The Bath Works

In today’s terminology there is no difference between re-enamelling and resurfacing, both mean the same thing – as does the term refinishing which you may also have heard of. They are all often used interchangeably.

Technically re-enamelling is a different process but it refers to an outdated service which does not present the quality of finish, resilience to modern cleaners and longevity as the better quality applications available today.

Damage and chip repairs make take just a couple of hours whilst the full resurfacing / re-enamelling process can take 7-8 hours – so within the day.

There are quite a few stages and processes that must be followed carefully and correctly to get the best possible finish. If you’ve done any decorating or remedial work in your home then you’ll know that the best quality finish cannot be rushed.

Once the work has been completed then you will be able to use your bath – or shower – the next day.

Yes certainly. The most popular request is to re-enamel the colour to white, but we can also enamel the bath in its original colour like avocado.

We can even change the whole bathroom suite to white, or colour match your bath to a coloured suite or change it to any colour you wish.

If possible it’s best to have any work that may potentially damage the bath done first – and any ‘finishing’ work completed afterwards.

Work to do first (if possible) includes retiling, fitting of an electric shower and any lighting above the bath. ie Any work where tools or materials could be dropped onto the bath and possibly cause damage.

Finishing work may include the final coat of paint, wallpapering, or laying of any expensive flooring.

If you’re changing the taps and/or drainage fittings then this should be done before resurfacing your bath.

If you’re retiling then do not apply new sealant until after the bath restoration work.

If you have any questions whatsoever about the order in which to carry out other works around your bath renovations then please do get in touch.

Although we do our best to keep it to a minimum and clear up after ourselves the preparation work in bath resurfacing does cause a bit of dust. Therefore it’s best to remove as many ‘non-fixed’ items as possible before the work commences – including shampoo, toothbrushes and laundry bin etc

Any cupboards or wall mounted cabinets can usually be sealed with masking tape to reduce the ingress of dust.

If you’re changing your taps and/or drainage fittings then this should be done before you have the bath resurfaced.

Your newly resurfaced bath will almost certainly be easier to clean and more resilient to modern cleaning products than your existing surface – especially if it’s the original one.

Most liquid cleaners such as Cif, Flash & Mr Muscle should be fine but do avoid abrasive cream cleaners and, more obviously, use of scourers. We will be able to give more advice and answer any questions you may have on cleaning when we come to resurface your bath.

In terms of “aftercare” the most important thing is to be aware of and take precautions against anything that may fall into and damage/chip your newly resurfaced bath.

If something heavy is dropped into the bath often the surface appears to be totally fine, but damage has been done on the original surface below. Only sometime later does the new surface ‘give up’ and come away.

With good care your new bath surface can last for many years.

There are a number of factors which influence pricing including; the size & extent of the damage, size and composition of the bath, its colour and colour matching, and location. Both its positioning in your property and geographically.

Please do get in touch for an accurate quote to restore you bath and/or any other sanitary ware, but we’re happy to provide an idea of our pricing range.

Repairs start from £75 whilst complete bath resurfacing / renamelling – our most popular service – ranges from £300 to £600.

We can resurface or re-enamel your bath or bathroom suite if you live anywhere in Scotland. We cover the major cities and towns in Scotland, including Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In Glasgow, we cover Hyndland, Partickhill, Hillhead, Knightswood, Bearsden and out to Milngavie, as well as other towns in Lanarkshire including Motherwell, Bellshill, Coatbridge and East Kilbride.

In Edinburgh, we cover Murrayfield, Marchmont, Stockbridge, Leith, Newhaven, Meadowbank, Newington and Morningside. We also cover Musselburgh, Portobello and Dalkeith.

We can also resurface your bath if you live anywhere in East Lothian and the Borders, including North Berwick, Gullane, Jedburgh, West Linton, Melrose and Selkirk.

In the east of the country, we are available in Dundee, Aberdeen, Fife and Perth. Beyond that, do call us on 07498 215362 or contact us here.

