I make my living resurfacing baths. So here is the case for replacing one, and the cases where I tell people not to bother with me.
By Richard · 38 years bath repair, Edinburgh & Scotland
Every bath repair company on the internet will tell you resurfacing saves sixty per cent. Here is the actual sum, and here is when it does not apply.
A quote to replace a bath usually covers the bath, the fitting, and a day's labour. It rarely covers:
Resurfacing: one person, one day, nothing removed, usable the next morning. £285–£550 + VAT.
The substrate has failed. A pressed steel bath with a torn or gouged surface, or rust that has eaten through. There is nothing sound to bond to. Resurfacing it is throwing money away and I will say so on the phone before I travel.
The bath is structurally cracked through. A crack that passes through an acrylic bath's full thickness, with movement in it, will reopen. Surface repair is cosmetic and temporary.
You want a different bath. If the bath is the wrong size, the wrong shape, or in the wrong place, no amount of resurfacing changes that. Resurfacing gives you the same bath with a new surface. That is all it does, and it is worth being clear about.
The whole room is coming out anyway. If you are re-tiling, moving the WC and replacing the basin, the bath may as well go too. Resurfacing makes sense when the room stays.
Cast iron, any age. The metal is sound. Only the surface has worn. It is a better bath than anything you can buy, and it is very difficult to remove.
Upper-floor tenement flats. The removal cost and the stairwell risk swamp everything else.
Listed and conservation-area property. Removing an original fixture raises a question that resurfacing never asks.
Rental property between tenancies. One day, no plumber, flat back in service. And a repair invoice is far more defensible in a deposit dispute than a replacement quote.
Commercial. We did ten baths at St Christopher's Inn on the Royal Mile. Rooms back in service the same day. Replacing ten baths would have closed rooms for a fortnight.
If the bath is sound and the room is staying, resurface it. If the substrate has failed or the room is changing, replace it. Anyone who tells you resurfacing is always the answer is selling.
Where we work
Common questions
How much does bath resurfacing cost in Edinburgh?
£285–£550 + VAT depending on the bath. Standard acrylic or steel from £285. Period cast iron £350–£450. Roll-top inside and out £450–£550. One-year guarantee.
Is resurfacing always cheaper than replacing?
Nearly always, once removal, re-tiling, plumbing and disposal are counted — and especially in an upper-floor flat. But if the substrate has failed, resurfacing is money wasted regardless of price.
How long does a resurfaced bath last?
A decade or more if prepared properly. Under a year if not. The preparation is the job.
No call-out charge anywhere in Edinburgh or the Lothians. Send a photo of the damage and we'll price it honestly.