Bathroom fitters chipped new bath! WWSTWD?

Hi all,

We are currently having a new bathroom fitted to hopefully make life easier with our disabled son.

We are at the stage where only grouting to finish, shower head to fit and shower screen to fit- basically finished and only a few hours left for the fitter on Monday… or so we thought!

On Saturday a plasterer came to tidy the walls and ceiling up and made a real mess everywhere. I spent 2 hours cleaning the floors and all surfaces splattered red and in the course of that noticed the bath has a chip!

The bath (thick steel model) is chipped on the floor of the bath, ~8mmx4mm down to the bare metal and several cm where the paint (?) layers are scuffed up and peeling off.

I strongly suspect the plasterer chipped the bath. The guy doing most of the other work seem to have been doing a good job and keeping everything tidy around. The plasterer by contrast was filling his buckets from the bath, mixing plaster in the bath, storing his tools in the bath and basically using the bath for everything do avoid trips up and down the stairs.

All work is under one fitting company rather than a group of individuals.

My wife and anyone we have spoken to is massively upset and unimpressed. They say we should be demanding a new bath. That will mean having to remove a lot of the fitted cabinets, tiles and goodness knows what else to get the old bath out and new one in.

Basic problem is a pretty large chip to a brand new bath that isn’t our fault. What would you want to happen in the same position?

For any fitters out there who may have had a similar situation, what can we realistically expect from the fitting company? Will they be equally devastated and bend over backwards to replace the bath or will they suggests a quick enamel touch up and not be interested in anything else?

Thanks all!

If you’ve contracted the work to one company I’d be insisting on a replacement, with holding final payment (you do have a retention don’t you?) and not taking no for answer.

You should have a new bath, but you may face an uphill struggle 😩

My first question is why wasn’t the plastering done before any of the units/bath went in – it’s a messy job at the best of times and doing it at the end is completely ar*e about t*t!!

🤷🏻‍♂️

Plastering was due at the start of the week but the guy proved unreliable and hard to get in at the right time from what I can gather. Should have seen the warning signs then

If you’ve contracted the work to one company I’d be insisting on a replacement, with holding final payment (you do have a retention don’t you?) and not taking no for answer.

The company work like quite a few others, where the company has been paid their half but the fitter payment is the half currently not paid.

You contracted to a fitting company, and they may have their own staff, or have subcontracted out but it doesn’t matter – you paid them to do the job and they aren’t meeting that contract. Up to them to put it right, don’t even consider any other position.

Agree that seems mad to do the messy stuff after the clean, I’d also query why you’re cleaning up after them!

If it’s a major disruption to have to locate a bath, remove loads of fitted units and so on, not only would I be looking for them to sort it I’d also wonder about a reduction for the sheer delay and hassle.

I had similar and the bath was replaced at the contractors expense.

It’s a brand new bathroom and a repair wasn’t going to cut it. It’s not that much effort to replace in the grand scheme of things.

I’m a Bathroom and Kitchen fitter. If my plasterer (or me) had damaged a new bath I’d be either replacing it out of pocket or as it’s steel, having it refinished (as long as the customer was happy) at my own expense. it does happen every now and again, but as mentioned before, the plasterer should have been in before any other works and shouldn’t be treating new (or old) products like that, very unprofessional.

We have had to have a ceiling skimmed over new product in the past due to unforeseen circumstances, but we fully CSI the room in sheets, cling wrap and surface protection and worry a lot!

EDIT – Who hired the plasterer? the Bathroom company or the Bathroom fitter? whoever did is ultimately responsible if the plasterer doesn’t admit liability.

I can’t understand why the plasterer even started the job without covering things up with some sort of protection, I’d insist on new bath, hopefully he’ll realise the cost of a bit of protection and 10 mins of his time saves him a fortune

@blazin-saddles I did wonder if the fitter would offer a repair. Is that something you would personally be happy with for finish and long term durability? Generally speaking, would a decent fitter see a chip on a new bath and be thinking “oh sh..t we need to make that right” or more “don’t know what the fuss is about just put some enamel repair on”?

The overwhelming majority here seem to say replace bath and nothing less. The bath is a tight squeeze in its final position between two sections of wall and there is tiling, sink and cabinets in the way of getting it out at the moment. To me it looks like a major PITA to have to replace the bath but maybe it isn’t, I’m not sure. As a fitter, if you were in a similar position, would you be surprised if the customer wanted their chipped bath replaced and no less?

Last time I had major work in the house by central heating fitters all the carpets were covered by huge rolls of something like heavy duty cling film before they started. I find it incredible that a plasterer would be working around unprotected brand new bath.

