Scratches are really common to occur on countertops. You’re working on them all the time, so scratches inevitable if you think about it. The good news is that you can remove scratches from your quartz countertops. Follow this step-by-step guide to learn how to do it.
How To Remove Scratches From Your Quartz Countertops?
Have Everything Ready
Removing scratches from quartz countertops can be a pain in the neck. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. Yes, there can be hurdles along the way and you might not get the job done properly on the first try, but there are a lot of things that you can do to rectify the problem. One of them is having everything ready to go when it’s time to remove scratches.
A lot of the time, removing the scratches doesn’t take as much time as it does to collect everything and go back and forth between fetching items. So, before you start the work, you want to ensure you have everything ready to go.
First, wear your gloves and any other protective gear you want. Afterward, have everything ready to go, be it supplies, cleaning tools, and lots of clothes nearby for easy cleanup. Once you have everything you need within reach, the whole process will go by smoothly and there won’t be any delays or problems.
Prepare Your Countertops
The next thing you want to do is prepare the countertops. If your quartz countertops have scratches on them, then first, you need to clean the countertops. There might be dirt, dust, and food all over the surface of the countertops and you want to ensure that it is clean before you get down to business.
So, take your regular countertop cleaner and a soft microfiber cloth and wipe the surfaces down until they’re clean and ready for the next step. You will see that the scratches will be more visible, which is great because you will know exactly what to cover.
Remove Everything
Another thing you want to do before you start to deal with scratches on your quartz countertops is to remove everything from the surfaces. You’re doing repair work and you don’t want flower vases, cutlery, utensils, or anything else to come in contact with the tools, otherwise, it will be hard to get anything done. So, you want to clear the space up and remove everything from the countertop surfaces.
Once the work is done, you can set everything back and go about your normal routine. But until you’re done with this project, it’s recommended that you keep the countertops empty.
For Light Scratches
Now, there are different types of scratches that you can see on quartz countertops. Some can be on the surface and some are etched very deep. So, if the scratch is not as deep, you’re in luck because you can buff it off with a light buffing tool and a grinder.
All you need to do for this is get a buffing pad that is coarse, but not too much. Then, you will apply a polishing compound on the surface of the countertops where the scratch is. Turn the grinder up to 2800 RPM and buff the surface gently. You will see that the scratch will be filled and it will also leave a polished finish.
Finally, take a dry washcloth and wipe away any debris from the countertop and you won’t see any scratches.
For Medium Scratches
For medium-depth scratches, you can go for a resin epoxy filler or you can even try the buffing technique, but this time you want to go for a more coarse buffer as well as a heavy-duty polishing compound for polishing the quartz surface. You will also want to amp up the RPM to about 3000 and the scratch will be gone for good.
For Deep Scratches
For a very deep scratch, buffing won’t be able to cut it. This is why you need to go for a resin epoxy filler. It is a colored semi-liquid paste of sorts that is used to fill in the gaps of any scratch and then once it dries, it is buffed flat.
This is an amazing way to get rid of any deep and ugly scratches on your beloved quartz countertops and if you know your way around filling, then you will do a great job. Just make sure to follow the directions and you will be good to go.
Work Slowly
With epoxy fillers, you need to be careful. You don’t want to use too much filler, but you don’t want to use less either. After the drying of the filler, once it’s in the scratch, the next important thing to do is buffing.
You want to go slowly. The last thing you need is to buff away too much which can ruin everything. So, go slowly and take your time. You will get there and the results will be amazing in the end.
Give It Time
When using an epoxy filler, you want to follow the instructions. It’s instructed that you need to leave the epoxy in the crack or scratch for about 24 hours or until it’s rock solid. That is necessary and if you try to be hasty, then everything will go down the drain.
So, if you are going to fix the scratches by yourself then you need to ensure that you’re doing it correctly and not making things harder than they have to be. You need to play the waiting game because patience is a part of this process and you don’t want things to go south.
Go For A Professional
If you think that the scratch is out of hand and you can’t fix it, or if it’s your first time doing something DIY, then it’s better to hand the work over to professionals. Countertop experts know exactly what to do and how to deal with scratches of any kind, so if you want the work to be done effortlessly and properly, then maybe consider calling in a professional who knows scratches and fixing them like the back of their hand. You will get the best results in the end.
Prevent Scratches
If you want to omit all of the above-mentioned things, then the best way to do so, is to prevent scratches from forming in the first place. Remember to use a cutting board whenever you’re dealing with knives on a countertop because quartz countertops are not cutting boards.
Try to use soft materials for cleaning and scrubbing away any dried-up foods so avoid a metal or stainless steel scrub pad. Plus, kick abrasive cleaners to the curb because they can slowly corrode your quartz surface.
Lastly, if you’re dealing with hot pots, pans, and cups, don’t put them on quartz countertops directly. Make sure to use coasters or trivets because those things are godsend and will protect your countertops.
Conclusion
Quartz countertops seldom scratch since they’re very much scratch resistant, but that doesn’t mean that they don’t scratch at all. This is why knowing how to remove scratches is good. Whether you need to restore your quartz countertops or replace them, get help from quartz countertop contractors Rockville for excellent workmanship and peace of mind.