How to polish an artificial stone countertop with your own hands?

Artificial stone is used for the manufacture of various interior items. Most often, he is preferred when choosing a kitchen worktop. But even such a material, durable and resistant to various influences, can be scratched and lose its attractiveness. In order for her to return to its original appearance, you must know how to polish an artificial stone countertop with your own hands. How to polish an acrylic or stone stand? What is a tool to remove scratches? Detailed instructions on this topic can be found in this article.

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How to polish a tabletop made of synthetic stone?

To polish an artificial stone countertop, first of all, you must determine the state of its surface for scuffing or scratching. And after that, depending on the “diagnosis”, you can prescribe a “treatment”.

A suitable tool for such work is the electric grinder as well as the polisher. In order to grind the surface, you can use two types of grinders - eccentric and rotary.

Important! The polishing machine is in its design the same angle grinder, but with the presence of a button for adjusting the rotor speed, with a range from 0-3000 revolutions per minute.

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How to polish?

Do-it-yourself polishing of an artificial stone countertop takes place in two stages.

Stage One - Grinding

A consumable is a set of interchangeable abrasive wheels, which are made of sandpaper of various grain sizes. Based on the fact that the grinding of artificial stone takes place in several stages - from eight to sixteen, the graininess of all abrasive wheels changes step by step in the direction of decreasing grains of abrasive material.

Important! As a rule, preliminary grinding of the surface begins with P120 grit. And then - in increasing order: P150, P180, P240, P320, P500, P1000, P1500.

The greatest effect is achieved during wet grinding:

• During operation, you should add a small amount of water under the sole of the grinder.
• To achieve this goal, a special spray nozzle is best suited, which, as a rule, is used to water flowers or iron clothes.

Important! The directed jet of air-water emulsion eliminates the heating of the treated surface and cleans all abrasive dust.

Gradual grinding of the surface of the countertop with the change of abrasive wheels is necessary in order to prepare for the next step, namely polishing. Each subsequent grit softens the surface, replacing large scratches with much smaller ones.

Important! Ultimately, you should get a smooth, matte-glossy surface on which there are microscopic scratches that you can easily remove later during polishing.

The second stage is polishing.

The next step is polishing a pre-prepared surface. To achieve this goal:

• Use a polishing machine and a nozzle in the form of a foam rubber disk, the diameter of which is 125-250 mm and a thickness of 30-40 mm.
• On a disc moistened with water, apply a special paste, which is intended for polishing artificial stone.
• To start the operation, not including the machine, gently press the disk to the surface to be treated, make a small number of reciprocating movements along the surface itself, thereby evenly applying paste to the surface of the disk.
• Begin polishing at low speeds, gradually increasing the speed of rotation and varying the force of pressing the disk to the surface of the stone. Water, which is located in the foam rubber disk, will be partially removed from it under the action of centrifugal forces. The rest, along with the paste, will be distributed throughout the surface to be treated.

Important! Do not miss the very moment when the disk ceases to glide smoothly over the stone. Then you will have to stop the operation, moisten the disk again with water, and do not forget to apply another portion of the paste.

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When polishing with a soft, dry sponge, sometimes wipe the surface to be treated and inspect it at an angle to the light, determining its level of readiness. In the event that the preliminary grinding was carried out correctly, polishing the countertop made of artificial stone with your own hands will not be a big deal.