Counter Tops

[757CAP]

Has anyone found a good way to bring back the shine to kitchen counter tops?

[mikedes]

If it is a solid surface one you can just buff it out as this is what was done on the installation. The installer would start with a random orbit sander and a 180 grit paper. You than move up to 220-320-500 and finally 1000. You don't want to go much higher as it will start to show scratches when something slides on it ( think dishes )
If you want to go further you can get a shine like a mirror but shows marks badly
Mike D

[RJay]

It's interesting that you bring this up because I was thinking about this the other day as I was finishing the desktop I added to my dinette. As I was putting the cover on the can of urethane that was on the corian counter a drop landed on the counter top. I grabbed a cotton towel, wrapped it around my finger and scoped it up. I moved my finger to a clean part of the towel to get the remainder but instead of wiping it I swirled it around in a circular motion moving outward until it was gone. When I looked in the reflection of light on the counter to see if I got it all I could see how shinny the counter top was in that area. The small scratches were gone and only faint remnants of the more deeper scratches.


My thought was as I was spreading the urethane around it filled in the scratches but using a cotton towel the threads wiped the urethane form the larger scratches. I was thinking by using a microfiber cloth I might get better results. There was no drying time involved because as I swirled it around the layer got thinner until it was dry as it was being swirled.


After thinking about it more what damage can it do? If I was to fix the scratches according to the manufacturer I would have to use a progressively smaller grit of sandpaper until the scratches are small enough to apply a polish or jeweler’s rouge...a lot of work and messy! If put on thin enough or with a second application the urethane would act as a filler only and restore the counter top to almost new, and there is no mess.


I haven't done anything more other than think about it because it's not a front burner project for me as yet but I think when the time comes I will probably go this way. I used a satin Min-wax urethane, not sure what difference a urethane vs polyurethane or a gloss vs satin would make.

[Lorna]

Silicone on plastic laminate. We used to build custom laminate countertops as part of our custom cabinet sales/installation business. After the countertop was installed, it was cleaned well, then a food grade spray silicone was applied to the countertops and buffed up with a soft cloth. It protected the countertops from scratches and stains from the other construction workers. We sold cans of KEL silicone thru our company. You can also buy food grade silicone like CRC brand (sold in the electrical section) at several hardware/home improvement stores. I periodically wax my laminate countertops with automotive silicone wax/glaze.

Solid surface materials... you need to know what material your countertop is made of (what brand) as not all solid surface materials are created the same. The only material I am very familiar with is Corian. We were authorized dealers, attended educational seminars at a premier Corian Fabrication Facility in SC and David learned how to work and install Corian from the same facility. We had over 15 years experience with Corian. I occasionally use a silicone car wax/glaze (wipe on/ buff off) on our Corian on the food cart (exposed outside 24/7). Our counters get used hard and suffer alot of abuse. They are due for a good mechanical buffing. Below is a link to how to care for your Corian. If you have Corian, please read it and download the PDF manual as well. The minor scratches are typically perceived as "patina". Difficult to impress upon customers that Corian, or any other synthetic countertop material, is not impervious to scratches, etc and they will accumulate them. The material will not stay looking like "new" without being buffed unless you never use it (and I have installed high end "gourmet" kitchens that were never used).

Caring for DuPont? Corian®

As for what damage putting urethane all over your solid surface material... perhaps you had better ask the manufacturer.

[RJay]

Thanks Lorna I appreciate your expertise. Does the KEL Silicone dry to a hard finish?

[Lorna]

Yes. Should last a while. Use care putting a "sweaty" glass on the counter after using. It will "walk" if on a slight angle.

[Old Rv'er]

We purchased a three step bottle of stuff at Home Depot for hard surface countertops. One cleans, one seals, one shines them up. We use it in the kitchen mostly, since the dealer used this coach in rallys and that counter top is scratched the worst. It makes them very slick for a few days. It is not a permanent fix, as she needs to redo them about every other month.