We are going to modernise our bathroom and cannot decide what to do with the bath. it is cast iron in good condition but no longer shiny. It is long and deep enough to almost let me float in it when full. My wife would like to buy a new plastic bath with a lower side height but I would rather have the existing bath re-enamelled in place. Does anyone have experience of this and what would be the best option? Thank you
My in-laws had their bath re-enamelled. I was dubious when they told me they were getting it done but it was a first class job making the bath look brand new again.
Sorry can't remember the price but I remember thinking it was dear but on the whole worth it.
S.
Steven, I think the price is somewhere between £200 and £250. That is much the same as replacing the bath with a new one.
In message , Stewart writes
Well, it must be 8 years now since I bought some Tubby and "re-enamelled" with it
It cost about £50 and is just now beginning to lose its shine
It has the advantage that you don't need to call anyone in to do the job or move the bath
There are two ways to have a bath restored, Re-surfacing which is just a paint on epoxy coating or Re-vitreous enamelling. Vitreous enamelling will make the bath as good as new again, but expensive, how much do you love your old bath.
The bath will have to be recoated in situ otherwise it will be thrown out. To remove it intact is just too much bother so if it had to be taken away to be recoated then we would break it up and take it downstairs that way. Thanks everybody
Go for the refurbishment! I don't know anything about the process, but if you're used to a nice big bath you'll hate a standard modern plastic one. I know I do with the titchy thing in my house :-)
Pete
My in-laws had theirs recoated in situ. They masked everything up like a car respray job. I'm sure it was a 2 day job.
Before going to such lengths, are you in a hard water area and if so, have you tried descaling the bath? Limescale forms a hard matt white film on surfaces so can make a bath look as if it's lost more of its shine than it has. Sulphamic acid-based limescale removers will deal with thin encrustations, or phosphoric acid or formic acid will deal with thicker ones. Hydrocloric acid will stain chrome and may even attack enamel.
I have clients who've had it done on roll-top baths with varying results (one outstandingly good, the other had a few runs and had to get the bloke back to sort it out), and one on a rectangular type cast-iron bath where the finish had a few dust specs and, for what the bath was, I thought wasn't worth it.
Sulphamic acid-based limescale removers will dissolve the polished enamel surface, as will anything stronger like hydrocloric acid. It's very difficult to remove hard water scale from an enameled bath without also damaging the enamel (which is why they all emphasise the importance of quickly fixing dripping taps, etc). It's important to only use cleaners which state they are OK on enameled baths.
Thanks both, we live in Fife and the water there tends be hard, no problems with lime scaling.
You don't say where you are but, if you're in the north west, this guy is absolutely brilliant and very professional:
I've got no connection with him or his company other than being a very satisfied customer. When my mam died and we inherited her house, the cast iron bath in there was at least 60 years old that I know of, and it really showed. Add in various builders' debris, scratches, scuffs from bricks, tools and other various detritus falling in during the house renovation and it was quite a mess - but when he'd finished it you'd think it had just come out of the factory brand new.
John
been there got the tea shirt unless you are luckier than me and have no kids the new stuff will chip off, and they possibly wont cover damage under the guarantee, we ended up with a new bath after the re-cond one looked even worse than it did before
Hard? I thought Fife had mostly soft water.
Hi,
I also am fixing up my bathroom and fitting a Bath and shower not sure if this helps but i got a great deal on a bathroom suite from
Hope this helps,
John.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.