat for every connection.
7. Snap the screw caps onto the top of the screen. The three-panel screen is ready to mount.

Set the Wall Channel for Height and Level

The gasket along the bottom of the screen is the seal, so the height and level of the wall channel decide whether the screen stays dry. Set too low, the gasket gets damaged; set too high, water escapes underneath. The gasket should angle inward toward the tub and touch the deck lightly and evenly along its whole length. Fasten the channel into a stud rather than into drywall alone, and never into the tub. Hold the assembled screen in the channel position and check that the gasket meets the deck the same way at the wall end and at the free end before marking the fixing holes, and confirm the screen still pivots its full 90 degrees without touching the faucet, the grab bar or the swivel tray. The printed installation manual packed with the screen gives the fastening sequence and the parts and tools list, and support can send the instructions and the video again if the packet has gone missing.

Finish the Horizontal Seal and the End Cap

The horizontal seal runs along the bottom of the screen and rides on the tub deck. Installers cut it to length during fitting, and the end cap then fits onto the end of the seal to hold it in place and cover the cut edge; the manual covers attaching it in steps 4 and 5. Leave enough seal beyond the last panel to protect the deck under the cap. A seal cut too short leaves a gap that sprays water onto the deck, and a new cap will not fix that on its own. Let any sealant the manual calls for cure before the first shower. If a cap is cracked or lost later, the end cap kit, the horizontal seal and the rubber sweeper are all available as parts, as covered in Replacing or Reattaching the End Cap and Horizontal Seal on a Folding Shower Screen.

After It Is Up

Run the hand shower toward the screen and watch the bottom edge. Water at the bottom means the channel needs re-leveling or a height adjustment so the gasket seats on the deck, or the gasket is not angled inward toward the tub. Clean the glass with warm soapy water and a lint-free cloth; never use alcohol, petroleum liquids, chemical cleaners or anything gritty. If a slide, roller or frame piece was damaged in shipping or during assembly and a panel will not slide, photograph the piece and the packaging and open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with your serial number, and replacement hardware ships from the warehouse. Do not plan on adding a fifth panel to close a long tub, because current screens are built as a more rigid unit limited to four panels, as Four-Fold Glass Shower Screen: Damaged Hardware, the Return Window and Why Panels Cannot Be Added explains. Ella does not send technicians, so the fitting is done by your installer or a local contractor, with the support team available to answer their questions along the way.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Three Fold Shower Screen Assembly with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Videos

Common Questions