First, check what you’re dealing with
Look closely at the chip. If you can see dark metal or orange-brown rust, the bath is enamelled steel or cast iron and the metal is exposed. If the base is white or grey and there’s no rust, it’s likely acrylic. Not sure? Use the magnet test.
A chip with rust needs the rust dealt with first, or it will keep spreading under any filler.
What you need
- A two-part bath repair filler or chip repair kit that suits your bath’s material
- Fine wet-and-dry abrasive paper (around 800 to 1200 grit)
- A degreaser or isopropyl alcohol and a clean lint-free cloth
- Masking tape, a small spatula and gloves
- Good ventilation
Step by step
- Clean the bath and dry it completely. Soap and limescale stop fillers bonding.
- Remove any loose enamel and rust from the chip, then degrease it.
- Mask around the chip so you don’t spread filler onto good enamel.
- Mix the filler exactly as the instructions say and press it into the chip, slightly proud of the surface.
- Let it cure fully, then wet-sand it flush with the surrounding surface.
- Apply the colour or top coat if your kit has one, and leave it to cure before using the bath.
Why DIY chip repairs often show
Kits come in a handful of whites, but baths range from bright white to ivory, so a kit patch can look whiter or yellower than the bath. Kit fillers are also often softer than enamel, so they can wear or stain faster. Read more in do DIY bath repair kits work?
Choosing the right filler
Not all fillers suit all baths. The main types you’ll see are:
- Two-part epoxy or polyester fillers, which set hard and can be sanded flush. These are the most durable option for DIY.
- One-part touch-up enamels in a small bottle with a brush. These are fine for tiny surface nicks but too thin to fill a proper chip.
- Acrylic repair kits, made to bond to acrylic and usually with a choice of whites.
Check the kit says it suits your bath material, and buy the closest shade you can find. Hold the colour card against the bath in daylight, not under a bathroom light.
Dealing with rust before you fill
If the chip shows rust, it has to be removed completely. Scrape and sand the chip until you see bright metal, remove the dust, then degrease. If you fill over rust, it keeps growing underneath the filler and pushes the repair off, often within months. Rust that has spread under the surrounding enamel, so that the enamel sounds hollow or lifts when pressed, is beyond a simple DIY repair. Read rust on an enamel bath.
Getting a smooth finish
- Build the filler up slightly above the surface. It is easier to sand down than to add more later.
- Wait for it to cure fully before sanding. Sanding too early drags the filler out of the chip.
- Wet-sand with fine paper on a small block so you don’t dish the repair, and stop as soon as it is flush.
- Feel it with your fingertips with your eyes closed. A good repair can’t be felt.
- Polish lightly with a fine polishing compound if the kit allows it, to bring back some gloss.
How long before you can use the bath
Follow the curing time on the kit, which is often 24 hours or more before the bath gets wet. Keep shampoo bottles, bath mats and wet sponges off the repair until it has fully hardened. Using the bath too soon is one of the most common reasons DIY repairs soften, stain or lift.
Chips in other places
The same general method works on other enamelled and ceramic surfaces, but each has its own catch:
- Basins and toilets are vitreous china, which is very glossy, so matching the shine is harder. See sink repair and toilet chip repair.
- Shower trays are often stone resin with a textured or gel-coat surface. A crack in a tray needs more than filler. Read is a cracked shower tray safe to use?
- Kitchen sinks may be ceramic, enamelled steel or composite, and each needs a different filler.
What a professional repair does differently
A professional repair follows the same basic steps, but with materials and tools most DIY kits don’t include. The colour is mixed on the day to match your bath rather than chosen from a few preset whites, rust is treated and sealed, the filler is built up and shaped to the curve of the bath, and the finish is polished to match the gloss around it. That is what makes the difference between a patch you can see and a repair you can’t find.
Our bath chip repairs start from £95 and come with a one-year guarantee.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Filling a damp chip, or one with soap residue in it.
- Leaving rust under the filler.
- Spreading filler over the good enamel around the chip.
- Sanding with coarse paper, which scratches the surrounding enamel.
- Using the bath before the filler has fully cured.
When to call a professional
Get it repaired professionally if the chip is rusting, on the rim or somewhere you’ll see every day, on a coloured bath, or bigger than a fingernail. A professional bath chip repair is colour-matched on the day and blended in, and ours comes with a one-year guarantee.
Quick answers
Can I use nail varnish or Tipp-Ex on a bath chip?
They may hide a tiny nick for a while, but they’re not made for wet surfaces, won’t fill a chip and can stain. They also have to be removed before a proper repair.
Should I fix a chip straight away?
On a steel or cast iron bath, yes. Exposed metal starts to rust, and a rust spot is a bigger job than a clean chip.
Can you repair over my DIY repair?
Yes. We remove the old filler and start again.
Every job is different. Send us a photo and we’ll tell you what we’d recommend for your bath, sink or surface.
