Which Ella shower bases and stalls have a molded seat, and what weight does it hold?

Four Ella shower units carry a seat molded into the shell itself: the 60 by 36 inch one-piece AcrylX stall, the 60 by 33 inch one-piece stall, the 60 by 33 inch three-piece shower with molded seat, and the 48 by 37 by 80 inch one-piece stall. On the roll-in side, the 36 by 60 inch base is the only standard size that can be ordered with a molded seat; the 30 by 60 and 32 by 60 bases take an add-on folding bench or seat instead. The molded seat has no official weight rating, but Ella states it will hold up to 250 pounds, and the base has been quoted at up to 300 pounds, so 250 pounds is the planning figure for a seated bather. How Much Weight Can the Molded Shower Seat and Shower Base Hold? explains those figures; this page lays out which bases and stalls come with the bench, which take an add-on seat, and what to plan when the bather is heavier.

Which Units Have the Seat Molded in

A molded seat is a shape in the shower shell rather than a separate part, so it is only available on units whose shell was formed with it. The table lists every Ella base and stall the published pages describe, what seat it offers, and the load Ella has stated for it. Where a source gives no figure for a unit, the cell says not listed.

What the differences mean is straightforward. If a built-in seat is a must and the bather weighs 250 pounds or less, choose from the four stalls or the 36 by 60 roll-in base, and decide the seat side when you order. If the bather stays in a wheelchair or shower chair, any of the three roll-in widths works and the alcove and drain line decide the size. If the bather is heavier than 250 pounds, or you simply want a seat with a listed capacity, plan on an add-on folding bench on any base rather than relying on the molded seat. What sizes do roll-in shower bases come in, and which include a seat? compares the roll-in footprints in more detail.

What the 250 and 300 Pound Figures Mean

Not rated means the seat and base have not been tested to a certified load standard and Ella does not publish a maximum. The figures above are the loads Ella states the parts carry in normal use: about 250 pounds seated on the molded seat, and up to 300 pounds standing on the base. In some answers the seat and pan together have been quoted at 250 pounds, which is why 250 pounds is the safe planning figure for the whole unit. Normal use means lowering yourself onto the seat and standing on the base, not jumping or dropping onto them, and a grab bar next to the seat helps a bather sit and rise gently so the load stays where it belongs.

The acrylic pans follow the same pattern. The standard and custom acrylic bases are vacuum molded from an acrylic capped ABS sheet and reinforced underneath with high density foam, and the barrier-free roll-in bases are fiberglass with the AcrylX finish, listed as reinforced and self-supporting, but the published documents give no user weight rating for either pan type. Are Ella acrylic shower pans reinforced, and how much weight do they hold? explains both constructions. For a specific base type, size and drain position, confirm the figure with your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 before ordering.

Hollow Underneath: What to Settle Before the Stall Is Set

The molded seat is formed from the same layers as the rest of the stall: the fiberglass reinforced shell that gives the unit its shape and strength, the AcrylX applied acrylic finish you sit on, and the Armorcore reinforcement behind the surface in the walls. There is no separate seat bolted in. The underside of the seat is an empty space inside the shell rather than a solid block, which is why contractors add framing under that hollow space when a heavier bather will use it, so the seat bears on blocking rather than on the shell alone. Is the Ella Shower Stall Molded Seat Hollow, and What Is It Made Of? describes the layers in full.

Framing is part of how the base is supported, not something added later, so decide on it before the stall is set in place. A few points to settle with your installer:

• Whether the bather's weight calls for framing under the seat at all, given that no rating is published.
• How that framing ties into the support under the rest of the base so the stall sits level and fully supported across the floor.
• Where grab bars will anchor, since the Armorcore reinforced walls on all sides are what carry them.
• That the base is installed exactly as the instructions describe, because it carries its load best when it is level and supported everywhere.

Shower Pans with a Bench When There Is No Molded Seat

Any roll-in base, including the 30 by 60 and 32 by 60 sizes, can take an add-on seat, and the same options give a heavier bather a seat with a listed capacity on a stall that already has the molded one.

• Folding bench seat, left-hand or right-hand. Ordered for a specific side of the shower, and the team confirms it is rated for 600 pounds, the highest listed capacity among Ella's seats.
• Folding benches and seats for roll-in bases. Rated from 300 to 600 pounds and available on every roll-in size.
• 16.5 by 16.5 inch fold-down seat. About 1 1/2 inches deeper than the standard fold-down seat but narrower, so measure the bather before switching.
• Teak fold-up seat. A wood seat that folds up out of the way.

Wall-mounted seats transfer the load to the wall behind the panel, so your installer should follow the mounting instructions for the wall support the seat needs and confirm the wall can carry it. The usual recommendation is to put a bench on the side opposite the drain, so a shower with a left drain takes a right-side seat. Add-on and replacement seats are ordered through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850; have your shower model number ready and say which side the drain is on so the correct hand is supplied. Shower Seat Sizes and Options: Is a Larger Fold-Down Seat Available? lists every seat Ella offers.

Choosing the Seat Side

Because the molded seat is part of the shell, it cannot be moved to the other side on site. The 48 by 37 by 80 inch stall is documented as two models, E-3648LWH and E-3648RWH, handed by seat, and the 60 by 33 and 60 by 36 one-piece stalls and the three-piece unit are each listed with a left or right seat. Left or right is a decision for the order, not for the day of installation, so look at where the drain line sits in the floor and where the bather will enter before you choose. Roll-in bases specify the drain position, left or right, at order time in the same way.

Related Guides

• 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
• Do Ella Shower Stall Walls Come Smooth, or Only With the Molded Tile Pattern?

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