What Is the Difference Between a Roll-In Shower and a Walk-In Shower?

The difference is the threshold at the entry. A roll-in shower uses a barrier-free, curb-less base that sits flush with the bathroom floor with no lip to step or roll over, so a wheelchair can roll straight in, while a walk-in shower has a raised entry, such as a step-in threshold, that the bather steps over. Ella's Bubbles makes both kinds of base, both use the same wall systems and accessories, and the full line of bases, walls and matching pieces is in Shower Bases, Walls, and Filler Pieces.

Roll-In Showers Use a Barrier-Free Base

Ella's wheelchair accessible roll-in base comes in three standard sizes, 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inches, and all three are ADA curb-less pans. The 32 by 60 inch barrier-free base is available in left and right side configurations and is ready to ship. Because there is no lip, a wheelchair or walker moves from the bathroom floor onto the pan without a bump. Drain placement is specified when you order, and left-hand and center-drain bases are among those the team has supplied, so tell the team where the existing drain line sits in the floor. Sizes outside the standard three can be made to order, including pans shorter or longer than 60 inches. ADA standards generally limit the threshold in a roll-in shower compartment to a maximum of 1/2 inch, which is why a roll-in base is the choice when a wheelchair user, an accessibility code or an inspector requires a roll-in compartment. Sizes, drain positions and what is sold separately are in Wheelchair Accessible Shower Base Sizes, Drain Positions, and What Is Sold Separately.

Walk-In Showers Use a Step-In Threshold

For customers who prefer a slightly raised entry instead of a barrier-free design, Ella offers a three-inch step-in threshold, and this is the style most people mean by a walk-in shower. The raised edge holds water in the stall without a dam, and the step over it is far lower than the side of a conventional tub, which suits many residential remodels where everyone using the shower can step over a lip. It is still a step, though, so it is not the right choice for someone who bathes from a wheelchair, and a three-inch step-in base is a residential choice rather than a code-compliant roll-in. The Accessible Caregiver Shower Base sits between the two, with a low 3/4-inch threshold built for home care. That height suits many residential projects, but it is above the 1/2 inch ADA figure for roll-in compartments, so it is normally not the right choice where a commercial or public project must meet the roll-in requirement. Check the threshold figure on the spec sheet before ordering rather than judging from a product photo, since a low step and a flush floor can look similar online. Ella does not offer a floor insert or riser that raises the interior of a stepped base, so if a project turns out to require a roll-in threshold, the answer is a different base, not an add-on. Your local building department decides what passes inspection, and the details are in Is a 3/4-Inch Shower Base Threshold ADA Compliant for a Commercial Building?.

Keeping Water in a Roll-In Shower

Without a curb, the flexible Ella shower dam keeps water in the stall. It is a compressible waterproof strip made for exclusive use with a barrier-free wheelchair accessible base, bonded along the open edge of the pan, and the video shows how it works and how it is installed. The wheels of a wheelchair roll over the compressible waterproof material on the way in and out, the dam returns to its original shape once the chair has passed, and the water stays inside. Installation starts with precise measuring and cleaning every surface with denatured alcohol, then a tape guide line, cutting the dam to length, inserting the end caps, pressing the dam snugly against the wall and floor as the tape backing is pulled away, and finishing with a thin bead of silicone along the lower edge on both sides and at both end caps. The video closes with a demonstration of the dam holding water inside the stall.

What Both Kinds of Shower Need

Shower products are sold per item rather than as a single bundle, so a complete shower is put together from the pieces you need:

• The base in your size and drain position.
• A wall system sized to the base, such as the plain white acrylic three-piece panel kit, a CNC engraved pattern in acrylic, a digital print finish or a marble-look three-piece panel kit. Large acrylic panels include 98 by 60 inch back walls and 36 to 38 by 96 to 98 inch side walls.
• Accessories such as grab bars or a shower door.
• An 8 inch wide L-shaped filler piece, which can be trimmed, to close a gap between the base and an adjoining wall or fixture.

On the multi-piece gel coat roll-in showers, the back wall can be cut on site to route supply lines or clear an existing valve; the blades to use and the reinforcing rod check are covered in Cutting a Roll-In Shower Back Wall Panel to Route Supply Lines or Clear a Valve. Before you specify, ask your local building department which accessibility standard applies and what maximum threshold height and edge profile it enforces, because state and local codes decide what passes inspection. Measure the finished opening, not the framing, before you order, and confirm your drain location with the team because the online drain-placement tool can round measurements up to the nearest inch. The measuring steps are in Walk-In Tub and Shower Base Sizes and How to Measure for Fit. Then choose the base, note the drain position the plumbing requires, and request the spec sheet and current availability on any base, wall kit, accessory or the shower dam from your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

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

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