The bath should have been overed and the plumber should have been mixing his plaster in a tub. Hope you get it sorted.

We had something similar years ago, and the bath was replaced. We didn’t pay for it, or the replacement work (which included tiling etc).

They offered a repair, but as it was a fibreglass bath the manufacturer wouldnt warranty the work, and said it might leak. Slightly different with a steel bath – how invisible and durable are enamel repairs?

You’ve paid a company to do it all, so it’s their issue to fix.
Ignore who did it, plasterer, fitter, whoever and also ignore how hard or easy it would be to get the bath out and back in again. This is not your problem.
You deal with your contact at the firm, clearly explain the issue and look for them to provide a solution. That solution would be a new bath, unless they can give you some seriously persuasive reasons why a repair would be fine.
And yes, why are you clearing up after them? I’d be having a word about that too.

I’m a Bathroom and Kitchen fitter

I don’t suppose you want a job at the very North of that London do you….

I fitted a new bathroom and first guest chipped the upper edge of bath, it’s tiny but noticeable. After 5 years I still look at the chip and think it needs a fix, it’s a silicone bath and the repair kits get mixed reviews

If a fitter did it I d expect a replacement. What’s worrying is they haven’t fessed up, hoping you don’t notice.

As a minimum it needs a professional repair.

I did our bathroom and the metal bath got chipped. Only me in there so my fault. I don’t like to throw away perfectly functional items so I did a pretty simple diy repair. That was about 5 years ago and it still works fine. I can see the repair but it doesn’t bother me. If a professional repair was even better then I’d be happy with that. Better than the upheaval and waste from replacement.

The overwhelming majority here seem to say replace bath and nothing less.

Did you buy a new bath or did you buy a factory second/ex display/ shop soiled? At the end of the transaction you need to be in possession of what you’ve paid for. So replace your new bath with a new bath. Or repair it and adjust the bill to reflect that what you now have is something other than a new bath at a price that you’re happy with.

Who hired the plasterer?

This is what matters. If you got the plasterer in, it’s between you and them. Good luck. If they were working for the fitter or bathroom supplier… you’re on much firmer ground.

Tight fit you say.. is it an alcove bath, i.e. wall to wall with tile meeting the tub at all 3 sides?
If so, its destructive removal, no question.
Assuming the bath has been installed to best practice, it’ll need surgical removal to not compromise, or allow the wall to bath tanking to be reinstated.
Trouble with wall to wall baths is that they don’t get smaller when you manoeuvre them out of position, only bigger.
Be prepared for significant work to replace.
Not saying you shouldn’t have that result, but you’ll need to make a decision of potentially adding another 50% of time to the project with potentially compromised waterproofing (seriously persuasive reasons) or a repair and heaviy discount and a finished bathroom next week.
The bath manufacturer would also be a useful resource.

As a fitter, I’d be gutted I’d damaged it and would offer to replace or make good the situation to the customers satisfaction, whatever it took. I think a professional refinish on a steel bath and it should be as good as new, I wouldn’t accept a touch up by the fitter.

As Dirks says, trying to get a properly fitted bath out can be quite the task, certainly requires some tile removal and possibly some remedial works.

I don’t suppose you want a job at the very North of that London do you….

Thanks Kryton, but I don’t fit off my patch anymore as I don’t really like commuting far or staying away, I have a solid year of work within 20 mins of my door currently.

wall to wall with tile meeting the tub at all 3 sides?
If so, its destructive removal, no question.

Yes, tiling on 3 sides of the bath. Sink/ toilet unit pretty much up against the bath too.

There is only a few hours work left to complete the bathroom (fit shower head, fit shower screen, grout tiles, silicone around bath).

Having to undo a week of otherwise really good work seems a massive waste for one chip on the bath. I worry that fitting everything back a second time wouldn’t result in such a good finish, not to mention the wait to get replacement parts and get it all redone. With no other bathroom and no other toilet it is a massive upheaval to do it all again. I’ll know more on Monday!

Good idea to involve the bath company. Bath is a Bette and while they mention chip repair and approved repairers on their website, there isn’t any mention of if the 30 year warranty is affected by an approved repair.

I understand the opinion of replace the bath and nothing less, but if Bette can tell us that the warranty is unaffected by an approved repair and the fitting company can knock a good chunk of money off their final bill then that seems the most sensible thing. I won’t lead with that, I see what the fitting company say on Monday first.

Thank you all for the really helpful input with regards to confirming plastering last is daft/ risky, chipping a new bath is indeed really not good and any remedy needs to take in to account the bath warranty. Good points to help strengthen my position with them.

