Devon · England
Bath Repair for Instow homes
Damaged bath in Instow? We repair it in place, match it on site and back it with a one-year guarantee.
- Repairs from £95
- Chips under the taps
- Deep scratches in acrylic
The process
The work is clean and fairly quiet, so you can stay at home while we are there. We protect the area first, then the work takes a few hours. Before we leave, we explain the curing time and the aftercare.
- First, the area is cleaned and any loose enamel or rust is removed.
- The chip or crack is filled, then sanded level with the bath.
- We tint the finish on the day to suit your bath’s shade of white or colour.
- Finish coats go on, then the repair is polished to blend in.
- The repair is left to cure, and most baths can be used the next day.
Preparing for the visit
- Have a window or extractor fan available
- Keep children and pets away from the room on the day
- Tell us about any previous repairs or coatings
Ask for a price
Getting a quote takes a couple of minutes: photograph the damage, then the whole bath, add your postcode and send them over. What comes back is a fixed price, not a guess.
Related advice
How we handle bath repair in Instow
Whether your bath is steel, cast iron or acrylic, we can repair it. Each material is repaired a little differently: metal baths need any rust dealt with first, and acrylic cracks need support from behind. Our technicians work on cast iron enamel, whirlpool & spa baths and pressed steel enamel, and common reasons people contact us are rust spots around the plughole and chips along the edge of the bath.
A one-year guarantee comes with the work, just as it does everywhere we cover.
- Where
- Instow (EX39, EX31)
- Area hub
- Devon
- Warranty
- One year on every repair
- Price
- From £95. Fixed and free, based on photos
- Phone
- 0345 017 0787
- Last updated
- 23 October 2026
Towns and villages near Instow
What else we do in Instow
What your bath is made of matters
Pressed steel
Steel baths and trays have a thin metal body under the enamel. Exposed steel rusts quickly, so we treat and seal the metal before filling.
Acrylic
Acrylic feels warm and is light, but it relies on good support. Repairs to cracks are reinforced from the back.
Your questions about bath repair in Instow
I tried a repair kit. Can you fix it?
Regularly. The old material comes out, any rust is treated, then we repair it properly.
Is a holed acrylic bath repairable?
Normally. Photos of the hole and the underside help us check.
Do I need to be at home?
Yes. The technician needs access to the room for the visit, at a time we agree with you.
Do you repair coloured baths?
Yes, we match coloured baths too. We tint the finish to your bath on site.
Will you leave a mess?
Very little mess: we sheet and mask everything nearby, and we take our waste away with us.
Are you accredited?
We are accredited with CHAS, Constructionline, SafeContractor, SMAS Worksafe and Builder’s Profile.
What happens next?
We review the photos and send a fixed quote and the next dates we have.
Can a cracked acrylic bath be fixed?
Most of the time. We reinforce the crack from behind, then fill and refinish the front, so we need access under the bath.
Prices and what affects them
Prices start from £95. We price every job individually, from your photos. The main factors are:
- Doing more than one item at once
- How hard the colour is to match
- How many areas need work
- Previous DIY repairs that have to come out
A few things move the price: access, material, the extent of the damage and whether we can do several items together. Send photos and you’ll get a fixed figure.
Getting a price from pictures
A couple of clear pictures is all it takes. It helps if you send:
- Where you are, by postcode
- Details of any past repairs
- A coin beside the damage so we can judge size
- A photo taken from further back
For most jobs, pictures are all we need to give you a price. Tell us what happened and where you are, and we will reply with a fixed quote and the earliest dates we have.
Aftercare tips
Looking after the surface is easy:
- Do not leave a fresh chip for long
- Fix dripping taps early to stop staining and limescale
- Clean with warm water and a mild detergent
- Do not scrub with anything abrasive
In the first few days, avoid putting weight or bottles on the repair. After that, clean it as you would the rest of the bath, avoiding abrasives.
Until we visit, a strip of waterproof tape over the damage helps, to keep water out. Take it off before we arrive.
Repair or replace in Instow?
Replacing a bath rarely stops at the bath: tiles along the rim typically crack when it comes out, the panel may not fit the new one, and a plumber has to disconnect and reconnect everything. Repairing the damage avoids all of that. Repairs from £95, with every job priced individually. The price depends on the type and amount of damage, what it’s made of and how many jobs we combine into one visit. You get a fixed price from your pictures, so you know the cost before you book.
Why choose Surface Doctor in Instow
- Dust sheets down, tidy finish
- CHAS, Constructionline and SafeContractor accredited
- No need to remove anything
- Straight answers about what a repair can do
Take a look at our full price list and guide to resurfacing and replacement costs.
What we cannot put right
Some jobs are not right for a repair, including:
- Rust that has eaten right through a steel bath
- Water coming from the waste or taps rather than the bath
- A bath that flexes because its feet or cradle have failed (that needs fixing first)
Send us photos and we will tell you honestly before booking.
Materials we repair
- Roll-top & freestanding
- Whirlpool & spa baths
- Pressed steel enamel
- Acrylic
- Cast iron enamel
Can I fix it myself?
The difference between a kit and a professional repair is mostly in the preparation and colour. We prepare the area properly, mix the colour on site and polish the finish to match, then guarantee it for a year.
If you’ve already tried a DIY fix, that is fine. We remove the old filler and start again, so it doesn’t stop a professional repair. It does add a little time, so tell us about it when you send pictures.
What we are called out for in Instow
Heavy toiletries are the biggest single cause of chips, with dropped shower heads close behind. Taps and wastes cause problems too: water collects there, so chips nearby rust quickly.
People generally call us when they notice something like this:
- Chips caused by builders
- Chips along the edge of the bath
- Rusty patches near the plughole
- Cracks in an acrylic bath
What your quote should include
- How long the guarantee is and what it covers
- How the room is protected while they work
- Whether a trained technician does the job
- Aftercare advice
Covering Instow
Instow is about 3 miles north-east of Bideford, in Devon. Across the EX39 area, we carry out the work at your property. Instow is one of 586 places in Devon where we work.
All of EX39 and EX31 is covered. We regularly work on streets such as Downs Road, Anstey Way and Quay Lane and the roads around them. Instow sits on or near the B3233, which makes travel easy. Close by, we cover Worlington (1 mile east), Appledore (1 mile west), Yelland (1 mile north-east), Fremington (3 miles north-east) and Muddlebridge (3 miles north-east). Within a short drive, we also cover Barnstaple (5 miles east), Bideford (3 miles south-west), Ilfracombe (11 miles north), Braunton (4 miles north), Newport (6 miles east) and South Molton (15 miles east).
Local landmarks in Instow
Typical jobs here are in homes near Instow Community Primary School, St Mary's Church and Commodore Hotel. Well-known places in the area include Museum of British Surfing (3.9 miles north) and Tapeley Park (0.9 miles south). Not far away are Staddon Hill and Horsey Island.
About our accreditations · Every repair comes with a one-year guarantee.
