Where Can I Buy a Fiberglass or Acrylic Shower Pan or Base From Ella?

Ella shower pans and bases are available through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and the complete one-piece and multi-piece shower kits are also carried by Home Depot. The stand-alone Ella shower base is acrylic, molded with the slope, threshold and drain built in, and it ships as the finished walking surface. Ella's low-threshold and barrier-free multi-piece showers are made in the USA from fiberglass with the AcrylX applied acrylic finish, so that pan arrives as a fiberglass shell with a finished acrylic walking surface. The full lineup, from roll-in pans to SMC low-profile bases, and which article covers each product, is described in Ella Shower Kits and Bases: Multi-Piece Showers, Roll-In Bases, and Cultured Marble. This page sorts out which pan you are actually shopping for, where each one is carried, and what to have ready so the base arrives in the right size with the drain in the right place.

Where Each Type Is Carried

• Complete one-piece and multi-piece shower kits, such as the Liberty, Freedom and Accessible Plus packages, are Home Depot items. They are made to order, so delivery scheduling, missing parts and returns for those kits go through Home Depot.
• Shower bases and pans on their own, whether a standard roll-in size or a custom rectangle, the self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam and the wall surrounds are available through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.
• Wheelchair roll-in bases come in 30 by 60, 32 by 60 and 36 by 60 inch sizes with left or right configurations, and seamless no-step-over bases are also offered in left or right layouts.
• Custom acrylic bases are built to your length and width with a left, right, center or custom drain position. The published range runs from 30 by 30 inches up to 80 inches long by 44 inches wide, and availability of the custom program has changed over time, so confirm first. The rules are in Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One.
• Cultured marble bases have been on hold with no restock date, so check availability before you plan a project around one.

The practical meaning of the table is that a base by itself never comes from a retail shelf. Shower products are sold per item, so a complete roll-in 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. Delivery scheduling, missing parts and returns for the Home Depot kits go through Home Depot, while everything bought as a single piece is handled through your Ella dealer or the team. The cultured marble video on this page shows those bases in their three sizes, with the glossy gel coat finish and ADA compliant slip-resistant textured floor, and notes they are heavy enough to need at least two people to install. Treat it as a reference until the hold is lifted.

What Ella's Fiberglass Pans and Bases Are

The low-threshold 3-piece and barrier-free 5-piece showers pair a modular pan with wall panels that pin together, and the installer sets every panel from the front without rear access. They and the one-piece stalls are built from fiberglass with the AcrylX applied acrylic finish and Armorcore reinforced walls, which is why grab bars and seats can be mounted anywhere on the walls. The side walls also have wood built into the fiberglass, so a door frame or pivot hinges can be screwed straight into the stall. The door itself is not included, as explained in Does the Ella Shower Stall Come With a Door, and What Size Door Fits the Opening?.

Roll-in and barrier-free bases and pans ship with a self-adhesive collapsible rubber dam that keeps water in while a wheelchair rolls over it. The SMC low-profile bases, meaning the 1 inch reversible linear-drain base and the barrier-free linear-drain base, are molded from sheet molding compound and are secured through a tile flange. One-piece stalls are a single molded unit, so they must fit through every doorway on the way into the room. How the stand-alone acrylic base is built is covered in What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed.

Which Accessible Pan You Are Buying

Accessible pan covers several different products, and the channel depends on which one you need. Ella's wheelchair accessible roll-in shower base comes in three standard sizes: 30 x 60 inches, 32 x 60 inches, and 36 x 60 inches. All three are ADA curb-less roll-in pans that a wheelchair can roll straight into, and the drain position is specified when you order. If one of the three standard footprints fits your alcove, it is the simplest choice because the drain sits in a set position for that size.

When a standard size will not fit, Ella makes custom rectangular bases up to 44 inches wide by 80 inches long, with the drain placed left, right or center, for three-wall alcoves and corner installations. A custom base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches, and for a barrier-free entry a zero threshold base sits flush with the surrounding floor instead. Only rectangles are made. Bases with angled or curved edges are not offered, so a neo-angle corner or curved front is the point at which to look elsewhere. Who builds the custom sizes and what the limits are is covered in Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers?.

