Are there videos showing how to set an Ella shower base and walls?

Yes. Ella publishes step-by-step installation videos for its low threshold and barrier free shower bases, and they take the base from the dry fit in the framing pocket through to the wall panels. They pick up at the framing pocket, so removing the existing shower is not on camera. That tear-out is work for the local licensed contractor or plumber described in Who Installs a Shower Pan or Shower Base in My Bathroom?. Tell your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 which base size and wall option you are planning on and they can point you to the right video for it.

What the Base Installation Video Shows, Step by Step

The video follows one sequence, and it is the same sequence your contractor should follow in your bathroom.

1. Dry fit the base in the framing pocket, with no adhesive, so you can see how it sits and where the drain lands.
2. Level the base so the bubble is centered. The slope that carries water to the drain is already molded into the acrylic, so the base itself has to sit level for that slope to work.
3. Mark the front point of the threshold on the subfloor. That mark is the reference the base returns to after it is lifted out for the drain and the adhesive.
4. Set the 2 inch drain body with plumber's putty.
5. Bed the base on beads of 100 percent silicone.
6. Check level again once the base is bedded, then screw the flange to the studs.
7. Install the wall panels.

Each step builds on the one before it, which is why the video is worth watching all the way through before the first bead of silicone goes down. The level check appears twice on purpose. A base that was level during the dry fit can shift when it is bedded, and once the flange is screwed to the studs it is no longer easy to correct.

The Glue-Up Tile Flange Video

A separate video covers the glue up tile flange. Its main lesson is how to mark the strip position on the walls so that the wall finish meets the base, or the tub deck, correctly. The flange is what lets the wall surface come down over the edge of the base so water runs back into the pan rather than behind it, and the marking step is where that joint is decided. If your plan is tile or another wall finish rather than Ella wall panels, this is the video to ask for alongside the base video.

What the Videos Leave to Your Contractor

The videos start at a framed, open pocket, so everything before that point is site work.

• Removing the existing shower, stall or tub and clearing the pocket back to the framing.
• Preparing the floor and the plumbing so the base lands on the rough-in. The drain opening is molded into the base in a set position and cannot be moved on request, so if your existing drain line does not match, the choice between relocating the line, picking a different base or ordering a custom base is made before the order, as What if my existing shower drain does not line up with the Ella base? explains.
• Measuring the pocket. Width across the opening, length along the back wall, the drain position from each wall, and whether the space is a three-wall alcove or a two-wall corner are the figures the base is ordered to, and How Do You Measure a Shower Base, Including a Corner Base? walks through taking them.
• Trimming and cutting the wall panels to fit the alcove. The walls are the part that gets fitted in the room; the base never is.

Why Nothing Is Formed on Site

The reason the base video is as short as it is comes down to how Ella pans arrive. They are finished acrylic with the slope, the threshold and the drain molded in, so nothing is formed, lined, grouted or tiled over in your bathroom. Standard acrylic bases come in 30x60, 32x60 and 36x60 inches, each with a left or right drain, and custom rectangular bases run up to 44 inches wide by 80 inches long with a minimum of 30 by 30 inches and the drain at least 9 inches from each wall. All of that is decided before the base is molded, which is why the on-site job is set, level, drain, bed and fasten.

The walls are the component with on-site work. Ella's cultured marble panels glue over drywall, plaster, painted walls, cement board or existing tile, and their factory finished edges are trimmed and cut in the room for a custom fit, as Who installs acrylic shower walls and shower pans in my bathroom? describes. If you are installing a three-piece stall rather than a base and separate walls, the Freedom 3-piece low-threshold stall sets against existing drywall without stripping the room to the studs, which Installing the Freedom 3-Piece Shower Stall Over Existing Drywall covers.

Who Does the Installation

Ella's Bubbles manufactures the base and the walls and ships them as finished pieces. It does not perform installations and does not send technicians. A local licensed plumber or remodeling contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls, and labor is arranged and paid for between you and the contractor. Ella's technical support guides your contractor for free with manuals and live video help, so a question that comes up mid-job goes to (800) 480-6850 with your model number at hand. If you do not have a contractor, the team can refer installers from its nationwide network.

Related Guides

• How Do You Install a Tile Flange on a Tub or Shower Base?
• Installing Ella Shower Bases, the Flexible Shower Dam, and Shower Walls
• How Do I Install a Shower Wall Panel Kit From Ella's Bubbles?

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