The Dropped Lid

I dropped a shampoo bottle on the edge of the tub and watched a chip the size of a pea fall out. The white chip sat on the bathroom floor and I sat on the edge wondering if I had to replace the whole tub. I did not. A porcelain repair kit fixed it in an afternoon.

Why You Should Fix It Soon

A chip is not just ugly. It is a doorway for water. Once moisture gets under the porcelain, it can lift the coating, rust the metal underneath, and turn a pea sized chip into a dollar sized repair. Fixing it while it is small takes an hour.

The Repair Kit Route

Porcelain repair kits cost about fifteen dollars and come with epoxy filler, a hardener, and paint that matches most white fixtures. The steps are simple:

1. Clean the chip area with rubbing alcohol and let it dry completely
2. Mix the filler and hardener exactly per the package instructions
3. Fill the chip slightly above the surface, because it shrinks as it cures
4. Wait for it to harden, then sand it level with fine sandpaper
5. Paint over it to match the finish

Do not use the tub for 24 hours after the repair. Water on uncured filler ruins everything.

Making the Patch Invisible

The secret to a seamless patch is sanding the filler completely level before you paint. Sand it flush, then slightly below the surface, then paint over. A hair dryer speeds up drying between coats, and thin coats beat one thick coat every time.

If the chip is on a colored fixture, mix a drop of acrylic paint into the filler to match before you apply it.

My tub chip is gone. You cannot find it unless I point it out, and the repair has held for over a year. Fifteen dollars and one afternoon beat a new tub by a mile.