Can Ella Send Tile or Wall Surround Samples to Match My Tub?

Yes. Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can show you samples of the wall finishes so you settle on a look before anything ships, and because Ella's Bubbles manufactures its own shower wall panels and wall surrounds, the sample you see comes from the same line you would order. The panels are sold through your dealer or the team rather than from a store shelf, as Where Can I Buy Walk-In Shower Wall Kits Locally? explains, so the sample request and the order itself go to the same place.

Which Finishes You Can Ask to See

Ella makes more than one wall family, and each has its own surface, so it helps to name the one you are considering when you ask for a sample. Availability of each wall line changes over time, so check the current shower and accessories pages at ellasbubbles.com or ask the team which finishes are being made right now.

• Acrylic shower wall panels. Manufactured at 98 inches high, with side panels measuring 40 inches and the back wall panel measuring 60 inches. They come in a plain white finish, a CNC routed design with light gray grout lines, and a digital print option.
• Carrara White and solid white gloss. Within acrylic there are two looks. The 6-piece acrylic kit is the Carrara White option and gives a white marble look, with storage shelves built into the left side. The Solid White Glossy 3-piece surround is plain white with a glossy finish and a 1-inch bend at each panel edge for a sleek transition where the panel ends.
• Cultured marble travertine panels. Made from a natural quartz and granite composite with a gel coat surface, sold as eight, six or four panel surrounds that one person can carry and install.
• Wall surrounds for walk-in tubs. These enclose the area around a walk-in tub, and an acrylic top portion is available so the installation has a finished, water tight look above the tub deck.
• Tongue-and-groove grout-free tiles. PVC tiles that fit together snugly with a tongue and groove connection, usable around a walk-in tub as well as in a shower.

What a Sample Shows You That a Photo Cannot

Acrylic is a smooth, glossy, finished surface, and on Ella wall products it is white based. The panels on the acrylic 3-panel kit are a 0.118 inch thick ABS and PMMA composite with a glossy, warm-to-the-touch sanitary acrylic surface, and the Carrara White panels are 1/8 inch thick. Glossy is the word to hold on to. Acrylic is a shiny finish, not a matte or textured one, and the surface you see on delivery day is the finished surface. It is not absorbent, which is why tile mortar does not bond to it and why an acrylic wall is never meant to be covered with another layer. That is the real reason to hold a sample next to your tub before you order. What arrives is what you live with, so the look has to be right from the start.

Cultured marble is different in hand. The first video on this page shows the travertine panels: the quartz and granite composite under the gel coat gives a natural stone look and feel that is durable and easy to clean, and the edges are factory finished for seamless joining but can be trimmed for a custom fit. The second video shows the grout-free Carrara tiles being measured, scored, snapped, set with adhesive and sealed with a thin bead of silicone at each joint, which is the closest Ella finish to a tiled wall without grout lines to keep clean.

Matching the Walls to the Tub and the Room

The right sample depends on what the walls have to do, so tell your dealer or the team which of these describes your bathroom.

• Walls around a walk-in tub. Ask about the walk-in tub wall surround and its acrylic top portion, which finishes the area above the tub deck.
• Blending into a room that is already tiled. Ask about the tongue-and-groove grout-free tiles, which can be placed over new or existing surfaces.
• Covering walls you want to keep. Cultured marble panels glue directly over drywall, plaster, painted walls, cement board or existing tile, so the old walls stay in place.
• A new shower built around an Ella base. The acrylic panels are sized for a shower footprint and are usually ordered alongside an Ella base of the same size.
• Using your own tile instead. Ella offers tile plans that allow the tub to be tiled, and a tile plan is available for tubs without a lid. If you would rather match existing tile with more of the same, ask for the tile plan rather than a wall sample.

Both acrylic looks are white based, so if your goal is a bright, uniform wall beside the tub, the choice inside acrylic is simply pattern or no pattern: Carrara White for a marble look, or the solid white gloss for a clean, plain wall. What Does Acrylic Look Like on a Tub or Shower Wall? describes both looks in more detail.

What to Have Ready When You Ask

1. Where you purchased your tub and which model you ordered, so the surround or panels are matched to the same job.
2. Measurements of each wall at the top, middle and bottom. Use the largest figure, and note any windows, valves or niches a panel must be cut around.
3. What is behind the new walls today: drywall, plaster, paint, cement board or existing tile.
4. Which finish family you want to see, using the names above.

Shower products are sold per item rather than as one bundle, so a complete wall is put together from the panels you need, and your dealer or the team confirms the selection with you before the order is placed. Contractors and remodelers who expect to buy regularly can apply for the dealer program and look up shower products in the dealer portal, which Where Can I Buy Cultured Marble Shower Walls, and Is Acrylic Better? covers along with the stock sizes.

What Happens After You Choose

Once the sample has settled the finish, the sizes are set by the line you picked. Cultured marble panels come out of a mold, so the back panel tops out at 60 inches wide by 96 inches tall and side panels are molded 30, 32, 34 and 36 inches wide. Order the size equal to or slightly larger than the wall and trim the excess with a masonry blade in a standard circular saw. A cut edge is finished with a bead of caulk or covered with a 2 inch trim piece, and Ella carries a 1 inch corner trim in 96 inch lengths and a 2 inch by 3/4 inch flat trim for the gap at the tub. The Carrara White 6-piece kit covers a 36 by 60 inch alcove to a finished height of 92 inches. If you are also adding a slide bar, a rain shower or a glass screen, Showers, Shower Screens, and Accessories for Your Ella Walk-in Tub lists what is available for your tub style, and the same conversation with your dealer can cover the samples and the accessories together.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Grout-less Tongue & Groove PVC Carrara Tile Installation with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• Acrylic 6-Piece Wall Panel Kit: Size, Shelves, Thickness and How It Compares to the 3-Piece Surround and SMC Panels
• Cultured Marble Shower Wall Panels: Stock Sizes, Cutting to Fit, and Finishing the Edges
• How to Get Pricing and Order Ella Grout-Free Shower Wall Tiles: Measuring Your Walls and Estimating Boxes

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