Bath overflow chrome paint flaking off

[critical]

Hi,

At the end of last week, I noticed that the paint was flaking off the bath overflow (see picture below). We've only had the bathroom done a month, so we're gutted.

Due to the design of the bath, it is fitted against the bathroom wall with little clearance between the side and the wall, to the extent that it will not be possible to remove and replace the defective item - removing it might be feasible, but it is not accessible enough at the back to screw in a new one securely. Removing the bath would entail destruction of a fair amount of tiling, associated labour costs, and great inconvenience to us.

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts as to how we might sort it out, please? Obviously I've contacted the supplier to ask them, but they've been quite evasive. The first thing that sprang to mind was some form of chrome spray, but don't know how effective that would be. It's so annoying that probably the cheapest part of the fittings has been done so shoddily.

Picture of dodgy overflow here:

Thanks for any advice you might have...

 

[Nige F]

Chrome on plastic, presumably ...gotta be sale of goods etc. Leagal Eagle time

 

[critical]

Chrome on plastic, presumably ...gotta be sale of goods etc. Leagal Eagle time

Yes, absolutely, but I really don't want to have to have the bath (and tiling) ripped out to replace this one component. I was just wondering if there was a likely-to-be-successful way of re-spraying it, or whether it's a waste of time.

 

[kirkgas]

Blue Peter time
get a wire coat hanger, cut it into 2 bits approx 150mm long, bend the end of each 25mm, hold in one hand and insert into overflow and pull towards you, unscrew overflow and wires and carefully remove, remember to keep tension on overflow to keep it in place , slip the old one off and the new one on, tighten up and job done

 

[Burnerman]

Spray painting will be a waste of time, but you could maybe save the day by getting hold of a waste which is tightened up by a screw or centre pin... check out Toolstation 59080 - its an excellent McAlpine product which just may have a centre pin overflow, as well as the main waste.
John

 

[kirkgas]

Spray painting will be a waste of time, but you could maybe save the day by getting hold of a waste which is tightened up by a screw or centre pin... check out Toolstation 59080 - its an excellent McAlpine product which just may have a centre pin overflow, as well as the main waste.
John

this would only work if the existing one had a centre pin (use my method to secure) if not you cant get the new one behind the bath

 

[electronicsuk]

You could consider access from the other side of the wall, if it happens to be stud and plasterboard.

 

[critical]

Thanks for your input, guys. The other side of the wall is the great outdoors, so that won't be possible. The existing one doesn't have a centre pin, so I think that's out.

I'm down to one option, really, which is to obtain a larger overflow chrome thing and silicon seal it over the top of the existing one. I'm not vastly keen on this russian doll-like arrangement, but can't really see removing the existing unit working too well. I guess that since the thing's just cheap crap plastic, it won't be difficult to cut down more flush with the bath either.

Grrr...

 

[Burnerman]

With the bath panel off, is it possible to cut / chop / scrape some of the wall away behind the overflow, just enough to get a hand in?
With the central screw types, so long as you can actually hold the back of the overflow in place its often possible to get away with it.
Seems a hell of a shame this, after a complete bathroom refurb!
John

 

[critical]

With the bath panel off, is it possible to cut / chop / scrape some of the wall away behind the overflow, just enough to get a hand in?
With the central screw types, so long as you can actually hold the back of the overflow in place its often possible to get away with it.
Seems a hell of a shame this, after a complete bathroom refurb!
John

Hi John,

The trouble is that the bath's 175cm long, and the overflow's in the middle. That, and the fact that if my girlfriend saw me removing part of an external wall, having a flaked bit of chrome paint on an overflow would be quite low down on the list of things that needed fixing.

 

[Burnerman]

Aye sorry mate I hoped the outlet would be at one of the ends.
Bad news, that one...unless you can fake it like you say, its bath out again, I think
John

 

[critical]

Thanks to everyone again for their comments and suggestions. As someone who knows nothing at all about DIY, and just popped in on the offchance of help, I really appreciate people making the effort. Maybe one day I can acquire wisdom and offer it to others