East Sussex · England
Bath Repair for Shortgate homes
Our repair technicians come to Shortgate for chip and crack repairs to enamel, acrylic and cast iron baths. Nothing is taken out, with a one-year guarantee.
- Repairs from £95
- Chips caused by builders
- A cracked acrylic bath
What a repair cannot fix
We’d rather lose a job than do one that will not last, so these are the limits:
- A whole bath that’s dull or worn, where a full re-enamel is the better fix
- Acrylic cracks with no access behind them
- Leaking fittings, which need a plumber
Send us pictures and we’ll tell you honestly.
Surfaces we repair
- Cast iron enamel
- Pressed steel enamel
- Whirlpool & spa baths
- Roll-top & freestanding
- Acrylic
Bath repair at your home in Shortgate
We see every kind of bath damage: chips from dropped bottles, rust round the plughole, cracks in acrylic and holes from falling tools. Each is repaired in place. If you’re dealing with cracks in an acrylic bath and damage beneath the taps, we can typically put it right, whatever the material.
The work is covered for a year after we finish. If anything isn’t right, ring us and we’ll come back.
- Location
- Shortgate (BN8)
- Region
- East Sussex
- Cover
- One year on every repair
- Price
- From £95. Free and fixed, from your pictures
- Phone
- 0345 017 0787
- Updated
- 23 October 2026
Shortgate: your questions answered
Can rust on a bath be repaired?
Yes, it’s one of the most common repairs we do. We take it back to sound metal, seal it, fill it and match the colour.
What information do you need?
Photos of the damage, a picture of the whole bath and your postcode. Then we’ll agree a date.
Will you leave a mess?
No. The work area is masked and covered, and we leave the room clean.
Can you do more than one item on the same visit?
Yes. Combining jobs on one visit brings the cost down. Send pictures of everything you’d like done.
Is the work guaranteed?
Yes, for a year. If there is a problem with the work in that time, we come back and put it right.
I tried a repair kit. Can you fix it?
Yes, we do this often. We strip it out, deal with any rust and repair it again.
Can you quote from photos?
Yes, almost always. Clear photos let us give you a fixed price without visiting.
Is there any odour?
There can be some smell while we work. It clears as the materials cure.
Prices and what affects them
Prices start from £95. Quotes are free and the price is fixed. What we take into account:
- What the surface is made of
- What kind of damage it is
- Access to the area
- Whether old repairs or coatings need taking off
There are no surprise extras on the day. The price we quote from your photos is the price you pay, unless the damage turns out to be different, in which case we talk to you first.
Send pictures for a quote
The better the photos, the more accurate the price. Here’s what we find most useful:
- The postcode, so we can plan the visit
- Something in shot to show the size
- A photo taken from further back
- Good light, ideally daylight, without flash glare
A quote takes minutes to ask for: take one close-up and one wider shot of the bath, include your postcode and send them over. What comes back is a fixed price, not a guess.
Landlord and trade work in Shortgate
We regularly price jobs from inventory or check-out pictures. You can have a price before you arrange access, and we liaise with tenants about access if you’d like us to.
Housing associations and facilities teams use us for planned and reactive repairs in East Sussex and across the UK. A repair avoids taking out and refitting, which matters when someone is living in the home.
Should you replace it?
A new bath brings a chain of other jobs: tiles along the rim generally crack when it comes out, the panel may not fit the new one, and the plumbing has to be disconnected and refitted. Repairing the damage avoids all of that. Prices start from £95. Rather than charging by the hour, we price the entire job up front. It depends on the damage, the material and access, and doing several items at once reduces it.
Why choose Surface Doctor in Shortgate
- We leave the room as we found it
- Colours mixed by hand to suit your surface
- Fixed prices from your photos
- We come to you, anywhere in the UK
Take a look at our prices page or guide to resurfacing and replacement costs.
How to look after the repair
Good habits make a big difference to how long a repair lasts. Here’s what we suggest:
- Have new chips seen to early
- Ensure an acrylic bath is firm underfoot
- Protect the bath with a towel when doing jobs nearby
- Do not leave razors or cans standing in the bath
In the first few days, avoid putting weight or bottles on the repair. After that, normal gentle cleaning is fine.
Until we visit, a strip of waterproof tape over the damage helps, to keep water out. Take it off before we arrive.
Shortgate and the surrounding area
Shortgate is about 4 miles south of Uckfield, in East Sussex. Whether you are in the middle of Shortgate or on the outskirts, we offer exactly the same service: a fixed quote, a tidy visit and a guarantee. Shortgate is one of 289 places in East Sussex we cover. We work right across the region, from Shortgate to London (41 miles away).
Here we cover the BN8 postcode area. We also cover the places around Shortgate: Halland (1 mile north-east), East Hoathly (2 miles east), Whitesmith (2 miles east), Chiddingly (3 miles east) and Framfield (4 miles north). Further out, we also cover Eastbourne (12 miles south-east), Seaford (10 miles south), Lewes (6 miles south-west), Hailsham (7 miles south-east), Crowborough (10 miles north) and Newhaven (9 miles south).
Around Shortgate
For rail, the closest station is Uckfield station, about 3.9 miles north. Further afield, we also cover the area around Uckfield Community Hospital (3.6 miles north) and Tickerage Castle (4.1 miles north). Green spaces nearby include Cliffe Hill and Malling Down.
Signs you need bath repair in Shortgate
Glass and heavy bottles cause more chips than anything else, with dropped shower heads close behind. Taps and wastes cause problems too: water sits around them, and any chip there soon rusts.
Clients generally contact us about:
- Chips caused by builders
- Cracks in an acrylic bath
- Rusty patches near the plughole
- Holes from dropped items
Before booking anyone
- Whether the colour is mixed to match
- How changes to the job are handled
- Whether cleaning and preparation are in the price
- How to look after the finish
How the visit works
We work cleanly and quietly, so you can carry on at home. Protection goes down first, then the job itself takes two to three hours for most chips. At the end we talk you through the curing time and the aftercare.
- First, the area is cleaned and any loose enamel or rust is removed.
- We fill the damage and sand it flush with the surrounding surface.
- The colour is mixed on the spot to match your bath.
- 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.
Getting ready for the visit
- Keep children and pets away from the room on the day
- Tell us if there are stairs or a lift
- Avoid using the area for a few hours before we arrive
Ask for a price
To get a price, send two or three photos using our quote form or call us. We’ll say right away whether it can be repaired.
Read more
Materials and what they mean for the repair
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.
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About our accreditations · Every repair comes with a one-year guarantee.