Fitters first reaction this morning was “oh just repair that” but to his credit, without any prompting, he said he would replace the bath if that was what we wanted.

I have said please either replace OR repair plus compensation to the value of the bath, whichever they prefer.

I thought that would be an easy decision on their part to go for the second option but he seems to be leaning towards replacement now. That surprised me a bit and now I’m worried they will just take the bath out, repair off site and refit. How can taking everything, supplying a new bath and refitting everything be better value for them than repair + losing the value of the bath? Ugh, nothing is straight forward! I don’t know how people cope with renovating entire houses! 🙂

Oh, and if it helps anyone in the future, Bette as a bath manufacturer were great to deal with on the phone and get their opinion on warranty implications and their opinion on repairs.

I have said please either replace OR repair plus compensation to the value of the bath, whichever they prefer.

Why compensation? The repair will put you back in the position you would have been if it hadn’t been damaged.

I make and fit bedroom furniture. Part of my margin I regard as self-insurance. From time to time something gets damaged and needs to be replaced. If that happens, instead of wailing that it’s meant I’ve worked all that week for nothing, I can pat myself on the back for being so sensible and do the job with a smile. I’ll probably get 2 more jobs from the customer’s recommendation.

You asked for the full value of the bath deducted?

Bit ambitious IMO. Would 30-50% off what you paid not have been acceptable?

You say there are such things as approved repairers. That being the case I’d infer that a) its repairable and b) it’s a specialist task rather than a job to be undertaken by a generic tradesman armed with a bottle of T-Cut and a Brillo bad.

I think my approach would be to allow them to initially try an approved repairer, with the proviso that if you aren’t happy with the result then it gets replaced without argument. Ordinarily with brand new goods being damaged I’d argue that you’d paid for a new undamaged bath and you should expect nothing less, however in this case the ballache all round sounds more trouble (and risk) than it’s worth. IMHO, IANABF. If they push back I’d suggest that you are doing them a solid in not demanding they just replace it.

I’m not seeing the case for compensation if it can be made good. Compensation would be for going “yeah, don’t worry about it mate, it’s just a little ding” rather than repairing / replacing.

I have a solid year of work within 20 mins of my door currently.

That’s excellent news!

But is also a big issue for me locally, seems the same across trades.

To have a solid year of work you must have very patient customer base no matter how good you are, what happens when favourite customers who are trustworthy, pay on time, treat you as a friend has just bought a new house and needs a job within a few weeks , do they get told Feb 24 so keep using the baby pink bog for a while?

Might be relevant to his approach with regard to supply and “ownership” of the bath. If you bought it then it would be a third party damage claim. If he bought it as part of the contract then it may be excluded from public liability cover.*

*differing tradesman policies have different wordings, obvs.

Is he not involving Insurers at all?

And he might be passing the costs to the plasterer, unbeknown to you. Your contractor might not be taking the hit, and he’ll want to retain his good reputation.

Why compensation? The repair will put you back in the position you would have been if it hadn’t been damaged.

I’m not seeing the case for compensation if it can be made good. Compensation would be for going “yeah, don’t worry about it mate, it’s just a little ding” rather than repairing / replacing.

“Compensation” may be the wrong word but basically as you say Cougar

you are doing them a solid in not demanding they just replace it

aaaaannnnd most crucially our expensive bath that should have a 30 year warranty would have the warranty voided by any repair (confirmed with the bath company today)

There’s also no guarantee that the repair doesn’t need redoing every 1 year, 2 years, 5 years, whatever. There is the unknown on the life of the repair on an expensive product.

Choice is in the fitters hands and needless to say that plasterer no doubt cut off his future work through that company.

Other than this, the bathroom is looking great, meets the needs of our disabled son without looking like an adapted bathroom and the quality of all the work has been amazing so we are trying to keep a bit of perspective on the good bits.

Thank you to everyone for the input. I has been really helpful to bring up things we didn’t first think of and try to find a decent final solution. TBC…

aaaaannnnd most crucially our expensive bath that should have a 30 year warranty would have the warranty voided by any repair (confirmed with the bath company today)

Wait what? Sack it off then.

Is that not the point of an ‘approved’ repairer, to maintain the bathing equivalent of a car’s service history like you would with a dealer stamp? What exactly are they approving here above and beyond “here’s Dave with some Evo-Stick and a can of Brasso”?

You might well be correct but this makes absolutely no sense to me, I think I’d be making a second call to Bette just to check that you hadn’t randomly spoken to a gibbon. Ask them to confirm the warranty decision in writing (/email), if it’s still negative you can use that as leverage with the installers.

aaaaannnnd most crucially our expensive bath that should have a 30 year warranty would have the warranty voided by any repair (confirmed with the bath company today)

but….

