A builder I do a lot of work for has 5 condos he’s trying to close on this coming week. Scratches in the kitchen countertops are on all the punch lists.
Countertops folks told him to rub with purple scotch brite, then 120 and 180 grit sandpaper. He did a couple of spots, and it looks like azz. Big scratches are gone, but now’s there’s a bazillion tiny ones.
I told him I’d try to tap into the collective Breaktime consciousness for a solid surface mind meld<G> Any tips out there? Thanks.
Don’t worry, we can fix that later!
Replies
Hi Bucksnort B...how ya been?
I just tried Google:
http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&q=%22solid+surface+countertop%22+scratches&meta=
Might be something there.
Only solid surfaces we have here are large flat rocks......
Invent fire soon
Dude, I'll send you a couple of wheels, too, you won't believe how far you can go<G>
Peace, bro Don't worry, we can fix that later!
Right idea, you just have keep going.
On up throuh 600 for a satin finish. Then use white scotch brite.
If you want polished you need to go finer. Kingspore has some micro finish sheets.
Thanks Bill. Satin is about right for these. Will the entire counter have to buffed out, or just the afflicted areas? Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I would do the whole thing. Once you start getting a matt finish, probably about 200-300 grit then start doing the whole thing.
if you are having problems finding fine paper check auto paint supplier, i have wet dry stuff from them that goes up to 2800g, boy that would put a shine on those counertops... until someone looks crosseyed at them
james
Kepp on polishing. Solid surface installers use RO sanders to level the seams in their counters when they assemble pieces into peninsulas and C shapes. I don't know what the final grit is, or what the polishing material is, but I would try to talk to the shop that provided the material and maybe get the manufacturers instructions. Last time I chekced (long time ago) the manufacturers did not provide much info to the general public--you had to be a certified fabricator and/or installer to buy the material. However you may be able to get some info from their tech support people if you call and explain the situation. 180 grit is not nearly fine enough. I'm also pretty sure you can mix dust and the solid surface adhesive to make a filler for deeper scratches.
Thanks David, I've 'em seen do seams. If I could do this with a random orbit sander, I'd sure be happy. I hate sanding.
There are some deep scratches, too. These tops aren't mono coloured, either. Builder might have to bite the bullet and bring in the pros for those<G> Don't worry, we can fix that later!
The entire counter top must be "buffed". This blends the sanded areas with the other areas. We get to 220 paper on a RO sander and then attack it with scotchbrite pads.
F
It's easy.
Speedblock with wet/dry paper. Wet sand it. Water.
320, then 400, then 600.
Do the whole counter with the 400 and 600 to get a nice blend.
as a final buff out I use 4 ought steelwool witha sander, just set the sander on the pad and have at it..flip and open up the pad often.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
vacume the dust as you go. A ROS with a vac. capability will be a great help.
Thanks for the job security, guys<G>
These counters all have some sort of splash. & then there's the drop in ranges...we're going to have some fun LOL Don't worry, we can fix that later!
I knew y'all were right.I did'nt actually see this, but as my spy tells it, countertop guys ended up coming back. Had a giant orbital sander. Did all of the counter (apparently a lot of the tight stuff by hand, and ended up with something called Boar's Hair ( do you think they shaved Boss Hog?) They said scotch brite would have f00ked it all up.
I saw it later, and it was right.
Thanks for all the replys, you guys are great! Don't worry, we can fix that later!