Does Ella Make Shower Pans in Solid Surface or Only Acrylic?

Ella's Bubbles makes its own shower bases in acrylic, in three standard sizes and in custom rectangles, and it also offers cultured marble shower bases in three sizes. A solid surface material is not among the base materials Ella publishes, so if your project calls for that specific material, confirm it with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before you plan around it. The acrylic pans, their roll-in sizes and their custom limits are described in Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers?.

The Two Base Materials Ella Publishes

Every Ella shower base page describes the pans as acrylic. The standard bases are finished acrylic with the slope, threshold and drain molded in, so they are ready to use once set, and they must not be tiled over. The same is true of a custom acrylic base: your contractor sets it, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it, with no tile work on the pan itself.

The second material is cultured marble. Ella offers cultured marble shower bases in three sizes, and the video on this page shows them. These bases are molded solid cultured marble with a glossy gelcoat finish and an ADA compliant slip-resistant textured floor, and they are presented as the sturdy, durable alternative to lightweight acrylic. Because they are solid and heavy, they take at least two people to install, which is worth telling your contractor before delivery day.

Solid surface, as a named material, does not appear on any of the base pages or in the video. If what you are after is a solid, heavy pan rather than a formed shell, the cultured marble base is the published option that fits that description. If you specifically need a solid surface pan to match other solid surface work in the room, ask the team directly rather than assuming one can be built, because only the acrylic and cultured marble bases are documented.

Acrylic, Cultured Marble and Solid Surface Side by Side

What the table means in practice is that the material question and the size question are linked. If you need a custom footprint, a made-to-order pan shorter or longer than 60 inches, or a drain moved to the center, the acrylic base is the one with published custom limits. The cultured marble base comes in three fixed sizes, and its figures are not published, so the team confirms whether one of them fits your opening. A solid surface pan has no published sizes at all, which is the clearest sign that it is not a standard Ella offering.

What the Acrylic Bases Can Be Made to Do

The three standard acrylic bases share a 60 inch length and differ only in width, at 30, 32 or 36 inches. They are ADA curb-less roll-in pans with no threshold to step or roll over, and roll-in and barrier-free bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in while a wheelchair rolls over it. The drain sits in a set position for each size, so tell the team where your existing drain line sits in the floor and it confirms which drain position matches your size. All three footprints are covered in What Sizes Do Ella Shower Bases and Shower Pans Come In?.

When none of the three fits, the factory builds a rectangle to your length and width. The rules that apply:

• The largest custom base is 44 inches wide by 80 inches long. A 38 by 80 inch base with a left drain is within the limits; a 53 by 76 inch request cannot be produced.
• Pans shorter than 60 inches are routine. A 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain and a 36 by 36 inch corner base have both been produced.
• Only rectangles are offered. Bases with angled or curved edges are not available.
• The drain can be placed left, right or center but 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 pan.
• Custom bases are made for three-wall alcoves and for corner installations, and the team asks which layout you have so the drain and edges are placed correctly.

The full set of limits is in What Is the Largest Custom Shower Base Ella's Bubbles Can Make?, and Who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts? walks through the odd-shaped rooms a rectangle can and cannot solve.

Threshold Choices in Each Material

The acrylic range covers three threshold styles. The roll-in pans are curb-less. A 3 inch step-in threshold base is offered for those who prefer a slightly raised edge, and a custom base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches. Zero threshold bases sit flush with the surrounding floor for a barrier-free entry. The cultured marble base in the video is presented as a low threshold base with a slip-resistant floor, but its threshold height is not published, so ask for the figure if a wheelchair or walker has to cross it. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can confirm which threshold style suits your bathroom and how it meets your plumbing rough-in.

How to Ask for the Base You Need

Shower products are sold per item, so a complete shower is put together from the base in your size and drain position, a wall system sized to the base, and accessories such as grab bars or a shower door. Ella's shower wall panels are 98 inches high in a plain white finish. To get a clear answer on material, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with a simple drawing of the space showing the walls, the size you want, where the existing drain is, whether the layout is a three-wall alcove or a corner, and whether you want acrylic or cultured marble. If you need a solid surface pan specifically, say so in the ticket and the team will tell you whether it can be supplied. The questions to have ready before you ask are collected in Can I Get a Custom Size Shower Base Made for My Space?.

Related Guides

• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• Cultured Marble Shower Wall Panels: Stock Sizes, Cutting to Fit, and Finishing the Edges
• Shower Base Sizes and Thresholds Compared: AcrylX Barrier-Free, SMC Linear-Drain, Molded-Seat and Cultured Marble Bases

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