BetteGlaze is innately impact-proof. Like glass fibre, it remains flexible and resistant to the typical use that occurs in the bathroom. In extremely rare cases, it is possible that small areas of the glazed surface may break away, perhaps if something heavy falls onto the washbasin, bath or shower surfaces. Bette offers an enamel lacquer for minor repairs such as these, known as Remalle, which consists of a self-hardening plastic mixture in various bath colours. The lacquer is applied to the damaged area in several thin layers until it has been completely filled in. The repair paste should then be allowed to dry and cure thoroughly. Alternatively, we can provide you with the details of companies that specialises in repairs such as these.

To have a solid year of work you must have very patient customer base no matter how good you are, what happens when favourite customers who are trustworthy, pay on time, treat you as a friend has just bought a new house and needs a job within a few weeks , do they get told Feb 24 so keep using the baby pink bog for a while?

luckily I do have great customers who are prepared to wait. Obviously if someone isn’t happy, then no hard feelings, they’re free to use somebody else as I won’t let someone down whose been waiting patiently, just because someone thinks their job is more important. Am I wrong?

I’m a joiner not a plasterer but have seen loads of plasterers at work. It’s really brutal doing several small jobs in one day, it’s unbelievably messy and heavy work. There’s not nearly enough of these guys around and your guy probably squeezed the job in as a favour to the contractor. In that situation he’s not going to spend hours covering stuff up, traipsing up and down stairs (with messy boots) mixing outside and then cleaning up. The contractor should know the score and have prepared the site for the plasterer’s visit I’d say.
Or, don’t send your kids to uni so they can get a job in a coffee shop, get them to learn a trade there’s shit loads of work out there and remember the next generation of home owners can barely change a light bulb so things will only get worse!

I do bathrooms…I even do plastering…what I can’t get my head around is, why did the plaster come into the job at the end?….when he should be in during the 1st quarter of the job.
And going by the mess he made, he wasn’t a plasterer…..
As mentioned above, using a company that has many people doing vari jobs everyone will be pointing fingers away from themselves….I work alone any blame is down to me…if I chipped the bath then I would be replacing the bath or at least repair and give a discount.
Years and years ago a tile slipped out of my hand crashed into the bath edge…the bath was old and being reused….but I ended up paying for a new bath…much to the customers delight.
Imo the company has to replace /fix and compensate to the customers satisfaction

I’m not in the trades, but the bit about him mixing plaster in the brand new posh bath does sound a little off.

😀

I’m not in the trades, but the bit about him mixing plaster in the brand new posh bath does sound a little off.

I wondered about that. Did the OP mean he was mixing the plaster in a bucket within the confines of the bath or literally mixing it in the actual bath ?

It’s really brutal doing several small jobs in one day, it’s unbelievably messy and heavy work. There’s not nearly enough of these guys around and your guy probably squeezed the job in as a favour to the contractor. In that situation he’s not going to spend hours covering stuff up, traipsing up and down stairs (with messy boots) mixing outside and then cleaning up. The contractor should know the score and have prepared the site for the plasterer’s visit I’d say.

It is certainly a job I don’t envy and I think you are right on the circumstances but I don’t really care who protects the bits around and it should be done one way or another.

I do bathrooms…I even do plastering…what I can’t get my head around is, why did the plaster come into the job at the end?

From what I can gather he was supposed to come earlier then lost his phone, was hard to contact…. and various other excuses that shouldn’t be our worry.

As mentioned above, using a company that has many people doing vari jobs everyone will be pointing fingers away from themselves

As we are now finding having discovered that the bathroom mirror is also scratched. “Was fine when I left, not my fault”

Did the OP mean he was mixing the plaster in a bucket within the confines of the bath or literally mixing it in the actual bath ?

You could be forgiven for thinking that given the mess, but no, mixing in a bucket in the bath, steps in the bath, boots and tools in the bath… I don’t want to be an interfering customer and trust others to do sensible things but lesson learned

That description there, about using the bath like that, I think it’s just awful that some tradesmen think they can operate with impunity, a degree of arrogance knowing that however hamfisted they are, because there is a shortage of trades, it doesn’t matter, there will always be work. The complete lack of respect is really bad.

*see my thread regarding trying in vain to get a roofer. Not that I was bitter.

If I acted in that way in my job, showing disdain for property, not answering calls, failing to show up etc, I’d be sacked.

Rant over, but getting a decent tradesman is just getting so hard now, and as noted above, when you do, you have to wait for them. Leaves the market wide open for shysters.