Is the stainless steel door on an Ella tub silver or gold-toned?

The stainless steel inward-swing door on an Ella walk-in tub is brushed stainless steel with a frosted tempered glass panel and an interior chrome locking handle, so it is a cool silver-toned brushed metal, not a golden or brass color. Ella does not make a gold door; every current tub is white with chrome trim, and the faucet set is the only item you can order in another finish, as Tub Colors and Hardware Finishes: White Only, Chrome Trim, and Faucet Upgrades explains. If a door looks warm in a photo or on a showroom floor, the model name on your order paperwork settles which door you have and what it is made of.

What the Stainless Door Is Made of

The stainless steel inward-swing door is the brushed stainless door with a frosted tempered glass panel fitted to the Elite, Petite, Royal, Deluxe, Ultimate, Companion and Escape. Both the door and its frame are stainless steel. The frame is a U shape in brushed stainless, which is why the door is sometimes called the U-shaped stainless door or the stainless glass door, and the panel in the middle is frosted tempered glass. The handle on the inside of the door is chrome. The whole door swings into the tub, locks with that interior handle, and lifts out so you can clean behind it, and the full description is in What Is the Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door on a Walk-In Tub?.

Because the frame is solid stainless steel rather than a plated or coated metal, its color is the color of the steel itself. The brushed finish gives it a soft satin look rather than a mirror shine, and the chrome handle on the same door is the polished version of the same silver family. There is no gold plating, brass or bronze layer anywhere on the door. The first video on this page is Ella's own tour of the inward-swing family and shows the custom crafted brushed stainless steel door with frosted tempered glass up close, so you can see the finish for yourself before you decide.

Why Ella Does Not Offer a Gold Door

Ella's finish rules are simple. Every current Ella walk-in tub, LayDown tub, shower base and shower kit is white, the trim and fittings are chrome, and the faucet set is the one item you can order in another finish. The chrome-only list covers the grab bars, the door handle and trim, the drain openers and covers, the jet trim, the push buttons and the 4-fold screen frame. Oil-rubbed bronze or polished brass is not made for jets or grab bars, and the door follows the same rule: it comes in brushed stainless and nothing else.

The warm tones that do exist on an Ella tub all belong to the faucet. Chrome is standard, brushed nickel is available on the 2-piece set, a partner-brand set can be requested in satin nickel or antique bronze, and the waterfall wall faucet comes in chrome, brushed nickel or matte black as availability allows. Black and gold have been offered on some faucet sets at times, so those finishes are handled case by case with your Ella dealer or the team before ordering. That is the only way a gold tone appears on an Ella tub: on the faucet, sitting next to a silver-toned door and chrome trim. If you are planning the room around brushed nickel, the usual approach is a brushed nickel faucet with chrome everywhere else.

Door Finish by Ella Door Style

Two things stand out from the table. The only metal doors in the Ella line are the brushed stainless door and the Ultra's brushed aluminum door, and both are brushed silver-toned metals with frosted glass. Every other door is white, either composite or acrylic, so if you are looking at a white door with a decorative glass front you are not looking at the stainless door at all. The second video walks through the three door styles and names the materials for each one: industrial strength PVC with a decorative glass panel on the outward U-shape door, brushed stainless steel with a tempered frosted glass panel on the inward door, and the wide L-shape door on the Transfer tubs.

How to Confirm Which Door You Have

If a listing, a photo or a showroom sample has left you unsure, Is My Tub Door Inward or Outward Swing, and Which Door Do I Have? settles it by model name, and the same checks work in person.

1. Find the model name on your order paperwork and match it to the table above. Every Ella model belongs to one door style.
2. Open the door. The stainless door swings into the tub and closes with a handle on the inside; once the tub fills, the water pressure helps hold it shut. An outward door swings into the room.
3. Look at the material. Brushed stainless steel with a frosted glass panel is the removable inward door. White composite with a decorative glass front is the outward U-shape door.
4. Check the handle. On the stainless door it is chrome and sits on the inside of the door.

If a manual or spec sheet disagrees with what you see, trust the tub. The outward-swing owner manual includes a diagram of the stainless door by mistake, and the Tub4Two spec sheet lists a removable stainless steel door it does not have, so a printed page is not proof of a gold or silver finish. For a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or (800) 480-6850, a photo of the door and the model name from where you purchased is all the team needs to confirm the finish.

Matching the Room and Keeping the Brushed Finish Looking Right

The door finish is fixed, and the door is not swapped for a different look. Every Ella tub is water-tested at the factory with its own door fitted, so the seal, latches and alignment are proven as a set, and the pairing is one of the features that cannot be changed. The same logic applies to the white U-shape door, where a slight tone difference between the composite door and the acrylic shell is expected rather than a defect, as Why the Tub Door Is a Slightly Different White Than the Tub Shell describes. With the stainless door the question is the tone of the metal rather than the shade of white, and the answer is brushed steel against a gloss white acrylic shell with chrome trim.

Day to day, the brushed finish needs little attention. Wipe the frame and glass with a mild, non-abrasive cleaner and clean the seal with rubbing alcohol. Remove the door from time to time to clean the seal and the tub wall behind it, and leave the door open when the tub is not in use. Never lean on the door or use it to lower yourself into the seat, because the door and seal warranty is valid only when the alignment is correct. If the handle no longer sits flush when locked, it is adjusted at the lock nut behind the front apron. The rest of the tub's construction, including the stainless steel frame under the acrylic shell and the composite used on the outward doors, is in What Are the Shell, Frame, Door and Towel Bar of an Ella Walk-In Tub Made Of?.

Related Guides

• Using Your Stainless Steel Inward-Swing Door: Opening, Closing, and Handle Adjustment
• Door seal or gasket looks worn, loose, or leaks: care, repair, and replacement
• Can Scratches on the Brushed Stainless Steel Tub Door Be Buffed Out?

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