We also cover some islands, including Bute, Arran and Millport. If you live on an island we haven’t listed, we have visited others from time to time, so do give us a call or email us at en*******@********************co.uk.

We are very busy doing work daily in the south-west of Scotland, so we are now able to take on a lot more work and provide a higher level of service in Ayrshire, Kilmarnock, Beith, Irvine, Largs, Ayr, Prestwick, Troon, Barassie and Dumfriesshire, including Newton Stewart, Dumfries, New Galloway and Wigtownshire.

As well as south-west Scotland, we also cover north-west England around the Carlisle area.

A few things I fixed: spacing before commas, misspellings (Lanarkshire, Dumfriesshire, Wigtownshire, “east Kilbride”), the phone number formatting, and tightened a couple of run-on sentences for readability.

This answer off course applies to when you have had a shower tray or basin resurfaced as well.
Once the bath has been resurfaced we ask you to leave it for a further 12-24 hours.

With proper care, a re-enamelled bath surface will typically last in excess of 15 years,  some of ours from over 20 years ago are still going strong. The main thing that shortens that lifespan is physical damage (chips from dropped items, rough treatment by tenants, etc.) rather than the coating simply wearing out. With normal use and reasonable care, you should get many years of good service out of it.

With proper care, a re-enamelled bath surface will typically last in excess of 15 years,  some of ours from over 20 years ago are still going strong. The main thing that shortens that lifespan is physical damage (chips from dropped items, rough treatment by tenants, etc.) rather than the coating simply wearing out. With normal use and reasonable care, you should get many years of good service out of it.

It is not necessary to remove your taps or waste in order to have your bath resurfaced.

No you don’t. We will simply mask the taps and waste for you.

We strongly recommend you do not use a bath mat. The suction pads are very ,very strong and continual use can cause damage to the bath. Often we resurface baths due to the damage and staining a bath mat causes!

If you would like a non slip area applied to the bath we can do this for you. This is very effective. The only downside is, due to this area being rougher, naturally it can dull quicker than the rest of the bath. However, if you are used to the benefits of a bath mat then it would be advisable to have us apply the non slip area to your bath or shower tray for you.

If you have a roll-top style of bath, then usually the outside of the bath is painted, often in a strong, bold colour. This is something you can do yourself as the finish on the outside is not as critical as on the inside. The outside is not going to be immersed in water. So although the bath will look fantastic if we resurface the outside for you it is not necessary to use our materials or our specially trained technicians to do so. It is something you can do yourself. If you do plan on doing the outside yourself, we would recommend not using a high gloss finish as the outside of a cast iron bath is often quite rough and pitted and a glossy finish will just highlight this. A satin finish should look much better.

Hair dyes have pigments of colour and by nature they are designed to penetrate. If you do dye your hair at home we strongly recommend you do not do so in a newly resurfaced bath.

Most people who have old cast iron baths, roll top, slipper baths etc would not want to replace it with a modern bath. So re-enamelling is a good solution to making a quality bath look and feel new.

Replacing a bath with a “cheap” bath rarely works out that way. Unless the new bath is the same size as the old one there can be additional decorative costs. Tiling and flooring may need to be replaced. Add to that the cost of taking away the old bath and fitting the new. What might look like a couple of hundred pounds can turn out to be a lot more.

The last consideration is the hassle involved in replacing the bath. It can be quite a few days of work with different workmen- tilers, carpenters etc coming through your house.

When you resurface the job is completed that day. You have a lovely looking bath with minimum disruption to you.

Making a new cast iron enamel bath or an acrylic bath does require a lot of energy. So the carbon footprint is obviously bigger if you have a new bath made rather than restore an old bath by resurfacing it. There is place for both products. We love restoring old baths to their former glory but we can also appreciate new designs. Reputable companies like ourselves and vitreous enamellers are constantly striving for ways to improve their product and also reduce the carbon footprint.