A chipped shower tray is one of those repairs that’s easy to put off but difficult to ignore once you’ve noticed it. Whether your tray is acrylic, stone resin, or ceramic, professional chip repair is almost certainly more cost-effective than replacement — and in most cases delivers excellent results. Here’s everything you need to know about shower tray chip repair.
Acrylic Shower Tray Chip Repair
Acrylic shower trays are the most common type in UK bathrooms, and the most frequently chipped. Being a relatively soft thermoplastic, acrylic is vulnerable to impact from dropped items — shower accessories, shampoo bottles, or a heavy showerhead falling from its holder. Chips in acrylic trays are typically clean-edged and repair very well using flexible, waterproof acrylic repair compounds. The tray must be kept dry for 24 hours after repair for the compound to cure fully.
Stone Resin Shower Tray Chip Repair
Stone resin trays (also called mineral cast or acrystone) are denser and heavier than acrylic, with a solid colour running all the way through the material. Chips in stone resin trays are typically smaller and more precise than acrylic chips, but the repair process is different — requiring stone-compatible compounds rather than flexible acrylic fillers. Results on stone resin are typically very good, particularly on white and light grey trays which are the most common colours.
Ceramic Shower Tray Chip Repair
Ceramic shower trays are less common than they once were, but many older bathroom installations feature a large ceramic tray — particularly in houses from the 1990s and 2000s. Ceramic chip repair uses the same approach as tile chip repair — ceramic-compatible filler, colour-matched to the tray’s glaze, finished to restore the surface. Ceramic repairs are typically very hard-wearing as the material doesn’t flex under use.
When Is Tray Replacement Preferable?
Where a shower tray has suffered extensive cracking — particularly structural cracking that extends across the base — or where the tray has significant ongoing moisture ingress, replacement may be the more appropriate solution. Our technicians assess honestly and will advise clearly if repair is not the better option for your specific tray.
