How Do You Install a One-Piece Ella Shower Unit, Step by Step?

A one-piece Ella shower is installed in a fixed order: confirm the delivery route and the rough-in before the unit is built, inspect it with the driver, dry fit it in a square and plumb pocket, level it on shims you cut yourself, fasten it to the studs, then connect the drain, mount the grab bars and finish the joint to the surrounding walls. Ella's Bubbles builds the stall but does not install it and does not send technicians, so a local licensed plumber or contractor does the work with Ella's tech support available at (800) 480-6850 for product questions. Because the stall is a single molded piece that cannot be broken down, the job begins before delivery with How Do I Measure Doorways and Hallways for a One-Piece Ella Shower?.

Before the Order Is Released: The Route and the Confirmation Call

Walk the path from the exterior door the freight carrier will use to the bathroom, and measure the narrowest point of every finished opening, every hallway, every turn where the unit has to pivot, and any stairway. Each one must offer at least 33 inches of clear opening, and a wider stall needs correspondingly wider openings. Most finished homes have at least one opening narrower than that, which is why the one-piece stall is aimed at new construction. If the bathroom is not yet framed, plan the sequence with your contractor so the shower is set in place before the doorways and hallways are finished. If an opening is too narrow, the alternative is a multi-piece stall such as the Freedom, which arrives as three sections and can be set over existing drywall, as described in Installing the Freedom 3-Piece Shower Stall Over Existing Drywall.

Because the unit cannot be broken down, the team contacts you before the order goes to production. They confirm that you understand the shower is one piece and needs the clearance, ask you to verify it will fit the project, and confirm the seat side, the drain side and the number of grab bars you selected. They also make sure the phone number on the order will be answered, because freight deliveries are scheduled by phone. Settle the threshold at the same time: a standard or custom acrylic base carries a threshold of about 3 inches, a zero threshold base sits flush with the floor, and a wheelchair accessible roll-in base ships with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam, and the threshold cannot be changed once the base is set.

Delivery Day: Inspect Before the Driver Leaves

The freight carrier calls to schedule a delivery appointment, and if you bought the shower through a retailer, the retailer sends your tracking once the unit ships. Inspect every carton with the driver present and note any damage on the delivery document before signing, or sign "subject to further inspection". Freight damage, including concealed damage, must be reported within 48 hours of delivery with all packaging kept. Check the drain side and the hand of the unit against your order before anything is fastened; a unit sent for the wrong drain side is a shipping error to report to where you purchased before installation. Never install a damaged unit.

Prepare the Pocket and Cut the Shims

• The one-piece stall needs the alcove shown on its rough-in diagram, square and plumb, on a level floor, with a 6 inch floor opening for the 2 inch drain. Notching a stud or shimming the pan is normal.
• Have your plumber locate the supply lines and the drain before the stall is positioned, since the drain has to align with the base.
• Check the floor with a level and the walls with a level or plumb line, and correct both before the unit goes in. A wall that is out of plumb pushes on the stall and shows up later as a door sweep that does not reach the base.
• Shim blocks are not included, including with the 33 by 60 inch one-piece unit sold through home improvement retailers. Cut wedge-shaped shims about 6 inches long with the thick end 1 1/2 inches, tapering toward the other end, and cut several because the number depends on how far out of level the floor is. Have them ready before the unit goes into the alcove.
• A mortar bed is not required. Setting the base in mortar applies only to Ella's barrier-free roll-in showers; the low-threshold one-piece stall is leveled on wedges and keeps its blocks or legs in place.

The shim sizes and the leveling method are detailed in Shower Stall Shims Are Not Included: What Size to Make and How to Level the Base.

Set, Level and Fasten the Stall

1. Dry fit the unit in the alcove before fastening anything. This confirms the drain location and the fit against the studs while adjustments are still easy.
2. Set the base in place and slide shims into any gaps beneath it. The base must be fully bedded and supported, because a base that flexes under load can crack.
3. Check level front to back and side to side, and adjust the shims until the bubble is centered in both directions.
4. Fasten the unit to the studs as the instruction sheet packed with the unit describes, then recheck level after the last screw.
5. Have your plumber connect the 2 inch drain through the floor opening and bring the supply to the valve location.
6. Mount the grab bars. They ship with the unit rather than factory installed, and your installer mounts them during installation.
7. Caulk and finish the joint between the stall and the surrounding wall surface so water stays inside the shower.

If Something Does Not Line Up

If the stall will not sit square in the pocket, the framing has to be corrected to match the rough-in diagram; the stall is molded to that pocket and does not flex to fit a wall that leans. If the door sweep does not reach the base after installation, confirm the base is level and send photos and measurements through ellasbubbles.com/support. A hole, a crack or a coating coming off the base is a defect to report as soon as you see it; Ella shower bases carry a 30 year limited warranty that asks for a defect to be reported within 10 days of discovering it, and stalls carry their own printed terms. The full checklist is in What If My Shower Stall Wall Is Out of Square or the Base Is Damaged?. Once the shower is in use, clean the textured floor with warm water and liquid detergent or a non abrasive cleanser, never wax it, and remove any rubber mat after each use so the floor finish is not damaged.

Who Does the Work

Any licensed local plumber or contractor can install the stall; certification by Ella's Bubbles is not required. The contractor knows your local code, your plumbing and your walls, and Ella's tech support knows the product, so keep your model number handy in case a question comes up mid-project. The labor is warranted by the contractor who performs it, while the product is covered by Ella's Bubbles, which ships replacement parts under the warranty rather than sending a crew. If you do not have a contractor in mind, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can help you locate a reputable installer, as explained in Who installs Ella acrylic shower walls, and how do I find them?.

Related Guides

• Installing an Ella One-Piece AcrylX Shower Stall: Alcove Prep, Drain Opening, Fastening and First Use
• Do Ella Shower Stall Walls Come Smooth, or Only With the Molded Tile Pattern?
• Does the Ella Shower Stall Come With a Door, and What Size Door Fits the Opening?

Common Questions