Should I use a prefab shower pan or build a custom one?

For an Ella shower the answer is a factory-molded acrylic pan, either one of the three standard sizes or a custom-size rectangle made to your measurements, because the base arrives with its slope, threshold and drain molded in and is the finished floor as shipped. Building a pan on site only comes into play when the footprint cannot be a rectangle, since Ella does not make angled or curved bases. Who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts? explains how far a custom rectangle can go; this page weighs a molded pan against building one and lists what the installer checks before setting it.

Two Meanings of Custom

Custom can mean a pan built on site from a mortar bed and finished in tile, or a factory pan made to your dimensions. Ella's custom pans are the second kind. They are the same finished acrylic as the standard bases, made to your length and width for a three-wall alcove or a corner installation, with the drain placed left, right or center. The published limits are a minimum of 30 by 30 inches, a maximum of 44 inches wide by 80 inches long with the threshold on the longer side, and a corner maximum of 42 by 60 inches. Pans shorter than the standard 60 inches are routine: sizes such as 46 by 46, 50 by 30 and 36 by 44 inches have been handled, and a 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain has been produced. The full range is in What sizes do shower pans come in, from smallest to largest?.

• The drain 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.
• A custom base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches. Zero threshold bases sit flush with the floor instead, and roll-in bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that holds water in while a wheelchair rolls over it.
• The team asks whether you have an alcove or a corner so the drain and edges are placed correctly, so measure the finished opening before you request one.

Why a Molded Pan Is Never a Base for Tile

The reason a prefab pan and a built pan are not interchangeable is what sits on top. A site-built pan exists to carry tile. An Ella acrylic base is the walking surface itself, and Ella's guidance is that tile, thinset or a waterproofing membrane should not be applied on top of it. Tile needs a rigid, absorbent substrate that mortar bonds to, and acrylic is smooth, so tile laid over it would not bond reliably and could trap water underneath with no path to the drain. Tiling over the pan would also bury the molded slope and threshold that move water to the drain. The base is made solid by being supported from underneath, not by adding a layer on top. If you want a tiled look, plan it for the walls above the base, as Can You Tile Over an Ella Acrylic Shower Base? explains.

How the Options Compare

What the table means for your bathroom is that the decision is about shape, not size. Anything rectangular from 30 by 30 inches to 44 by 80 inches, with the drain at least 9 inches off each wall, can arrive as a finished acrylic pan that your contractor sets, connects and builds walls around. Only a neo-angle corner, a curved front or another non-rectangular footprint falls outside what Ella molds, and that is the point at which the published guidance says to look elsewhere. Ella's documents do not describe how to build a mortar-bed pan, so that method is outside this knowledge base.

What the Installer Checks Before Setting a Molded Pan

A prefab pan saves the work of building one, but it does not remove the site checks. The first video, Ella's low-threshold three-piece shower installation guide, shows the sequence. Dry-assemble the unit in a clean, dry, open space before it goes into the bathroom to confirm you received the correct pieces and the correct drain location, that the pan and panels are free of damage, and that everything aligns. Take a picture of the assembled unit. The video advises delaying demolition of the existing tub area until you are confident the new unit is the right size and condition, so no one is left without a working bathroom.

1. Check the framing pocket against the dimensions on the framing diagram page of the installation instructions.
2. Check the pocket for square, plumb and level. The video notes that adjustments are needed more often than not.
3. Hang a plumb bob from the framing at the back wall. If the wall is out of plumb, shim the pan away from the wall or notch the stud, because a wall that is not plumb shows up later as uneven panels.
4. Inspect the subfloor before the pan is set.

On delivery day, an adult should receive the unit, inspect it and note any visible damage on the bill of lading before the driver leaves, photographing anything suspicious. If the unit cannot be fully inspected on the spot, sign with the words subject to further inspection so a concealed-damage claim with the carrier stays open.

Who Makes and Who Installs

Ella manufactures its own acrylic pans and sells them through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, as covered in Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers?. Ella does not install showers and does not send technicians. Your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it, and the team at ellasbubbles.com/support answers their questions about the base, the threshold style and how it meets your plumbing rough-in.

Related Guides

• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• How do you build a custom shower pan or base?
• Does an Ella Shower Base Need a Mortar Bed to Keep Its Warranty?

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