How Is a Walk-In Shower Installed or Fitted in a Bathroom?

A walk-in shower is fitted in a planned order: design and measure the space, check that the walls and floor are sound, plumb and level, locate the water supply and the drain, bring the pieces into the room, set the stall or panels so the drain lines up with the base, and then caulk and finish the edges. With a multi-piece unit such as the Ella Freedom, the walls you already have can often stay, as explained in Installing the Freedom 3-Piece Shower Stall Over Existing Drywall. Ella's Bubbles makes the shower products, and a local licensed plumber or contractor does the installation.

Start with a Design and Real Measurements

Good installations begin on paper. Ella's Bubbles offers an online tool, described in Shower Builder Tool, that lets you scroll through the available options and put together a custom shower design before the project moves forward. Building a design is only the first step. After that, a contractor visits in person to measure the space and finalize the installation details for the new shower.

Shower products are sold per item and not as one bundle, so the measurements decide which pieces you need. For wall panels, a few habits make the fit come out right:

• Measure each wall at the top, the middle and the bottom, and use the largest figure.
• 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 placing your order, because availability of each wall line changes over time.

Check the Room Before Anything Goes in

The preparation list for a shower stall is short, and each item prevents a problem later. For the Freedom 3-piece low-threshold stall, the checks are:

1. Confirm the walls are sound. The stall can go over existing drywall, so the walls do not have to be stripped back to the studs. The drywall should be dry, firm and free of damage, and soft or water-stained sections should be repaired before the stall goes in.
2. Check plumb and level. The walls and floor need to be plumb and level so the three sections line up and the low threshold sits correctly.
3. Locate the plumbing. 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. Check the route in. Make sure the sections fit through the doorways on the way to the room. A multi-piece stall arrives as separate pieces, which is easier to bring in than a one-piece unit.

These checks matter even more when the shower is going into a room that was never a bathroom. Converting a finished room, such as a laundry room, into a shower room is a practical use for a multi-piece stall, and in that case the plumber also brings a water supply and a drain to the room.

Setting the Stall or the Wall Panels

A three-piece stall arrives as three separate sections that are assembled in the room and set against the existing walls. The shower's wet surfaces are the stall's own panels, so the drywall behind them simply needs to be sound. The exact fastening and sealing sequence is in the installation document packed with the unit, and your contractor should follow that document for your specific model.

If your shower uses separate wall panels instead of a stall, the method depends on the panel. Ella's cultured marble shower walls come as eight, six or four panel sets, can be carried and installed by one person, and glue over drywall, plaster, painted walls, Durock or even existing tile. The edges are factory finished for seamless joining, and the panels can be trimmed for a custom fit. A few facts help with planning:

• Each marble panel comes out of a mold, so sizes are fixed at the factory. 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.
• Order the size equal to or slightly larger than the wall and trim the excess.
• Cultured marble cuts with a masonry blade in a standard circular saw.
• A cut edge is finished with a bead of caulk or covered with a 2 inch trim piece. Ella carries a 1 inch corner trim in 96 inch lengths.

The acrylic 3-panel kit is a different format, with one back panel 60 inches wide and two side panels 40 inches wide, in a 98 or 105 inch height. How the two materials compare is covered in Where Can I Buy Cultured Marble Shower Walls, and Is Acrylic Better?

Sealing and Finishing

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. Let any sealant cure as its instructions direct before the first shower.

If the project includes a folding shower screen, take care with its horizontal seal. That seal runs along the bottom of the screen to keep spray inside, and an end cap finishes the end of the seal, holds it in place and covers the cut edge. Installers cut the horizontal seal to length, and a seal that is cut short can leave a gap that lets water through. The details are in Replacing or Reattaching the End Cap and Horizontal Seal on a Folding Shower Screen.

Who Does the Work, and How a Walk-In Tub Differs

Ella's Bubbles does not install showers and does not send technicians. A local licensed plumber or contractor handles the installation. Ella's tech support team is available at (800) 480-6850 to answer your contractor's questions about the unit, so keep your model number handy in case a question comes up mid-project.

If you are still deciding between a shower and a walk-in tub, the installation sequences are different. A walk-in tub is carried in with its removable panels off, set level on its own frame, connected to the drain, the water supply and dedicated GFCI-protected power, water-tested, and only then closed in with tile and trim. That process is described in How is a walk-in tub installed in an existing bathroom?

Related Guides

• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• How do you install or attach Ella shower wall panels and surrounds?
• Installing Ella Shower Bases, the Flexible Shower Dam, and Shower Walls

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