Refinishing Corian

[KJRitchie]

I've noticed one of the Corian panels on the stove top cover has a dull area compared to the other part of the cover and kitchen. It's almost like an abrasion to the surface. Is there a way to polish Corian or should I get a professional to do the work?

Thanks

Kelvin

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by KJRitchie

I've noticed one of the Corian panels on the stove top cover has a dull area compared to the other part of the cover and kitchen. It's almost like an abrasion to the surface. Is there a way to polish Corian or should I get a professional to do the work?

Get a professional. Polishing Corian deeply enough to remove scratches puts dust in the air— dust that is composed of acrylic polymer and alumina trihydrate, the main ingredients of Corian— so you need to wear a respirator and goggles and use a polisher with an attached HEPA vacuum to collect the dust.

On Edit— The polish recommended by ALANSD won't necessarily remove scratches that are already there, but will help preserve a good finish.

[ALANSD]

Hope's Corian Counter top polish is well recommended. I have these in my home. The manufacturer says to use Windex spray to clean the counters too.

[ALANSD]

http://www.amazon.com/Hopes-8ct12-Co.../dp/B0007NP5EG

[Lily&Me]

What Protag said...I think.

I have Corian at home, and had it professionally polished at about 15 years. This guy used a machine, wore a mask, and generated a tremendous amount of dust, which he then vacuumed up. It was expensive, but so was the countertop.

If you are using a liquid and hand-buffing, I doubt it would generate enough dust to harm you, but read the directions carefully and perhaps wear a mask

Maggie

[lewster]

I polish quite a bit of Corian and other solid surface counters. To do it properly required quite a bit of time and the right equipment.

Wet sand only and use 3M Trizact finishing discs. Very slow process when done correctly. If you are after a high gloss finish, be prepared for many hours with the white finishing disc and final polish.


Lew Farber
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[aquinob]

Well, I guess I'll be the odd man out. I've sanded it with aluminum oxide paper on a standard orbital sander. I do try and use dust collection on the sanders. You want to go easy on the grits, probably start out at 220 and move up. Wet sanding toward the end is fine, go as high as you can on grade, it will make it all that much shiner. I've also turned pens and other objects on a lathe with it using standard sandpaper. Going up to 1000 grit will give you a mostly glass like finish. On a counter top, I like a more subdued finish so going up to around 500 or so works for me. Its an easy material to work with, cuts easily like wood.