How Do You Install Cultured Marble Shower Walls in a Bathroom?

Ella's cultured marble shower walls are glue-up panels, so installation comes down to a short list of jobs: measure each wall, order the stock panel that is equal to or slightly larger, let the material acclimate, trim it with a masonry blade in a circular saw, glue it to a sound, clean and dry wall, and seal every seam and edge with silicone before the trim goes on. The panel sizes and the cutting method are detailed in Cultured Marble Shower Wall Panels: Stock Sizes, Cutting to Fit, and Finishing the Edges. This page puts the whole job in order, from the first measurement to the last bead of sealant.

What You Are Working with

The video on this page presents Ella's cultured marble travertine shower walls. It shows panels made from a natural quartz and granite composite with a gel coat surface, which gives a natural stone look and feel that is durable and easy to clean. The multi-piece surrounds come as eight, six or four panel sets, and the video notes that the panels can be carried and installed by one person. They glue over drywall, plaster, painted walls, Durock or even existing tile, which is why they are popular for a bathroom remodel where the old wall stays in place.

Two facts about the panels shape the whole installation:

• The sizes are fixed at the factory. Each panel comes out of a mold. The back panel tops out at 60 inches wide by 96 inches tall, and side panels are molded 30, 32, 34 and 36 inches wide. Trimming a panel on site is a normal part of the job, not a sign that something was ordered wrong.
• The edges are factory finished. They are made for seamless panel joining, but they can be trimmed and cut for a custom fit. A factory edge is finished, while an edge you cut is not until you seal it or cover it with trim.

Shower products are sold per item rather than as one bundle, so a surround is put together from the panels you need. How to choose between this line and the acrylic kits is covered in Where Can I Buy Cultured Marble Shower Walls, and Is Acrylic Better?.

Before the Panels Go Up: Measure, Order, and Set the Base First

Measure each wall at the top, middle and bottom, and use the largest figure, since walls are not always square. Then order the stock size that is equal to or slightly larger than the wall and plan to trim off the excess. For example, a side wall that measures 29 inches deep is covered by the 30 inch side panel with 1 inch removed. A panel that is slightly oversized only needs a quick cut, while a panel that is too small cannot be stretched to fit. Confirm that the back wall is no wider than 60 inches, and note any windows, valves or niches the panel must be cut around. Confirm the selection with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before your order is placed.

The walls are finished around the base, not the other way around. On an Ella shower, your contractor sets the finished base, connects its drain to the house drain line, and then finishes the walls around it, as Who Installs a Shower Pan or Shower Base in My Bathroom? explains. The base itself is never cut. It is ordered to size, and any on-site fitting happens in the walls above it, which is the point of Can shower pans be cut to size or ordered custom?. Measure the finished opening, not the framing.

The Installation Sequence, Start to Finish

1. Let the material acclimate. Bring the cartons into the bathroom and leave them for 24 hours so the material settles to the room's temperature and humidity. Material that is cut and fitted on the day it arrives can move as it adjusts, and the joints are where that shows.
2. Prepare the wall. The panels are glued, so the wall behind them has to be sound, clean and dry. Cultured marble panels glue over drywall, plaster, painted walls, Durock or even existing tile. If you are unsure whether your wall qualifies, describe it to the team at (800) 480-6850 before you start rather than after.
3. Plan every cut. Using your top, middle and bottom measurements, decide which edge of each panel gets trimmed. Factory edges are finished for seamless joining, while a cut edge needs caulk or trim, so it helps to know where each cut edge will end up before the saw comes out. Mark openings for valves, windows and niches.
4. Cut the panels. Cultured marble cuts with a masonry blade in a standard circular saw, which is the usual approach in the industry for this material. Support the panel fully on a flat surface, mark the cut line before cutting, and wear eye protection and a dust mask as you would for any masonry cut.
5. Glue the panels to the wall. The panels are glue-up parts that arrive with the surface already sealed, so the wall goes up as a handful of large pieces. Ella's published guides describe the panels as glued to the wall but do not name a specific adhesive, so confirm the adhesive with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before you begin.
6. Seal every joint water can reach. Use silicone at the seam between one panel and the next, along the edge where the panels meet the tub deck or shower base, and on any edge you cut on site. The bottom edge takes water every time the shower runs, so give it particular care. Where each wall family needs sealant is covered in How do I seal shower wall panels to keep water out?.
7. Finish the edges and corners. A cut edge does not need to be polished. The simplest finish is a bead of caulk along the edge, which can be painted over to match the wall. For a more finished look, a 2 inch trim piece is applied over the edge. Ella carries a 1 inch corner trim in 96 inch lengths that suits inside corners and the ceiling line, and a 2 inch by 3/4 inch flat trim that can cover the gap at the tub. Trim covers the joint after it is sealed. It does not replace the sealant.

Cutting Cultured Marble Is Not the Same as Cutting Acrylic

People often search for how to cut cultured marble and how to cut acrylic shower panels in the same breath, but they are different materials. The masonry blade method above applies to cultured marble, a quartz and granite composite. Ella's acrylic 3-panel kit is a 0.118 inch thick ABS and PMMA composite with a glossy acrylic surface, with one back panel 60 inches wide and two side panels 40 inches wide, in a 98 or 105 inch height. Do not assume that the masonry blade method carries over to acrylic. Follow the installation guide for the acrylic kit you have, and ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 if you need to trim it.

Why Panels Are Easier to Keep Watertight Than Tile, and Who Does the Work

Tile is built up one piece at a time on a substrate you have to prepare, with grout joints between every tile and a joint at the base that must be properly sealed. A glue-up panel wall arrives as large finished pieces with the surface already sealed, so the only joints to seal are the panel seams and the edge at the tub or base. There are far fewer places for water to get in, and each one is sealed with silicone rather than grout.

The panels are light enough for one person to carry and install, as the video points out. Ella's Bubbles manufactures the products but does not perform installations or send technicians, so the work is done by you or by a local licensed contractor. Ella's technical support guides your contractor for free with manuals and live video help, and labor is arranged between you and the contractor. Questions that come up during the job go to your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or to ellasbubbles.com/support.

Watch: Transform Your Shower with Cultured Marble Wall Surround | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

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