Suffolk · England
Bath chip & crack repair in Shelley, Suffolk
Our repair technicians come to Shelley for chip and crack repairs to enamel, acrylic and cast iron baths. Everything is done in place, with a one-year guarantee.
- Repairs from £95
- A failed DIY repair that is discoloured or lifting
- Holes from dropped items
Repairs by material
Pressed steel
Steel baths are lighter than cast iron, but have a similar enamel surface. Exposed steel rusts fast, particularly by the plughole, so repair chips early.
Acrylic
An acrylic bath is a moulded sheet strengthened from below. They don’t rust, but they can crack, scratch or be holed, and cracks need support from behind to stay fixed.
Bath repair in Shelley without replacing anything
Repairing baths is what we do most. A chip by the taps, a crack in the base and a rust spot by the plughole are all fixed without removing the bath, normally in one visit. Whether it’s chips on the rim or sides and holes from dropped items, we can usually put it right, whatever the material.
All of our repairs are guaranteed for twelve months, and the guarantee is the same wherever you live. If something goes wrong with the work, we come back.
- Location
- Shelley (IP7)
- Area hub
- Suffolk
- Warranty
- 12 months on all our work
- Quote
- From £95. Free, fixed quote from pictures
- Call
- 0345 017 0787
- Page updated
- 23 October 2026
Nearby places to Shelley
Also in Shelley
Looking after it afterwards
Looking after the surface is easy, and it makes a real difference:
- Get any new chip repaired before it rusts
- A dripping tap stains enamel, so fix it early
- If an acrylic bath flexes, have its feet adjusted
- Clean with warm water and a mild detergent
For the first few days, keep heavy bottles off the repaired spot. After that, normal gentle cleaning is fine.
Rust spreads under enamel faster than most people expect. A chip the size of a fingernail can become a much larger patch if it’s left for months, so early repair keeps the cost down.
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.
A kit can be fine for a tiny mark out of sight. For anything you look at every day, anything that has rusted, cracked or holed, or anything on a coloured surface, it’s worth having it done properly.
Repair or replace: which is better?
A repair makes sense whenever the damage is localised. It costs far less than a new bath plus fitting, it takes one visit, and nothing else in the room changes. Our bath repair starts from £95. Every job is a little different, so we price each one individually. The size and type of damage, the material and access all play a part, and combining jobs on one visit brings the cost down.
Why choose Surface Doctor in Shelley
- Same prices wherever you are
- Nothing taken out or refitted
- One-year guarantee on every repair
- We leave the room as we found it
See our full price list and resurfacing vs replacement cost guide.
When we would advise against a repair
We’ll always be straight with you, so here’s what a repair will not do:
- Wear across the entire surface, which needs re-enamelling
- Cracks in acrylic we cannot reach from underneath
- Water coming from the waste or taps rather than the bath
Not sure? Send pictures and we’ll give you a straight answer.
Surfaces we repair
- Pressed steel enamel
- Roll-top & freestanding
- Acrylic
- Cast iron enamel
- Whirlpool & spa baths
How the visit works
Your technician turns up at the time we agreed with you and checks the damage against your photos first. The floor and nearby surfaces are covered before any work starts. Most visits take a few hours, and we leave the room as we found it.
- We protect the bath and the floor around it.
- The damaged area is cleaned, keyed and degreased, and any rust is treated.
- Filler goes in and is sanded flush once it has set.
- We match both the colour and the shine.
- We tidy up and tell you when the bath can be used, generally the day after.
How to prepare
- Mention any parking restrictions or tricky access
- Let the surface dry out before the visit
- Have somewhere for us to park nearby if possible
How to get a price
You don’t need a survey visit. Nearly every job can be priced from photos: send a close-up, a wider shot and your postcode, and we will reply with a fixed quote.
Advice
Common questions in Shelley
Do I need to be at home?
Yes. We need access to the room while we work, at a time we agree with you.
Is a holed acrylic bath repairable?
In most cases. Photos of the hole and the underside help us check.
Can you redo someone else’s repair?
Most of the time. Tell us what was done before.
Can pets and children be at home?
Please keep children and pets out of the room during the visit. Everywhere else in the home is fine.
Are there extra charges for Shelley?
Travel is included in the price, with the same prices everywhere we work.
I tried a repair kit. Can you fix it?
Regularly. We strip it out, deal with any rust and repair it again.
Can you fix rust around the plughole?
Yes, very frequently. The rust is cut back to clean metal and sealed before we fill and finish it.
Will the price change on the day?
It’s rare, but if it happens we talk to you first. The price only changes if you agree.
For landlords and businesses
Hotels, guest houses and holiday lets can’t afford rooms out of action for long, so most of our work is done in a single visit. We can work around your bookings.
We regularly work with letting and managing agents. Send the address, pictures and access details and we’ll handle the rest.
What affects the price in Shelley
Repairs from £95. There is no charge for travel to Shelley. The price comes down to:
- How many areas need work
- Whether old repairs or coatings need taking off
- How many items we do on one visit
- Whether it’s a chip, crack, burn or wear
Compared with replacing, a repair is typically a fraction of the price, because nothing has to be taken out, refitted or made good. The quote lists exactly what you’re paying for.
Quotes from your photos
You can take the photos on your phone. Just make sure we can see:
- A coin or ruler next to the damage for scale
- Any details about the material
- A wider photo showing the entire bath
- A clear, close picture of the problem area
No survey visit is needed: we price from pictures. Use the quote form, or ring 0345 017 0787 to talk it through, and you’ll get a fixed figure back.
About Shelley
Shelley is about 9 miles north of Colchester, in Suffolk. We agree a date that works for you, and we will give you an arrival time in advance, so there is no waiting around. Shelley is one of 731 places in Suffolk where we work. You can also see our page for London, about 57 miles away.
Our repair technicians cover all of the IP7 postcode area and the streets around it. Other places close to Shelley include Lower Raydon (1 mile south-east), Lower Layham (1 mile north), Upper Layham (1 mile north), Raydon (1 mile east) and Polstead Heath (2 miles north-west). We also work in nearby towns such as Ipswich (9 miles east), Sudbury (9 miles west), Stowmarket (13 miles north), Kesgrave (13 miles east), Hadleigh (3 miles north) and Stoke (9 miles east).
Local landmarks in Shelley
Our customers here include homes close to Church of All Saints, Hadleigh High School and Railway Walk and the streets around them. Nearby you’ll also find Little Wenham Castle (3.1 miles east). Open spaces near Shelley include Wolves Wood.
About our accreditations · Every repair comes with a one-year guarantee.
