What is an acrylic shower, and how does it compare to tile?

An acrylic shower is a shower built from factory-finished acrylic parts rather than tile: a molded acrylic base with the slope, threshold and drain opening already formed in, and acrylic wall panels that come down over the edge of that base. Ella's Bubbles makes both pieces, and the finished surfaces are used as they arrive, so nothing is tiled over them, which is the central difference from a tiled shower that is built up on site from a substrate, mortar and grout. The base on its own is described in What Is an Acrylic Shower Base and How Does It Compare?; this page looks at the whole system and where tile still fits.

What the Acrylic Parts Are

The base, also called a shower pan, is the walking surface as shipped. The slope that moves water to the drain, the threshold at the entry and the drain opening are molded into the shell at the factory, and your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and supports the shell from underneath so it feels solid. On Ella's current units the finish is AcrylX, an acrylic finish applied over a fiberglass-reinforced shell rather than a stand-alone acrylic sheet; it is the finish on the current made-in-the-USA stalls, multi-piece kits and barrier-free roll-in bases, while older units carried a gel coat finish. Roll-in and barrier-free bases ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam.

The walls are large acrylic panels. Ella lists 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, with ADA accessories available. SMC seamless showers and wheelchair rolling bases are also offered. Where a base meets an adjoining wall or fixture with a gap, an 8 inch wide L-shaped plastic filler piece with brackets closes it, and because it is plastic it can be trimmed if it is too large for the space. Shower Bases, Walls, and Filler Pieces lists the current options.

Why an Acrylic Base Is Never Tiled

Tile needs a rigid, absorbent substrate that mortar can bond to. 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 over the pan would also bury the molded slope and threshold that the base relies on to move water to the drain. That is why Ella's custom acrylic shower pans are described as finished, not tile-ready, and why tile, thinset or a waterproofing membrane should not be applied on top of the base. Can You Tile Over an Ella Acrylic Shower Base? sets this out, and the practical answer for a design that wants a different floor is to choose a different base rather than cover one.

How the Options Compare

What these differences mean in practice is that the choice is really about where you want a finished surface and where you want a site-built one. With acrylic base and acrylic walls, every surface arrives finished and the contractor's work is setting, connecting and sealing. With tiled walls over an acrylic base, the floor still arrives finished but the walls are built up on site, and the joint where tile meets the base edge has to be detailed and sealed correctly. There is no version in which the floor itself is tiled, so if a tiled floor is the point of the design, an Ella acrylic base is not the right starting point.

Where Tile Still Belongs with an Acrylic Base

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. This is the same principle as the tile flange on a walk-in tub, where the wall finish overlaps the flange and water sheds back into the tub. If you are considering tiled walls with an Ella base instead of Ella wall panels, confirm the wall detail with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 and with your tile installer before work begins, so the joint between tile and base is sealed correctly from the start.

There is also a middle path shown in the video on this page. Ella's grout-less PVC tiles fit together with a tongue and groove connection and can be placed over new or existing surfaces. The installer measures, scores and snaps each piece, applies adhesive to the back, runs a thin bead of silicone at each joint for a watertight seal, and sets and snaps the tile into place. It gives a tiled look on the walls without grout lines, which is a different thing from the acrylic wall panels and from mortar-set ceramic tile.

Choosing Between the Two for Your Bathroom

• Decide the floor first. Pick the base by size and threshold from the ranges above, and remember that the base you receive is the finished floor.
• Decide the walls second. Acrylic panels, a three-piece system, grout-less PVC tile or site-built tile all come down over the base edge; only the last one needs a tile installer to detail the joint.
• Check the route in. Large wall panels and a one-piece base have their own doorway questions, so measure before you order and ask your dealer about the pieces for your kit.
• Plan the gap. If the base will not reach an adjoining wall or fixture, the 8 inch L-shaped filler piece closes the space and can be trimmed to fit.

Ella's shower products reach you through the dealer network, as What Products Does Ella's Bubbles Offer? explains, so the specific bases, walls and finishes available to you depend on your local Ella dealer. Bring your room dimensions, the drain position and the threshold you want, and the dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can match them to a base and wall set.

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

Related Guides

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

Common Questions