Removing Grab Bars, the Door Handle and Controls for Custom Plating or Refinishing

Your tub ships fully assembled and tested, so the grab bars, door handle and other hardware travel with the tub rather than being sent ahead of it. Once the tub arrives, your contractor can remove the pieces you want plated and send them to a plating shop. Ella does not plate or refinish parts and cannot advise on the plating process, so remove one part first and confirm the process works before taking off the rest.

Why the Hardware Ships with the Tub

Every Ella walk-in tub is assembled and tested to order, and the hardware is part of that finished unit. For that reason the team recommends shipping everything together with the tub rather than sending loose hardware ahead. Two pieces already ride loose in the parts box packed inside the crate: the door handle and the deck-mount grab bar are packaged separately and are not installed when the tub ships, so they can go straight to the plater on delivery day. What a deck-mount grab bar is and where it goes is explained in what is a deck-mount grab bar, and the crate itself is described in what is the shipping crate.

What Comes Off and How

• Door handle. It attaches with a single bolt, and it is already packed in the parts box when the tub ships. If your tub has the stainless steel inward-swing door, handle operation is covered in using your stainless steel inward-swing door.
• Deck-mount grab bar. Ships loose in the parts box, so no removal is needed.
• Interior grab bars. These are installed at the factory. Their mounting hole spacing matters when they go back on, which is explained in replacement interior grab bars and hole spacing.
• Push-button and intensity dial controls. These controls on the tub deck are plastic, not metal. Ella cannot say whether they can be plated or painted, so treat them as a question for your plating shop.

Test One Part Before Removing the Rest

1. Have your contractor remove a single piece and note how it came off and what fastened it.
2. Send that one piece to the plating shop and confirm the finish adheres and the part still fits and seals when reinstalled.
3. Only then remove the remaining hardware, keeping every screw, bolt and gasket labeled by location.
4. Reinstall each piece snugly and check for leaks around every mounting point before the tub goes into service.

Warranty and Factory Finishes

The published warranty excludes tubs modified by anyone other than Ella's Bubbles, and plating is a modification. Ask the team how plating the hardware affects coverage on your tub before you start, and keep in mind that the plating shop, not Ella, is responsible for the finish. If you are still choosing options, ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 which factory finishes are available for the hardware on your model. What can and cannot be changed at the factory is summarized in what can and cannot be customized on an Ella tub.

Related Guides

• Does Drilling Holes for a Faucet or Grab Bars Void the Ella Warranty? Pre-Drilled Holes, Reinforced Walls and Choosing an Installer
• What can void my Ella's Bubbles walk-in tub warranty?
• How to Order a Replacement Part for Your Ella Walk-In Tub

Common Questions

Still Need Help?

Open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 and have your model and serial number ready.