What is a roll-in shower and who needs one?

A roll-in shower is a shower with a curb-less, barrier-free entry, so a wheelchair or a rolling shower chair moves straight in from the bathroom floor with no edge to step or lift over. At Ella's Bubbles the heart of it is the wheelchair accessible roll-in shower base, a finished acrylic pan sold in three standard sizes, 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches, each with a left or right drain and a flexible rubber dam to keep the water in; Wheelchair Accessible Shower Base Sizes, Drain Positions, and What Is Sold Separately lists what ships with the base. It is the right choice for anyone who bathes from a wheelchair or a shower chair, and for anyone who wants an entry with nothing to step over.

What Makes a Shower Roll-In

The defining feature is the pan. A roll-in base is an ADA curb-less pan, which means the shower floor meets the bathroom floor without a raised edge, so wheels roll straight in and straight out. Ella's roll-in bases are finished acrylic, so they need no tile and are ready to use once your contractor sets them. Every roll-in and barrier-free base ships with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam, and the Ella shower dam video on this page shows the idea in action: the wheels of a wheelchair simply roll over the compressible material entering or leaving, the dam returns to its original shape, and the water stays inside the shower stall. People searching also type rolling shower or rollin shower; on Ella's pages the product is the wheelchair accessible roll-in shower base, and the 32 by 60 inch version is also described as the barrier-free roll-in base.

A roll-in shower is not the same as a step-in shower. Ella also offers a 3 inch step-in threshold for customers who prefer a slightly raised entry, custom rectangular bases with a front threshold, and a three-piece low-threshold kit with a molded seat. None of those is a roll-in pan, and Shower Bases and Walls: Roll-In, Seat, Custom Sizes, Thresholds and Wall Systems explains how the threshold choice changes the basin depth inside the shower.

Roll-In Compared with Ella's Other Shower Entries

What the table means in practice is simple. If the person bathing stays in a wheelchair or a shower chair, the three standard roll-in widths all do the job and the choice comes down to the width of your alcove and where the drain line sits in the floor. If a built-in seat is essential on a curb-less pan, plan around the 36 by 60 base, because it is the only standard roll-in size offered with a molded seat. The step-in and low-threshold products suit someone who can manage a small step and prefers a raised edge, and they should not be ordered for a wheelchair user by mistake. What sizes do roll-in shower bases come in, and which include a seat? goes deeper on the seat choices.

Who Needs a Roll-In Shower

The roll-in base is built for wheelchair users, which is why the shower dam is described as being for exclusive use with a barrier-free wheelchair accessible shower base. It is equally suited to anyone who transfers to a rolling shower chair and is wheeled in, since the chair meets the same curb-less floor. Seating is flexible: folding benches and seats rated from 300 to 600 pounds can be added to any of the three standard sizes, and the 36 by 60 base can be ordered with a molded seat for someone who transfers out of the chair to bathe. Because the base is sold on its own, you can combine it with the wall finish, grab bars and door that fit the person and the room.

How a Wheelchair Accessible Shower Is Put Together

Ella's shower products are sold per item rather than as one bundle, so a complete roll-in shower is assembled from the pieces you need. Ella does not install; your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it.

1. Measure the finished opening, not the framing, and note where your existing drain line sits in the floor. The drain position is specified when you order.
2. Choose the base. If 30, 32 or 36 inches wide by 60 inches long fits, pick that size with the left or right drain that matches your line. If not, a rectangular custom base can be made up to 44 inches wide by 80 inches long for a three-wall alcove or a corner, with the drain left, right or center but at least 9 inches from each wall; a drain only 7 inches from the threshold edge cannot be made, and angled or curved edges are not offered. Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers? covers the limits.
3. Choose the walls. Ella makes acrylic wall systems sized to the base, including the plain white three-piece panel kit, a CNC engraved pattern in acrylic and a marble-look three-piece kit, with large panels such as 98 by 60 inch back walls and 36 to 38 inch by 96 to 98 inch side walls. If you would rather tile, order a custom base, which has a tile flange for tiled walls.
4. Add the accessories: grab bars, a shower door, and a folding seat or bench if wanted. If there is a gap between the base and an adjoining wall or fixture, an 8 inch wide L-shaped plastic filler piece with brackets closes it and can be trimmed to size.
5. Have your contractor set the base and connect the drain, then finish the walls.
6. Install the dam. The video shows the steps: measure precisely, clean all surfaces with denatured alcohol, lay a tape line as a guide, mark and cut the dam to length, fit the plastic end caps, peel back the red tape about an inch, press the dam snugly against the shower wall and floor while pulling the cover away, run painter's tape along both sides, and apply a thin bead of silicone along the lower edge on both sides and at both end caps.

For current availability on any base, wall kit or accessory, ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, or open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with the base size, the drain position and the walls and accessories you want. Contractors who expect to buy regularly can also ask about the dealer program.

Watch: The Ella Shower Dam, Keep Water In, Roll In With Ease | Ella's Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• What does barrier-free mean and which shower bases have no threshold?
• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• Shower Base Sizes and Thresholds Compared: AcrylX Barrier-Free, SMC Linear-Drain, Molded-Seat and Cultured Marble Bases

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