Step By Step Process, Tips & Warnings Of Refinishing Stainless Steel Sink
Sharp utensils as well as the regular use can easily cause scratches, stains on the stainless steel kitchen sinks. Each of the stainless steel sinks has its hairline grain that is typically like a brushed grain finish, this grain brings the attention to scratches that run in an opposing direction of the grains. Refinishing the sinks means re-graining the surface to create a new as well as a uniform pattern. The best step by step process to refinish the stainless steel sink is shown below & items needed to perform this process:
Items Needed
- Household Glass Cleaner With Ammonia
- Microfiber Cloths & Nylon Cleaning Pad
- Distilled White Vinegar & Sanding Block
- 240-Grit Sandpaper & Coarse-Grit Abrasive Pad
- Fine-Grit Abrasive Pad, Stainless Steel Cleaner & Baby Oil
Steps
- The first step is to determine the direction of the grain of the stainless steel sink, it is advisable to always follow the direction of the grain while cleaning as well as sanding the sink.
- Before refinishing clean the sink thoroughly. For that take a microfiber cloth and spray it with an ammonia-based household glass cleaner and then start scrubbing the sink free of all the fingerprints as well as from the grease. Now dampen a nylon sponge using the distilled white vinegar and then scrub away all the stains as well as the lime deposits. Cleaning a stainless steel sink using the steel wool may work well if it is layered with the grease as well as grime.
- Secure the 240-grit sandpaper with the sanding block. After that sand the surface of the stainless sink in the long, and even strokes, but sand the sink's grain only in one direction. Overlap all the edges of the strokes by 1 to 2 inches.
- The sanding will create sanding dust that needs to be rinsed. Leave it to dry and then sand the surface once again. This time, place a coarse-grit abrasive pad with the sanding block. Rinse the sink well, then leave it to dry and then again do one more pass with the help of a fine-grit abrasive pad. Clean the stainless sink once again using the nylon pad and distilled white vinegar.
- Buff the sink with the help of a stainless steel cleaner as well as with the microfiber cloth. Follow the manufacturer's directions because there are different methods used for cleaner and it is important to clean in the direction of the grain.
- Finally apply a few drops of the baby oil to the sink as this will help to give a final shine. Wipe down the sink dry using a clean microfiber cloth.
Tips & Warnings
- Don't leave the household cleaners such as the bleach rest in the sink, as this can stain the finish.
- Do not sand the sink with the metal abrasives such as steel wool, only use if there is a lot of grime.
- If in case, the 240-grit sandpaper seems to have minimum effect on removing all the scratches but do not do the trick well then use the higher-grit sandpaper.
- It is advisable to use a custom sink grid to protect the refinished sink from any of the future scratches.