Does the Zen60 Include End and Extension Panels, and What Surround Colors Exist?

The Zen60 ships with one reversible end panel and a removable front apron, but it does not include an extension panel, because a 60 inch tub is built to fill a standard 60 inch alcove on its own. The panels that belong to any Ella walk-in tub are the end panel, the extension panel and the front apron, so there is no separate back panel; in an alcove the back of the tub meets the wall, and the wall above the deck is finished with tile or a surround. Ella wall surrounds are white based, offered in Carrara White or a solid white gloss, and the crate rules by tub length are laid out in Getting an Extension Panel When Your Alcove Is Wider Than Your Tub.

What Ships in the Zen60 Crate

Every Ella walk-in tub comes with one reversible end panel. It can be placed on either side of the tub, so if the tub sits in the right corner of the bathroom the end panel goes on the open left end, covering the plumbing and the frame, and the reverse when the tub sits in the left corner. If the Zen60 will stand against the back wall with both ends open, a second end panel can be arranged through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850.

The front of the tub carries a removable apron, typically made up of two easily removable panels that give your plumber service access to the plumbing and other components. The method of attaching the apron varies by model, with clips, screws, velcro tape or even magnets. The video on this page walks through each of these pieces, shows where the end panel and the extension panel go, and ends with the rule installers most often miss: every removable panel, including the front apron with its access panels, the end panel and any extension panel, must come off before the tub is moved into the house and into the bathroom.

What the Zen60 does not include is an extension panel. Extension panels ship with Ella walk-in tubs that are less than 60 inches long, so the tub you choose fits a standard 60 inch tub alcove. The Zen60 already spans that alcove, so no filler is packed, even if a third-party listing suggested one was included. This is the one place where the Zen60 differs from its shorter sibling. The current Zen spec sheet lists the Zen at an actual 29 1/2 inches wide by 52 inches long and includes an extension panel as a filler for 60 inch alcove installations. If you are unsure which tub is on your order, the model name on your paperwork settles it.

If you would rather not receive a panel you will not use, Ella lets you opt out of the extra end panel or the extension panel to reduce plastic waste. Mention that when you place your order.

Why There Is No Back Panel

People often ask for a back panel because they picture the tub as a freestanding box. An Ella walk-in tub is not finished that way. In an alcove installation the tub is enclosed on the back and both ends, with only the front apron exposed, so the back of the tub simply meets the wall. The walls above the tub deck are then finished with tile or a surround over an aftermarket tile flange, so water that splashes up runs back into the tub. What Is an Alcove Installation for a Walk-In Tub? explains the three-wall layout and how the same tub can instead stand against one or two walls with the end panel closing the exposed side.

Two planning points follow from that. Alcove placement limits service access, because the plumbing end of the tub sits against a wall, so ask your installer to add a wall access panel behind the plumbing end so pumps and drain connections can be reached without disturbing tile. And the space around the tub must never be packed with insulation, for the same reason.

The Surround Colors and Finishes Ella Lists

The word panels is also used for wall coverings, and those are a separate kit ordered through your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850, not something that ships in the Zen60 crate. Every Ella wall finish is white based. The molded shower stalls, the shower bases and their wall panels come in white only, the acrylic kits come in Carrara White or a solid white gloss, and the grout-free tiles add a gray marble look and a five-color click tile. There is no ceiling panel in any color, because Ella does not make one. What Color Are Ella Wall Panels, and Do They Match the Tub? covers how each finish sits against the gloss white tub.

For a Zen60 in a standard alcove, both acrylic kits are built around a 60 inch wide opening, so the choice between them comes down to look and depth. Carrara White gives a marble pattern with shelves, while the solid white gloss gives a plain white wall, and the two kits are listed at different alcove depths, so measure the depth of your finished opening before choosing. The tiles are the flexible route for an odd-shaped or extra-wide wall, because you buy by coverage instead of a fixed kit. How Many Wall Tiles or Panels Come in an Ella Box or Kit? has the piece counts and the measuring method.

If Your Alcove Is Wider Than 60 Inches

A 60 inch tub has no factory filler, so a wider opening leaves a gap at one end. There are two proven ways to close it, and a site-built filler on the visible side is not one of them. First, your Ella dealer or the team at (800) 480-6850 can arrange an extension panel for a tub that did not ship with one. The extension panel, also called a filler kit, is an L-shaped acrylic panel that mounts on the end of the tub and extends the finished apron to the wall. It is a finish piece, not a structural part; the tub still rests on its own frame and your installer levels and supports it exactly as usual. The panel rests on fully adjustable stainless steel shelf support brackets that are an integrated part of the tub frame, it can be trimmed when an alcove is out of square or an unusual size, and once installed it becomes a handy shelf for towels, shampoos and soaps.

Second, when the gap is wider than one panel, a second panel can sometimes be installed on the opposite end of the tub, adding roughly one more panel width. A single panel covers a gap up to its own width, so the measured gap decides which route applies. The panel mounts on the end away from the faucet deck, so if the gap lands on the faucet end the layout needs review with the team before anything ships.

Before you assume you need a panel at all, be sure of the opening. Stud to stud is the rough framing; finished wall to finished wall, often called tile to tile, is what you can measure in a finished bathroom and is always smaller. The fit guide notes that a nominal 60 inch walk-in tub measures about 59 3/4 inches on the shell, and that a bathroom framed for a standard tub can measure only 58 1/4 inches tile to tile, so the same opening can read as too tight or as leaving a gap depending on which wall you measured. Check the Zen60 spec sheet for its actual length, then read Will a 60 Inch Tub Fit a 60 Inch Alcove? Stud Walls, Finished Walls and Doorway Clearance for both cases and for the doorway check on the way in.

What to Measure and Have Ready

1. Measure the alcove wall to wall where the tub will sit, at the back and at the front, allowing for tile and drywall thickness on the finished walls.
2. Subtract the actual length of the Zen60 from its spec sheet, not the nominal 60 inch name, to get the true gap.
3. Note which end of the tub faces the gap, because the panel mounts on the end away from the faucet deck.
4. Check the crate inventory before reporting a missing panel; on a 60 inch tub the extension panel is not packed by design.
5. Have your model name and serial number ready so the correct panel ships for your tub.

With those figures the team can confirm whether one panel, two panels or no panel at all is the right answer, and which wall finish is sized for the opening above the deck.

Watch: Ella's Bubbles: Understanding Extension and End Panels with chapters and a full transcript.

Related Guides

• How to Add a Second End Panel to Your Walk-In Tub Order or Buy One Later
• End Panels, Extension Panels, and Aprons: Getting the Right Replacement Panel
• The Extension Panel: What Ships With Your Tub, Where It Installs, and When to Set It Aside

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