What Does Acrylic Look Like on a Tub or Shower Wall?

Acrylic looks like a smooth, glossy, finished surface, and on Ella's Bubbles wall products it is white based. You will see it in two looks: a solid white gloss, or Carrara White, which gives a white marble look. The sizes, shelves and panel thickness behind each look are covered in Acrylic 6-Piece Wall Panel Kit: Size, Shelves, Thickness and How It Compares to the 3-Piece Surround and SMC Panels.

The Surface: Smooth, Glossy and Warm to the Touch

When people ask what acrylic looks like, they are usually trying to picture the surface before they see it in a bathroom. The clearest description in Ella's own material comes from the acrylic 3-panel wall kit. Its panels are a 0.118 inch thick ABS and PMMA composite with a glossy, warm-to-the-touch sanitary acrylic surface. 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.

Acrylic is also a smooth finished surface, not an absorbent one. That is the reason tile mortar does not bond to it, and it is why an acrylic wall or base is never meant to be covered with another layer. What arrives is what you live with, so it is worth choosing the look you want from the start.

The panels are thin as well. The Carrara White panels are 1/8 inch thick, so an acrylic wall is a finished sheet that covers the wall behind it. It gives you the look of a finished wall without building up the thickness of the room's walls in any noticeable way.

The Two Acrylic Looks Ella Lists

Ella offers acrylic wall panels in two formats, and each has its own appearance.

• Carrara White, the marble look. The Acrylic Shower Wall Panels 6-Piece Kit is the Carrara White option. It arrives as six acrylic pieces that together cover a 36 by 60 inch alcove to a finished height of 92 inches. The left side includes storage shelves, so the wall has a built-in place for bathing items instead of a flat, uninterrupted face.
• Solid white gloss. The Acrylic Solid White Glossy 3-Piece Shower Wall Surround is plain white with a glossy finish. It measures 40 inches deep by 60 inches wide by 97 inches tall. Each panel has a 1-inch bend at the edge, which gives the surround a sleek finished transition where the panel ends.

So the choice inside acrylic is simple. If you want pattern, the Carrara White kit gives a white marble look. If you want a clean, bright, uniform wall, the 3-piece surround is solid white. Both are white based, which is why What Color Are Ella Wall Panels, and Do They Match the Tub? describes the acrylic kits as Carrara White or a solid white gloss and nothing darker.

How the Acrylic Look Compares with Other Ella Wall Finishes

Acrylic is easiest to picture next to the other wall finishes Ella lists. The table uses only published figures. Where a figure is not published, the cell says not listed.

What the differences mean for you: acrylic is the choice when you want a glossy white wall, either plain or with a Carrara marble pattern. If you picture stone, the cultured marble panels are made from a natural quartz and granite composite and are described in Where Can I Buy Cultured Marble Shower Walls, and Is Acrylic Better?. If you picture individual tiles, the SMC panels give a subway-tile look and the grout-free tiles come by the box or pack, as laid out in How Many Wall Tiles or Panels Come in an Ella Box or Kit?. Acrylic does not try to imitate separate tiles. It is a set of large glossy panels.

What Acrylic Looks Like on a Shower Base

Acrylic is not only a wall material. The Ella acrylic shower base is a finished surface too, and it is the walking surface exactly as shipped. Its slope, threshold and drain are molded in, so the floor of the shower is one formed piece with the shape already built into it. The molded shower stalls, the shower bases and their wall panels are offered in white only.

Because the base is a finished surface, it is not made for tiling over. Tile, thinset or a waterproofing membrane should not be applied on top of it, and doing so would bury the molded slope and threshold that move water to the drain. If you want a tiled look in the room, plan it for the walls above the base. Can You Tile Over an Ella Acrylic Shower Base? explains why, and what to do if the base does not match your design.

What to Check Before You Choose an Acrylic Look

A few practical checks make sure the look you picture is the look you get.

• Pattern or plain. Decide between the Carrara White marble look and the solid white gloss. They are different kits with different footprints, so the look and the size go together.
• Alcove and ceiling. The 3-piece surround is deeper and taller than the 6-piece kit. Confirm your ceiling height and alcove depth before choosing it.
• Shelves. The storage shelves on the 6-piece kit sit on the left side. Picture that against your own faucet wall and entry.
• The spec sheet. Ask your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 for both the product page and the spec sheet. The spec sheet is a separate document with the drawings your installer needs, and the product page shows the finish.
• Ordering with a tub. When panels are ordered together with a tub, they ship with the tub order.

If your alcove is larger or smaller than the kit footprint, share the measurements so the team can advise on fit before your order is placed.

Related Guides

• What are acrylic shower walls, and how do they hold up?
• Is acrylic a good material for shower walls compared to tile?

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