Polishing Stainless Steel

[RicodJour]

Scotchbrite pads. They make different pads with different aggressiveness - I would have said "grit" but I don't know if that's the correct term for a pad. In any event, pick up an assortment and start with the most aggressive pad first and work your way down like you would if you were sanding wood. As long as the scratches (why do they stick an "e" before the last s when it's plural? makes no sense) aren't deep, the pads will work fine and give you a new looking sink.

Home Depot will probably have a selection in their sandpaper aisle.

The maroon pads are probably a good one to start with, then green, then white (could probably omit this step). A lot of elbow grease,but it's just one sink so I don't think I'd break out the power tools and flap wheels.

R

[Alan Combellack]

I am renovating our kitchen but don't want to spend more than I must. The kitchen sink is stainless and is in good condition except for lots of little scratches. I would appreciate advice on how best to polish it. TIA Alan C

[Duane Bozarth]

It better be a bunch finer grit than 400 or it'll be a matte finish...

[m Ransley]

Remove scratches first with sandpaper the finer the better if they come out with say 600g if not go down to 400 or 320, to polish go up in grit to 600 or 800g then use a polish like auto 3M polish with a buffer or drill on low with a pad. Even 4-600 grit and auto rubbing compound may be fine enough for you and look great. The shineyer you want it the more steps and work it will be. Just 4-600 g paper will clean it up to satin finish

[William W. Plummer]

You might try some pumice stone or even finer, rottenstone & oil. Get them in a furniture refinishing store. Rouge is probably too fine.

[Frank J Warner]

Having polished more than my share of stainless steel, be advised that it won't be easy to do an entire kitchen sink. Most folks here are right about using fine sandpaper. Depending on how deep the scratches are and how shiny you want it, it's going to take a heap of paper and a heap more elbow grease to get anything like a bright, scratch-free finish.

If you aren't interested in a totally scratch-free surface, you can get a fairly fine polish using a cloth buffing wheel chucked in a cordless drill and some stainless buffing compound. All these are available at any big box hardware store. Make sure the buffing compound is labeled for stainless steel.

I typically spend 8 hours or more polishing a single knife blade. Can't imagine doing an entire sink.

-Frank

[RicodJour]

cordless

I don't think he's looking for a mirror finish. He just wants to get rid of the scratches, or at least even out the finish.

R

[longshot]

very fine sandpaper on an orbital sander.. like 400 grit

[longshot]

It will shine if you use a polish over it. otherwise you need to get up in the 1000-1200 grit range I have put mirror finishes on stainless many times & it is possible to make it look like chrome but it takes a lot of elbow grease.

[RicodJour]

Dan? Dan Quayle?! Is that you? ;)

R

[PhotoMan]

You omitted the 'e' in the plural form of 'pad'. :-)

[PhotoMan]

LOL

[BobK207]

Depending on how scratched it is, I might do nothing. SS is softer than more of the stuff that goes into a sink. If the scratch pattern is random, varied & wide spread it will hide future scratches.

My mom's house has the same SS sink for 40 years. It is somewhat scartched but hardy more noticeable than when first new.

The appeal of SS; minimal, it any, staining more felxible, fewer china / crystal breaks

I assume you only want to polish the bottom of the sink. If you must you, can probably use the method I used to save a SS pot. I left it on the stove for 2 hours on high (by mistake) with two ham hocks.

I used liquid Comet (Softscrub would work). I rigged up a polishing tool using a 4.5 or 6" sanding disc backer (hard rubber with a threaded fittting in the back)

I put a threaded rod into the backer & into my electric drill. I faced the disck with some drywall sanding screen (fine), a couple layers.

I squirted the Comet into the pot & went at it. Took about an hour but those ham hocks were cremated onto the surface.

Are you sure this this necessary?

Try to avoid using a cleanser with chlorine beach, SS is sensitve to chorline especially in a process like this. Do not leave the cleanser on the sink when your not polishing, rinse well

cheers Bob

[-linux_lad]

I have some rentals that are only profitable if I can keep expenses down. Whenever tenants move out I polish the sink with a slurry of fine rubbing compound (automotive) applied with a padded applicator velcroed to a wheel and attached to a drill. I then flush the sink, make sure it's completely free of any grit, and polish it with Bon Ami the same way I did with the rubbing compound. The result is spectacular, and it's cheap and relatively easy to achieve. I'm about to remodel my kitchen, so I'll do the same thing for my own sink and post the pics (two weeks from Friday).

--

-linux_lad To verify that this post isn't forged, click here:

[Alan Combellack]

BobK207 I used liquid Comet (Softscrub would work). I rigged up a polishing tool using a 4.5 or 6" sanding disc backer (hard rubber with a threaded fittting in the back)

I put a threaded rod into the backer & into my electric drill. I faced the disck with some drywall sanding screen (fine), a couple layers.

I squirted the Comet into the pot & went at it. Took about an hour but those ham hocks were cremated onto the surface.

Are you sure this this necessary?

Try to avoid using a cleanser with chlorine beach, SS is sensitve to chorline especially in a process like this. Do not leave the cleanser on the sink when your not polishing, rinse well

cheers Bob