It changes the repair method, the price, and whether the bath is worth keeping. You can work it out in about thirty seconds.
By Richard · 38 years bath repair, Edinburgh & Scotland
When someone calls me about a chipped bath, this is the first thing I ask, and most people do not know. Here is how to find out without any tools.
Rap the side of the bath with a knuckle, near the middle of the long side.
A dull, dead thud with no ring and no give — cast iron. The sound goes nowhere.
A metallic ring, slightly tinny — pressed steel. Thin metal, so it resonates.
A hollow, plasticky knock and a hint of flex — acrylic.
Stand in the empty bath. Cast iron does not move, at all. Steel gives a fraction and may creak. Acrylic flexes noticeably underfoot unless it has been bedded properly.
Run your hand along the outside. Cast iron and steel feel cold, because metal conducts heat away from your skin. Acrylic feels close to room temperature.
Cast iron is the one people most want to identify, and the giveaway is weight — if the bath sits on feet and looks like it would take three people to shift, it is cast iron. Also check for a rolled, thick rim. Steel rims are thin.
Cast iron. Vitreous enamel fused to thick iron at high temperature. The best bath ever made and effectively irreplaceable. Chips expose bare iron, which rusts. Resurfacing is worthwhile at almost any age. Preparation takes longer because rust pitting must be cut back and filled. Typically £350–£450 + VAT for a period cast iron bath.
Pressed steel. A thinner sheet, enamelled. Repairs well, but a torn or gouged surface is not economically restorable and I will tell you so. From £285 + VAT.
Acrylic. Moulded plastic, sometimes with a reinforced backing. It flexes, so cracks appear at the rim and around the waste and can propagate if the flex is not addressed. Filler chemistry is entirely different from enamel. Repairs well when caught early. From £285 + VAT for a full resurface.
In the Victorian tenements of Marchmont, Bruntsfield and the New Town, expect cast iron, often original. In post-war and 1970s stock across the Lothians, pressed steel. In anything fitted since the 1990s, and in the waterfront and new-build estates, acrylic.
Which means the older the flat, the more likely the bath is the one worth keeping.
Where we work
Common questions
How do I know if my bath is cast iron?
Knock it — a dull thud with no ring. Stand in it — no flex at all. Feel the rim — thick and rolled. And if it sits on feet and looks immovable, it is cast iron.
Is a cast iron bath worth restoring?
Almost always. The metal is sound after a century; only the surface has worn. A modern acrylic replacement is a worse bath and lasts a fraction as long.
Can acrylic baths be re-enamelled?
They can be resurfaced, using an entirely different coating chemistry from enamel. Cracks need the underlying flex addressed first, or the repair fails.
No call-out charge anywhere in Edinburgh or the Lothians. Send a photo of the damage and we'll price it honestly.