A friend of mine was having some work done in her bathroom and the workmen managed to leave a big gouge in her bathtub.
As I understand it the bathtub is metal with a ceramic coating.
Is it possible to fix that or does she have to live with he big brown spot where the gouge is now? If it can be fixed can it be done as a home repair project or does it need professional help?
They make porcelain repair kits. You will find them at most hardware stores. Using them is a small home repair project. The issue is mainly how wide the gouge is.
You can look up “porcelain repair kits” and probably find something appropriate. It might not be a complete match.
You can also get it professionally done, but as you might expect, it’s much more expensive.
I’ve used a Porcelain Repair Kit on a scrape on our tub. It looked great right after it has been done, but it seems to come off a very short time later.
I’d suggest the friend look into this - the workmen would presumably be liable for damage, and a big enough gouge goes beyond a minor cosmetic thing. She wants this done right.
The only real disadvantage I recall from having my tub professionally redone was the smell. The bathtub guy suggested that we remove all pets from the house, turn off and cover any airpumps for fish tanks and leave the house for about 8-10 hours because the fumes were toxic…don’t know how well this would relate today, had my tub redone 10 years ago.
Sounds like a cast iron tub with a porcelain finish. They can be repaired/refinished but will never last as long as the original finish.
If you go against the contractor’s liability carrier, the best settlement you may get would be the cost to replace the tub less applicable depreciation. Depreciation would be based on the age and condition of your tub prior to it being damaged.
Another alternative if the above is unsuccessful, is to file a claim with your homeowner’s carrier as this loss may well be covered. The potential advantage to this is that:
You’re in a better negotiating position with your insurance company to demand replacement of the tub unless they can show the repair will last as long as the life of the tub. I doubt any tub repair contractor will agree to that guarantee.
You are probably entitled to replacement cost coverage, less your deductible.
In all probability, your carrier will subrogate against the contractor’s carrier for the amount they pay you. Some companies also include your deductible in the subrogation action meaning you stand a chance of recovering it if the action is successful.
Porcelain over cast iron, the house was built in the '50s or '60s or even earlier. If this is a tract house, consider also that the tub was installed before the house was finished. I’ve heard about cast iron tubs that can’t be removed from the bathroom unless there’s a hole knocked in the doorway. Get a professional estimator to look at everything so you get the whole picture.
Might wanna file a complaint with the BBB over the jerks who gouged the tub. You’d think they’d put a canvas drop cloth or something like that in the tub while working…
~VOW