How do you install or attach Ella shower wall panels and surrounds?

Ella shower wall panels are put up by a local licensed contractor or plumber, not by Ella's Bubbles, and the attachment method depends on which wall line you bought. Ella's cultured marble surrounds glue directly over drywall, plaster, painted walls, Durock or even existing tile, and their factory-finished edges join seamlessly or can be trimmed for a custom fit. The acrylic and SMC kits are built for a specific alcove footprint and go up from the spec sheet supplied with the kit, so read Who installs Ella acrylic shower walls, and how do I find them? to line up the right installer before the panels arrive.

Who Attaches the Panels, and Where Ella Fits in

Ella's Bubbles is a manufacturer. It supplies the wall panels, bases and accessories through your Ella dealer, and it does not install shower walls or send technicians. The person who fixes the panels to your wall is a local licensed plumber or contractor of your choosing. Any licensed installer is fine, and certification by Ella's Bubbles is not required. The labor is warranted by the contractor who performs it, while the product itself is covered by Ella's Bubbles, which ships replacement parts under the warranty rather than sending a crew.

That split is deliberate. The contractor knows your local code, your existing plumbing and your walls, and Ella's technical support team knows the product, so keep the kit name handy and have your contractor call (800) 480-6850 if a question comes up mid-project. If you do not have a contractor in mind, your Ella dealer or the team can help you locate a reputable installer. If you are starting from a blank room, the online Shower Builder Tool lets you scroll through the options and put together a custom design, and a contractor then visits your home to measure the space before anything is ordered.

Before Any Panel Goes Up: Measure and Settle the Base

A good contractor treats the wall panels as the last step of a sequence that starts with measuring. The base comes first because its entry edge decides accessibility: 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. The threshold cannot be changed once the base is set, so your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 confirms the threshold style against your plumbing before the base is installed and before any wall is cut. Standard bases come in 30x60, 32x60 and 36x60 inches with a left or right drain, and the base and wall lines are summarized in Shower Bases and Wall Panels.

For the walls, measure each wall at the top, middle and bottom and use the largest figure. Note any windows, valves or niches the panel must be cut around, then measure the height from the shower base or tub rim to the ceiling. Each kit is built for a specific footprint:

• Acrylic 6-piece kit in Carrara White: covers a 36 by 60 inch alcove to a finished height of 92 inches, with storage shelves on the left side. The Carrara-look panels are 1/8 inch thick.
• Acrylic solid white glossy 3-piece surround: 40 inches deep by 60 inches wide, with a 60 inch back panel, two 40 inch side panels and a 1-inch bend at each panel edge. It is deeper and taller than the 6-piece kit, so confirm ceiling height and alcove depth first.
• SMC subway-tile-look kits: 6-piece or 12-piece form at 36 by 60 by 96 inches.
• Cultured marble surrounds: eight, six or four panel sets, with the back panel topping out at 60 inches wide by 96 inches tall and side panels molded 30, 32, 34 and 36 inches wide.

If your alcove is larger or smaller than a kit footprint, give the team the measurements so they can advise on fit before you order. The kits are compared piece by piece in Acrylic 6-Piece Wall Panel Kit: Size, Shelves, Thickness and How It Compares to the 3-Piece Surround and SMC Panels.

Attaching Cultured Marble Panels over an Existing Wall

The video on this page shows the cultured marble travertine shower walls. They are made from a natural quartz and granite composite with a gel coat surface, which gives a natural stone look that is durable and easy to clean. The panels are light enough that one person can carry and install them, and they attach with adhesive: the panels glue over drywall, plaster, painted walls, Durock or even existing tile. That is what makes the marble surround a practical way to replace shower walls in a finished bathroom, because a sound existing surface does not have to come down first.

Because each panel comes out of a mold, sizes are fixed at the factory. Order the size equal to or slightly larger than the wall and trim the excess on site. The sequence your installer follows is:

1. Confirm the base is set and each wall is measured at the top, middle and bottom.
2. Mark each panel for any window, valve or niche it must be cut around.
3. Cut cultured marble with a masonry blade in a standard circular saw.
4. Glue the panel over the existing wall surface.
5. Finish every cut edge with a bead of caulk or cover it with a 2 inch trim piece.

The edges are factory finished for seamless joining, so where two uncut panels meet the joint closes without extra trim. For the places that do need it, Ella carries a 1 inch corner trim in 96 inch lengths and a 2 inch by 3/4 inch flat trim for the gap at the tub. Stock sizes, cutting and edge finishing are covered in more depth in Where Can I Buy Cultured Marble Shower Walls, and Is Acrylic Better?.

Acrylic and SMC Kits: Work from the Spec Sheet

The acrylic kits are a different material. The 3-piece surround is 0.118 inch thick ABS and PMMA composite with a glossy, warm-to-the-touch sanitary acrylic surface, and the 1-inch bend at each panel edge is what gives a finished transition where the panels meet. Panels are offered in a plain white finish, a CNC routed design with light gray grout lines and a digital print option, so ask your Ella dealer or the team to see samples before choosing. For walk-in tubs, Ella also offers wall surround systems that enclose the area around the tub, with an acrylic top portion available so the installation has a finished, water tight look above the tub deck.

The knowledge base does not publish an adhesive or fastening sequence for the acrylic and SMC kits. What it does say is that the spec sheet is a separate document from the product page and holds the details your installer needs, so ask for both when you order and hand them to your contractor. Note the kit you want and whether it is going over a shower base or above an existing tub rim, because the footprint question comes up either way. When panels are ordered together with a tub, they ship with the tub order, and any question that comes up during the install goes to the team at (800) 480-6850 or a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support.

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

Related Guides

• Cultured Marble Shower Wall Panels: Stock Sizes, Cutting to Fit, and Finishing the Edges
• Drilling an Ella Acrylic Shower Wall for Accessories, and Whether Third-Party Window Kits Will Fit
• How do I seal shower wall panels to keep water out?

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