Counter Top Scratch Repair?

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Kevin,

I (and likely others) would like more advice from your plastics industry expertise. I like the idea of going at this with a power buffer and the right sanding/buffing compounds. I am concerned that working by hand at specific scratches will create an uneven surface. From what Paul says, we have lots of depth to work with. Please advise further .

Thanks
Rob

[kevinpo]

Hi Rob,
The surface is quite hard. I would guess that the scratches in the picture that Paul posted are only in the range of .002" -.006". That depth is going to be undetectable from center to edge. Scratches of .020" and up are going to take a lot of work and even these will not be that noticeable. If you were to take a 24" straight edge you would be able to see some light at .020 but not when looking down at the counter or if you were to set a pot on it. You would have to use 60-100 grit to really cause an uneven surface without hours of work.

Cheers,
Kevin
PS: Thank you so much for all the useful info you have posted!

[Bamaman]

The really good abrasives can be purchased at any auto paint store--where auto body shops by their supplies.

I always start with the higher numbers and work my way down. Then go higher after I figure out what removes scratches.

[kevinpo]

Hello,
The proper way to sand/polish plastics (maybe everyone already knows this) is to sand at 90 degrees to the scratches first then when you change to the higher grit change 90 degrees again with each finer grit.

Regards,
Kevin

[Cate&Rob]

Kevin,

What is intuitive to you because of your expertise, is unknown to the rest of us.
Where do we get the compounds to sand/buff with ? Where do we get the tools to do this ?
We need "counter refinishing 101" . . .

Rob

[kevinpo]

Hello Rob,
Here is a link
http://www.customaquatic.com/estore/...27DB8F37D.jvm1
This kit is one I've used for 20 years or so. It has all the correct series of cloth backed sand paper to restore clear acrylic aquariums to perfectly clear. This is another source
https://www.amazon.com/Lifegard-Aqua.../dp/B00019HKBC
Novus products are also very good.

Regards,
Kevin

[Sandi]

AND to add my two cents worth in here--I think the countertops are indeed some brand or form of Corian. I had Corian in my kitchen for 14 years and hated every single day of it for this very reason!! Allen being a woodworker also cut and installed the Corian when we built our house. I thought I was in love when we first installed it. That quickly turned to hate because of the scratching. A couple of times through the years he would get the random orbital sander out and do just what "kevinpo" suggested. They looked good for about two days.. The hate would begin again. We finally jerked all of it out last year and had granite installed. I'm in love again! The moral to the story is--you can't make Corian look good for very long--that stuff just scratches.

Paul tell Deb--I'm sorry!!

[Paul & Deb]

According to my documentation from GD our counter tops are "Solid Surface LG Brand". Googling that brings you to HI-MACS which brings you to the exact link provided at the beginning of this thread.

Wow, we're getting fancy here but I suggest we wait and see how the simple fix suggested by the counter top manufacturer does. My pads arrive on Tuesday and I'll try to get it done right away.

[Navigator]

According to my documentation from GD our counter tops are "Solid Surface LG Brand". Googling that brings you to HI-MACS which brings you to the exact link provided at the beginning of this thread.

Wow, we're getting fancy here but I suggest we wait and see how the simple fix suggested by the counter top manufacturer does. My pads arrive on Tuesday and I'll try to get it done right away.

Hi Paul,

Several months have passed since you posted. Whatever happened to your experiment? Our counter in Tudee has similar scratches and I often wondered if they could be sanded away. Based on what Sandi reported it may just be wasted effort since they probably will shortly reappear. Nonetheless, curious minds what to know happened to your counter tops.

We're in Phoenix now and our 5 1/2 month trip is coming to an end today as we head for home. Wish we could go to the Northern Calif Rally but too much to do around that time. Have fun!

Kathy

[Paul & Deb]

Kathy,

Hey folks, Yeah, I ordered some Blue 3M scrub pad that the web site recommended and I was less than impressed or happy with the results. You have to be very careful and apply very equal pressure and consistent coverage or the counter will have "waves" in it. I made very light passes at first to no avail. Then I tried stepping up my pressure, going back and forth, going around in circles, etc., and still no great effect. I just went outside and took a look and there appear to be just as many scratches as there were a couple months ago when I did it.

Also, the counter will appear lighter (in color) after scrubbing so you have to do all over with just as much effort to keep it all looking the same. The wet 3M pad literally takes microscopic layers of the counter surface off so there was a lot of colored water dripping everywhere.

I had to order a whole box of the pads so if anyone wants a couple to try and see if you discover the perfect method and have better luck than I did, I will be happy to mail you a couple.

Pictures are really hard to take because you need just the right reflection but the first picture was a couple months ago BEFORE I tried to fix them and the second I just took a few minutes ago. You decide if the effort was worth it.

Before"



After: