Can Ella Make L-Shaped, Neo-Angle, or Other Non-Rectangular Shower Bases?

No. Every Ella's Bubbles shower base is a rectangle, so an L-shaped pan, a neo-angle corner pan, a curved front or any other non-rectangular footprint is not something the factory makes. What Ella does make is a custom rectangle built to your length and width for a three-wall alcove or a two-wall corner, as described in Who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts?, so the useful question for an angled or L-shaped room is whether a rectangle can be drawn into it.

Why the Shape Is Fixed Before the Base Reaches Your Bathroom

An Ella shower base is not formed, lined or grouted on site. It comes out of a mold at the factory as a finished acrylic piece that already carries the drain and the threshold, and on some shower models a molded seat. Because the base is molded, its shape is decided at the factory, and the molds produce rectangles. Bases with angled or curved edges are not offered.

What can change from one order to the next is limited to three decisions, all made before the base is molded:

• The size of the rectangle, meaning its length and width.
• Where the drain sits: left, right or center.
• How tall the threshold is.

That is the whole menu. A clipped corner for a neo-angle door, a notch for an L-shaped footprint or a bowed front edge are not on it. The page on how a custom shower pan or base is built explains the molded approach in more detail, including why an Ella pan, standard or custom, never needs to be tiled over. If your room truly only works with an angled pan, that is the point at which an Ella base is not the right fit and it makes sense to look elsewhere.

Shape by Shape: What Ella Can and Cannot Make

The table below sets each common shape request against what the factory produces, using only the figures Ella publishes.

The difference that matters is between the layout and the shape. Ella is flexible about layout, since a custom base can be made for an alcove or for a corner, and the team asks which one you have so the drain and the finished edges are placed correctly. Ella is not flexible about shape. A corner installation from Ella is still a rectangle that sits against two walls, with two open square sides rather than the clipped diagonal front of a neo-angle pan. If you were drawn to a neo-angle because the shower sits in a corner, the corner rectangle is the Ella answer. If you need the diagonal because a door or a toilet sits in the way, a rectangle small enough to clear the obstacle is the only option Ella can offer.

A Corner Pan with a Curb, the Ella Way

People who search for a neo-angle pan often add that they want a curb. A custom Ella base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches, which serves as the curb, and on a custom base the threshold goes on the longer side. Two other entry styles exist if a curb is not what you need. Zero threshold bases sit flush with the surrounding floor for a barrier-free entry, and wheelchair accessible roll-in bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in while a wheelchair rolls over it. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm which threshold style suits your bathroom and how it meets your plumbing rough-in.

Ella also makes cultured marble shower bases in three sizes. The video on this page shows them: molded solid cultured marble with a glossy gel coat finish and an ADA compliant slip resistant textured floor. They are heavy and need at least two people to install, which is worth telling your contractor before delivery day. Like the acrylic bases, they come out of a mold, so the shape is set at the factory.

Drawing a Rectangle into an L-Shaped or Angled Room

Start with a tape measure and five notes, which are covered step by step in how to measure a shower base, including a corner base:

1. Width, measured across the opening the base will fill.
2. Length, measured along the back wall.
3. Drain position, measured from the center of the existing drain line to each wall.
4. Layout, either three walls or a two-wall corner.
5. Entry, meaning which side you step in from and which threshold style you want.

In an L-shaped room, the rectangle usually goes into one leg of the L. Measure that leg on its own and compare it with the limits. Pans shorter than 60 inches are routine, and a custom 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain has been produced. A 38 by 80 inch base with a left drain is within the limits. A request such as 53 by 76 inches cannot be produced, because it is wider than the 44 inch maximum described in What Is the Largest Custom Shower Base Ella's Bubbles Can Make?.

The drain is the second thing that rules a space in or out. It can be placed left, right or center, but it must sit at least 9 inches from each wall. A drain only 7 inches from the threshold edge is not possible, even on a custom base. In an angled room the existing drain often sits close to a wall, so measure it early. It may decide whether the rectangle works before the shape question even comes up.

Confirm the Plan Before Anyone Cuts the Floor

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with a simple drawing of the space that shows the walls, the rectangle you want and where the existing drain is. Say whether the installation is on a concrete slab with no access from below, because that affects the drain plan. The team confirms whether a base can be made to match and what drain hardware ships with it. Custom sizes have not always been offered, and the maximum size has been corrected in the past, so treat the team's confirmation for your drawing as the final word rather than an older brochure or a forum post. The article Can I Get a Custom Size Shower Base Made for My Space? lists what to have ready when you ask. Once the base arrives, a local licensed contractor sets it on your floor, connects it to the drain line and finishes the walls around it.

Watch: Cultured Marble Reversible Shower Base with Low Threshold for Safer Bathing | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• Shower Base Sizes and Thresholds Compared: AcrylX Barrier-Free, SMC Linear-Drain, Molded-Seat and Cultured Marble Bases
• Does an Ella Shower Base Need a Mortar Bed to Keep Its Warranty?

Common Questions