Toilets, Sinks, Showers, Tubs and Disposals - Hole in Tub

Hello,
I was cleaning my tub this evening with a plastric bristle brush and when i went over one of the inside spots on the but a chunk of the but flaked away. It looks like there was probably an air bubble or something during the manufacturing. I don't think it is a hole all the way through, but how do i fix this? Is there some sort of colored epoxy or something one can put in this to seal it up?
the but is only a year old as is our house. I am not sure if the but is acrylic or fiberglass. Any suggestions? the spot is almost the size of a marble.
Thanks.

Do you really want to live with a flaw like that in a new home? There may be ways of fixing it, but they will be very noticable. They make tub repair kits that are available at most Home Centers, Hardware stores and Plumbing supply houses.

Its a manufacturing flaw of some sort. Get the builder back under warranty or contact the manufacturer and get a replacement installed.

I am in complete agreement with you, but have some reservations about tearing the whole thing out. There is tile in there that butts up against the shower, etc. Would they even consider replacing it?

I did speak with the installer who said there is a 1 year warranty with the unit. This is my luck, i am at 14 months...uhhhh. I don't know yet what is going to happen but they said within the year period they would just come out and patch it they said beings it is installed. They couldn't tell me how it would look or anything though.

Pretty frustrating. If they do come out and simply patch it, is the patch highly noticable or what is this thing going to look like? How good is this patch going to hold?

Thanks for the response.

If it is a fiberglass tub I think that you wouldn't be able to detect a repair done by an expert tech. This happens more than you'd think. Most "bubbles" are near the drain.

I have been trying to get a hold of the people who installed the tub. To see about the warranty and them fixing it.

I went to Lowes where the only thing they had was a porcelin epoxy with a paint included. THey thought it might work to repair the chip. What are your thoughts? The chip is in a spot that would have much notice as most of the time it has a bottle of shampoo in front of it.

Thanks for the help.

No...the paint in the bottle won't do it. Thans more for surface chips on steel/cast iron tub, sinks, and toilets.

What I was talking about was an actual fiberglass repair kit. Might be better to get an expert in to look at it after exploring the warranty issues with the manufacturer. If the maker warrants the tub and authorizes replacement, they might cover the small amount of tile replacement as well. They probably would have a repair done that you could live with.

btw, be careful, you could still have water leaking through.

If a warrantee replacement is a no-go then your option is repair or replace. Replace doesn't make sense so repair is the way to go.

If the tub is fiberglass you can do the repair yourself and it will be nearly invisible. If your tub is other than white color match might be a problem. You need to visit a good marine hardware store and buy a gelcoat repair kit. Basically you mix and smear the gelcoat into the defect, smooth it with a plastic spatula like tool and then use a little elbow grease to sand and polish. How well you do the last step will determine how visible your repair is going to be.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Warranty is a no go. Company went out of business. CRANE.
Man what a bummer. I will check on the gelcoat and see if i can do it myself. Thanks again for the help