How do you install a three-piece fiberglass shower unit?

An Ella three-piece shower is installed as three separate sections that are dry-fitted first, set against sound, plumb walls over a level floor, cut where supply lines or a valve must pass through, and then fastened and sealed in the order given in the installation document packed with the unit. The walls behind it do not have to come down to the studs; as Installing the Freedom 3-Piece Shower Stall Over Existing Drywall explains, the unit's own panels are the wet surface. A local licensed plumber or contractor does the work, and Ella's tech support answers their questions along the way.

What a Three-Piece Fiberglass Shower Is

Ella's multi-piece showers are fiberglass units with an applied finish, and knowing which construction you have tells you how the panels cut. The made-in-the-USA kits use a fiberglass reinforced shell with the AcrylX acrylic finish on the surface and Armorcore reinforced walls behind it, which is what lets grab bars and seats be mounted anywhere on the wall. What is AcrylX and how does it compare to acrylic? covers that material. The legacy gel coat multi-piece roll-in showers use a gel coat finish over panels of wood and fiberglass, with a steel reinforcing rod running around the perimeter and, on some back walls, through the center. Examples of the three-piece format are the Freedom low-threshold stall and the 60 by 33 inch three-piece low-threshold shower with a molded seat. In every case the panel face is the finished surface, so nothing is tiled or coated over it.

Before the Unit Goes in

1. Confirm the existing walls are dry, firm and free of damage. Soft or water-stained drywall should be repaired first, but sound drywall can stay; Ella's tech support has confirmed the Freedom stall goes right over existing drywall, even in a laundry room that was fully finished before the conversion began.
2. Check that the walls and floor are plumb and level so the three sections line up and the low threshold sits correctly.
3. Have your plumber locate the supply lines and the drain before the stall is positioned, since the drain has to align with the base.
4. Measure every doorway on the route to the room. A multi-piece stall arrives as separate pieces and is easier to bring in than a one-piece unit, which has its own doorway and hallway clearance rule.
5. If the room was never a bathroom, plan the water supply and drain rough-in first, because bringing those to the room is part of the contractor's job.

Dry-Fit and Cut for Plumbing

Set the sections in the alcove without fastening anything and mark exactly where the supply lines, valve or shower arm need to pass through the back wall. Installers cut these openings on site regularly, and Cutting a Roll-In Shower Back Wall Panel to Route Supply Lines or Clear a Valve gives the full method. The short version for a gel coat panel:

• Check the marked area for rebar from the back of the panel. If the cut lands on the perimeter rod or a center rod, stop and send a photo of the location with your model number to the team at ellasbubbles.com/support before going further.
• Cut the wood and fiberglass with a jig saw or a fine-blade circular saw, keeping the blade moving steadily so the gel coat edge stays clean.
• Where a rod has been confirmed as safe to cut, switch to a reciprocating saw with a steel-cutting blade and cut the rod separately from the panel material.
• Wear eye protection and support the panel so it cannot flex against the blade.

The rebar question is worth the short wait. In one installation the contractor needed to keep an existing valve at its height to stay within accessibility guidelines, and cutting the rod at the center of the back wall was the only way to avoid relocating the valve. The team confirmed with the manufacturer that the rod could be cut there and the install went ahead. Each confirmation is specific to the unit and the spot.

Setting, Fastening and Sealing

Follow the installation document packed with the unit for the exact fastening and sealing sequence, because the order differs by model and the document is written for yours. Two details apply to every Ella wall system. First, the wall panel comes down over the edge of the base so water runs onto the pan rather than behind it, the same principle as the tile flange on a walk-in tub; What are acrylic shower walls, and how do they hold up? describes that joint. Second, once the stall is in place, the joint between the panels and the surrounding wall surface is caulked and finished so water stays inside the shower. On AcrylX units with Armorcore walls, grab bars and seats can be mounted anywhere on the wall, which matters if a bather's needs change after the shower is installed.

Who Installs It and How to Care for It

Ella's Bubbles does not install showers and does not send technicians. A local licensed plumber or contractor handles the installation, and the team at (800) 480-6850 answers your contractor's questions about the unit, so keep the model number handy if a question comes up mid-project. Once the shower is in use, the one rule in every Ella care document is no abrasives: clean with warm water and liquid detergent or a non-abrasive cleanser made for fiberglass bathroom fixtures, and never use scouring powders or pads or steel wool. The published warranty terms differ by construction, with the AcrylX with Armorcore units printing a Lifetime Limited Residential Warranty and the legacy gel coat units printing a 3 year limited warranty, so check the term printed for your model.

Related Guides

• Installing Multi-Piece Gel Coat Showers: Barrier-Free Roll-In (BF) and Low-Threshold (SH) Units
• Installing an Ella One-Piece AcrylX Shower Stall: Alcove Prep, Drain Opening, Fastening and First Use
• How do you install a shower wall panel kit from Ella's Bubbles?

Related Videos

Common Questions