Where Can I Buy a Walk-In Shower Kit or Shower Base?

An Ella's Bubbles walk-in shower kit or shower base is ordered through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, and Ella ships its walk-in showers nationwide. A kit is made up of the acrylic base, the wall panels and, if you choose one, a glass door or screen, while a base can also be ordered by itself, as explained in Where Can I Buy a Shower Base for a Bathroom Remodel?. This page explains what you are buying when you ask for a kit, when a base alone is the better order, what the carton leaves out, and what to have ready before you call.

What an Ella Walk-In Shower Kit Is

Ella's Bubbles is best known as a manufacturer of luxury walk-in tubs assembled in Chicago, and it also offers walk-in showers for anyone who prefers a shower-based way to bathe. The short introduction in Ella's Bubbles Walk-In Tubs: A General Overview describes both product lines and confirms that tubs and showers ship nationwide, so where you live does not limit what you can order.

A shower kit is built around the shower base. The base carries the drain and the threshold and, on some models, a molded seat. Wall panels attach above the base to form the sides of the enclosure, and the stall is one-piece or multi-piece depending on the model. The open side is then finished in one of three ways, depending on the package you select:

• a curtain rod,
• a glass door, or
• a screen.

Every Ella shower is an open-top enclosure that sits inside a finished bathroom. The wall panels are installed against the walls of the room, the space above them is finished by your bathroom ceiling, and steam and moisture are handled by the ventilation in the room. If you had a fully enclosed cabin in mind, that is a different type of product, and Does Ella Offer a Dome, Ceiling Panel or Light for Its Showers? explains why no roof, dome, top panel or built-in light is part of any package.

When a Base Alone Is the Right Order

Many remodels need only the pan, for example when the walls will be finished another way. Ella manufactures its own shower bases, and they arrive as finished pieces that your contractor sets and connects. The choices are:

• Standard acrylic bases in 30x60, 32x60 and 36x60 inches, each with a left or right drain.
• Custom rectangular acrylic bases made to your length and width, up to 44 inches wide by 80 inches long, with a left, right or center drain. A custom base typically has a threshold of about 3 inches.
• Zero threshold bases that sit flush with the surrounding floor instead of having that step, which can make entry easier.
• Cultured marble bases in three sizes.

The video on this page shows the cultured marble bases. They are molded solid cultured marble with a glossy gel coat finish and an ADA compliant slip resistant textured floor, and they are presented as sturdy, durable and easily maintained. The video also points out that these bases are heavy and require at least two people to install, so tell your contractor which material you ordered before delivery day.

One point matters for an odd-sized space. Ella pans, standard or custom, are finished acrylic. They do not need to be tiled over, and the length, the width and the drain position are all fixed when the pan is made. The answer to an unusual footprint is a custom order, not a saw. The part of a shower that is trimmed on site is the wall surround. That is why a base is often paired with a multi-piece Ella wall kit instead of being bought alone.

What Arrives in the Carton, and What You Still Need to Buy

An Ella shower kit ships with the shower stall itself, the grab bar set listed for that kit, and the drain. The grab bars are packed loose, so mounting them is part of the installation. Confirm the grab bar count against your order when you unpack.

Several things are not in the box, and knowing this before you order saves a second trip for your plumber:

• No shower head and no hand shower are included.
• No mixing valve, valve trim or supply plumbing is included.
• The wall arrives solid, with no opening for a valve or shower head and no preset height or offset. Your plumber marks and cuts the openings during installation, based on the valve you choose, the rough-in behind the wall and the needs of the person using the shower.
• No light fixture is included. Lighting comes from the fixtures already in the room or from a new fixture your electrician installs.

The drain that ships with the kit is connected to the house waste line by your plumber, who also supplies the rough-in piping and fittings. The full packing breakdown is in What Comes in the Box With an Ella Shower Kit, and What You Still Need to Buy.

What to Have Ready When You Call

Your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can match a kit or base to your bathroom quickly when you have a few details in hand:

1. The length and width of the space. These decide whether a 30x60, 32x60 or 36x60 inch base fits or whether a custom rectangular base is the better answer.
2. The drain position. Standard bases come with a left or right drain, and custom bases add a center drain. The drain position on the base should match the rough-in in your floor.
3. The entry you want. Decide between a threshold and a zero threshold base that sits flush with the floor.
4. The material. Acrylic or cultured marble, keeping in mind that cultured marble needs at least two people to set.
5. How the front will be closed. A curtain rod, a glass door or a screen.
6. Seating and accessories. Depending on the model, these include molded or fold-up seats and a curtain rod. Ask which accessories fit your specific base and wall package before you order, so everything arrives together for the installer.

Planning for Installation Day

Ella supplies the shower, and a local licensed contractor does the installation. A little planning between ordering and delivery keeps the job moving:

• Choose the shower valve and trim with your plumber and have them on site before the stall is set.
• Buy the shower head, and the hand shower and slide bar if you want one. Choosing that hardware together with the valve lets the plumber plan all the openings at once.
• Confirm that the drain position on the stall matches the rough-in in your floor.
• Agree with your installer that the grab bars will be mounted as part of the job, since they ship loose.
• If a new light is planned above the shower, have a licensed electrician decide the fixture location before the wall panels go up, so any wiring above the shower is finished first. The fixture should be rated for wet or damp locations and placed on a circuit that meets your local electrical code.

With the valve, the shower head and the lighting plan settled, the kit covers everything else on the shower side, and your installer can set the base, attach the walls and finish the front in one visit.

Watch: Cultured Marble Reversible Shower Base with Low Threshold for Safer Bathing | Ella’s Bubbles with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• What is a shower base, and why choose an acrylic one?
• What the Ella Acrylic Shower Base Is Made Of and How It Is Installed
• Shower Base Sizes and Thresholds Compared: AcrylX Barrier-Free, SMC Linear-Drain, Molded-Seat and Cultured Marble Bases

Common Questions