Before You Order

Ask for the specification drawing for the exact model. It shows the overall dimensions and the drain location, which your framer and plumber use to confirm that no joist or truss will sit under the drain. The drawing notes that dimensions may vary by plus or minus one half inch because the fiberglass can run thicker in some areas of the panels, and the printed dimensions are still the ones to plan from. The base is designed to install on either a concrete or a wooden subfloor. How to request the drawing and the installer guide is covered in Installation Instructions and Spec Drawings for One-Piece and Multi-Piece Shower Units.

Have these details ready before you ask:

• The finished opening, not the framing. Measure the space the pan will actually sit in, and say whether it is a three-wall alcove or a corner installation, because the drain and edges are placed differently for each.
• Where your existing drain line sits in the floor. Tell the team the location and it confirms which drain position matches your size. On a custom base the drain can be left, right or center but 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 pan.
• The threshold you want. A standard custom base has a threshold of about 3 inches, a zero threshold base sits flush with the floor, and a roll-in pan has no curb at all.

Sizes you are unsure about are worth asking about rather than assuming. The team has handled pans shorter than 60 inches, pans longer and wider than the standard sizes, and other footprints with a center drain; a 58 by 30 inch base with a center drain has been produced and a 38 by 80 inch base with a left drain is within the limits, while a request such as 53 by 76 inches cannot be. The drain rules and footprint limits are collected in Wheelchair Accessible Shower Base Sizes, Drain Positions, and What Is Sold Separately.

Plan for the pan to be the finished floor. The acrylic surface is not made for tiling over, and tile, thinset and membranes do not belong on top of it, so if you want a tiled look, put it on the walls above the base, as explained in Can You Tile Over an Ella Acrylic Shower Base?. Bases come in several sizes and threshold styles, so choose the one whose size and threshold suit the room rather than covering one after it is installed.

What Is Sold Separately from the Pan

The base is sold on its own, so budget the rest of the stall as separate line items. Wall systems are sized to the base: a plain white acrylic three-piece panel kit, a CNC routed design with light gray grout lines, a digital print option or a marble-look kit, all manufactured at 98 inches high with 40 inch side panels and a 60 inch back wall. Grab bars and a shower door are accessories, and the door is not included with the stall. Ella does not supply or recommend a shower valve, trim or shower head. You choose those from the plumbing brand you prefer, either from where you purchased the shower or from any plumbing supplier, and your plumber roughs the valve in before the wall panel goes up. Once your contractor sets the base, connects the drain and finishes the walls around it, the shower is ready to use. If your layout is unusual, who makes custom shower pans for odd bathroom layouts walks through which odd spaces a custom rectangle can solve.

Finding a Dealer

Ella's Bubbles is a family-owned company based in Chicago, where products are assembled, and it runs a dealer program for businesses that offer its walk-in tubs, shower bases and related bathing products to their own customers. Dealers have brochures to show you, can arrange a live video tour of the Chicago showroom, and can help you pick the base whose size and threshold suit your room. How the program works is in Ella's Bubbles Dealer Program.

Contractors who expect to buy accessible bases regularly can apply for the Ella dealer program, and dealers can look up shower products in the dealer portal. For a one-time project, open a ticket at ellasbubbles.com/support or call (800) 480-6850 with the base size, drain position, threshold style and any walls or accessories you want, or take the same list to your Ella dealer. Current availability is confirmed in that conversation.

Related Guides

• Shower Base Sizes and Thresholds Compared: AcrylX Barrier-Free, SMC Linear-Drain, Molded-Seat and Cultured Marble Bases
• Custom-Size Shower Bases: Size Ranges, Threshold Options, Drain Placement Rules, Construction, and How to Request One
• Installing Multi-Piece Gel Coat Showers: Barrier-Free Roll-In (BF) and Low-Threshold (SH) Units
• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• Installing the SMC Low-Profile Shower Bases: 1 Inch Reversible Linear Drain and Barrier-Free Linear-Drain Bases
• How do I measure for a new shower pan or base?
• Who Makes Custom Shower Pans and Bases for Accessible Showers?
• Wheelchair Accessible Shower Base Sizes, Drain Positions, and What Is Sold Separately

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