What is a shower base, and what makes an acrylic one different?

A shower base is the floor of a shower: the molded pan you stand on, the part that carries the drain and the threshold you step or roll over, and the platform the wall panels sit on. An acrylic shower base is one made from a finished acrylic shell with its slope, threshold and drain molded in, so it is the walking surface exactly as shipped and needs no tile, mortar or membrane on top. Ella's Bubbles manufactures its own acrylic bases in standard and custom sizes, and Shower Bases, Walls, and Filler Pieces lists the base and wall options that go together.

What a Shower Base Does

In an Ella shower kit, the base is the part everything else depends on. It carries the drain and the threshold and, on some models, a molded seat. The wall panels attach above it to form the sides of the enclosure, and the open side is finished with a curtain rod, a glass door or a screen, depending on the package you choose. The enclosure stays open to your bathroom ceiling, because Ella does not make a dome, a top panel or a light for its showers, as Does Ella Offer a Dome, Ceiling Panel or Light for Its Showers? explains, so lighting comes from the room rather than from any part of the kit.

Three jobs belong to the base alone:

• Moving water to the drain. The floor is molded with a slope that leads to the drain, so water leaves the pan instead of standing on it.
• Setting the entry. The threshold is the edge you cross to get in. A zero threshold or barrier-free base sits flush with the surrounding floor so a wheelchair can roll straight in, a step-in base has a raised lip, and a custom base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches.
• Meeting the walls. The base meets the walls along its edges, and whatever wall finish you choose comes down over that edge so water runs onto the pan rather than behind it.

What Acrylic Means for the Base

An acrylic shower base is a molded acrylic shell whose slope, threshold and drain are formed in the material itself. The base is the walking surface as shipped, which is the whole point of the design: there is no second layer to add. Ella's shower pans, standard or custom, are finished acrylic and are ready to use once installed. Your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it.

Because the surface is already finished, an acrylic base is not made for tiling over. Tile needs a rigid, absorbent substrate that mortar can bond to, and acrylic is a smooth finished surface that does not accept thinset, so tile laid on top would not bond reliably and could trap water underneath with no path to the drain. Tiling would also bury the molded slope and threshold the base relies on to move water. Can You Tile Over an Ella Acrylic Shower Base? covers this in detail and explains where a tiled finish belongs, which is on the walls above the base. The shell is supported from underneath when it is installed, and that support, not a layer on top, is what makes an acrylic base feel solid underfoot.

The Ella Base Options

Ella manufactures its own acrylic shower bases. The table lists the options named in the current guides, using only the figures those guides publish.

The differences come down to the entry and the fit. If a wheelchair needs to roll straight in, a barrier-free or zero threshold base is the one to choose, and if a slightly raised lip is preferred, the three-inch step-in threshold is offered. If one of the three standard roll-in sizes fits, it is the simplest choice because the drain sits in a set position for that size. A custom base is for the space a standard size will not fit, and it is made in rectangles only; bases with angled or curved edges are not offered, so a room that needs a non-rectangular pan is not a fit for an Ella base.

What Ships with the Base and What Is Separate

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. Roll-in and barrier-free bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam. Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers? lists what ships with the base and what is carried separately.

• Wall panels. Large acrylic panels are available, including 98 by 60 inch back walls and 36 to 38 by 96 to 98 inch side walls, along with three-piece acrylic wall systems in white, CNC and digital print finishes.
• Filler piece. An 8 inch wide L-shaped plastic filler piece closes a gap between the base and an adjoining wall or fixture. It comes with brackets for installation and can be trimmed down if it is too large for the space.
• Seats, rods and doors. Molded or fold-up seats, curtain rods, glass doors and screens are chosen per package, so ask which accessories fit your specific base and wall package before you order so everything arrives together for the installer.

Before You Cut the Floor

A base is only as good as its match to the room, so confirm these points with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before your contractor opens the floor.

1. Where the existing drain sits. Standard sizes come with a left or right drain, and a custom base can place the drain left, right or center, but it 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 base.
2. Which layout you have. Custom bases are made for three-wall alcoves and for corner installations, and the team asks which you have so the drain and edges are placed correctly.
3. The size limit. The largest custom base is 44 inches wide by 80 inches long, and a request larger than that, such as 53 by 76 inches, cannot be produced. What Is the Largest Custom Shower Base Ella's Bubbles Can Make? explains the limits and gives examples of sizes that have been made.
4. Slab installations. If the floor is a concrete slab with no access from below, or the existing drain is in an unusual spot, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support with a simple drawing showing the walls, the size you want and where the existing drain is. The team confirms whether a base can be made to match and what drain hardware ships with it.

Custom sizes have not always been offered, and the maximum size has been corrected in the past, so treat the figures above as the ones to confirm with the team rather than the ones to build from memory.

Related Guides

• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• Does an Ella Shower Base Need a Mortar Bed to Keep Its Warranty?
• Installing the SMC Low-Profile Shower Bases: 1 Inch Reversible Linear Drain and Barrier-Free Linear-Drain Bases

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