The Short Answer
A chip or crack repair costs £100 to £330, and resurfacing a whole bath £400 to £600 (£450 to £700 in London), on our estimates from the prices below. Resurfacing takes most of a day, the bath is left for a day or two afterwards, and it's quoted to last 10 to 15 years.
What's sold as "re-enamelling" in your bathroom is really resurfacing: true re-enamelling means firing the bath in a kiln off site.
Repair, resurface or replace?
Tell us what's wrong and what the bath is made of. We'll say which fix is worth paying for.
Our verdict: repair it
A specialist fills the damage, mixing the colour on the day and blending it in. One resurfacing firm says chip repairs work best on fairly new baths with two or three chips.
Estimated total
£100 to £330
| Chip or crack repair, colour matched | £100 to £330 |
Bath repair prices
| Job | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Chip, crack or rust spot repair, colour matched | £100 to £330 |
| Chemical clean and polish of a stained bath | £60 to £100 |
| Resurfacing a whole bath | £400 to £600 |
| Resurfacing a bath in London | £450 to £700 |
| Resurfacing a shower tray | £120 to £200 |
| Resealing a bath or shower | £80 to £180 |
| Replacing a standard bath instead | £600 to £1,400 |
Resurfacing vs re-enamelling
True re-enamelling means taking the bath away to be fired in a kiln at around 800 degrees. Anything done in your home is resurfacing: the surface is cleaned, repaired and sprayed with a coating. It takes most of a day (resurfacers quote 3 to 7 hours) and the bath is left for 24 to 48 hours. Expect it to last 10 years or more with the right care. Cast iron, pressed steel, acrylic and plastic baths, shower trays and whole suites can all be resurfaced, in any colour.
Have it done after tiling, plastering and decorating: the room is masked up for the work. The taps and waste don't need to come off first.
Looking after a resurfaced bath
- Use liquid cleaners, not cream cleaners, which scratch it.
- No bath mats: they damage the surface.
- Don't dye your hair in it or wash the dog in it: dye can soak in and claws scratch.
Chips and cracks
A specialist fills a chip, mixing the colour on the day and blending it in. Chip repair works best on fairly new baths with two or three chips; some cracks can be repaired and some can't, so send photos first.
Resealing a bath
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Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to repair a chip in a bath?
£100 to £330 on our estimates, depending on how carefully the colour is matched.
How much does it cost to resurface a bath?
£400 to £600 for a standard bath on our estimates, or £450 to £700 in London. It takes most of a day, then 24 to 48 hours before use.
How long does a resurfaced bath last?
Ten years or more with the right care: no cream cleaners and no bath mats.
Can you re-enamel a bath in place?
No. True re-enamelling means firing the bath in a kiln off site. In-place work is resurfacing with a sprayed coating.
Should the bath be full when you reseal it?
Yes. Unibond says fill it with water before sealing and leave it full until the sealant has cured.
How we priced thisView sources (4)
Rules come from the legislation and official guidance, read at source. Prices are our estimates: we check them against trade price data, retailer shelf prices and specialists' price lists, then build them up from their parts so the totals add up. Below are the sources behind the page; the trade price guides we only compare against aren’t listed. Where sources disagreed, we've said so. More on our method.
- Trade guideBath resurfacing and re-enamelling cost UK 2026, Checkatrade. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- IndustryBath, shower tray and sink repair and resurfacing prices, Miltons Bath Enamel Repair. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- IndustryFrequently asked questions about bath resurfacing, Renubath. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
- IndustryHow to seal a bath, Unibond. Checked 15 Oct 2026.
