Coach Steve
11-22-2013, 07:51 AM
Used my DA for a home improvement project yesterday and wanted to share my story in case anyone else has the same situation I did as the results were incredible.
The countertops in both of my bathrooms are the faux marble type. It looks like marble but it's actually resins and various other things mixed in. It's called "cast polymers" these days.
With Thanksgiving being held at my house this year for the entire extended family, (Yay me!...) naturally, my wife really wants the house to look its best. A few days ago, my wife and I went through the house making a "to do" list which usually becomes more of a "Honey-do" list with me assuming the role of "Honey". When we got to the bathroom, we talked about how ugly and dull the countertops were but knew there wasn't anything that could be done about it aside from replacing them as we had tried in vain many times to shine them up so we moved on.
The house was built in '87 and over the years, the countertops have become dull and scratched and were impossible to shine-up, no matter what I tried. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if my DA would do any good on this type of material. I was kinda nervous about it due to the fact that there was no inconspicuous spot to do any testing beforehand.
I used Megs UC and an orange cutting pad and set the DA on 3. I approached it just like I would a car and did a 2x2 section. Since I was nervous, I didn't apply any pressure just in case this process was too aggressive for the material. Did a few passes and checked the results. Nothing. Seriously? Man, I thought this material was supposed to be really soft and is why you're not supposed to use Comet or anything abrasive on them. Reapplied UC to my pad, cranked the DA up to 6, took a deep breath and went for it. After 4 passes, I decided to see just how badly I had probably damaged the countertop. I wiped what little product was left behind and what I saw was absolutely amazing! I even said, out loud, "Holy Sh**!" My wife, of course, assuming I had majorly screwed something up, asks ever so condescendingly, "What'd you do?!" My silence must have peaked her curiosity because she was at the bathroom doorway in seconds! We both stood there shocked at the transformation. I finished compounding the countertop and followed up with a long and slow polish. When I got done, they looked better than they ever had - even when they were new. They now have a mirror-like finish, and are super smooth. Even better is the water beds up so nicely and wipes off like a dream!
I just wish I would have remembered to take a few pics before I started. DOH!
The countertops in both of my bathrooms are the faux marble type. It looks like marble but it's actually resins and various other things mixed in. It's called "cast polymers" these days.
With Thanksgiving being held at my house this year for the entire extended family, (Yay me!...) naturally, my wife really wants the house to look its best. A few days ago, my wife and I went through the house making a "to do" list which usually becomes more of a "Honey-do" list with me assuming the role of "Honey". When we got to the bathroom, we talked about how ugly and dull the countertops were but knew there wasn't anything that could be done about it aside from replacing them as we had tried in vain many times to shine them up so we moved on.
The house was built in '87 and over the years, the countertops have become dull and scratched and were impossible to shine-up, no matter what I tried. The more I thought about it, the more I wondered if my DA would do any good on this type of material. I was kinda nervous about it due to the fact that there was no inconspicuous spot to do any testing beforehand.
I used Megs UC and an orange cutting pad and set the DA on 3. I approached it just like I would a car and did a 2x2 section. Since I was nervous, I didn't apply any pressure just in case this process was too aggressive for the material. Did a few passes and checked the results. Nothing. Seriously? Man, I thought this material was supposed to be really soft and is why you're not supposed to use Comet or anything abrasive on them. Reapplied UC to my pad, cranked the DA up to 6, took a deep breath and went for it. After 4 passes, I decided to see just how badly I had probably damaged the countertop. I wiped what little product was left behind and what I saw was absolutely amazing! I even said, out loud, "Holy Sh**!" My wife, of course, assuming I had majorly screwed something up, asks ever so condescendingly, "What'd you do?!" My silence must have peaked her curiosity because she was at the bathroom doorway in seconds! We both stood there shocked at the transformation. I finished compounding the countertop and followed up with a long and slow polish. When I got done, they looked better than they ever had - even when they were new. They now have a mirror-like finish, and are super smooth. Even better is the water beds up so nicely and wipes off like a dream!
I just wish I would have remembered to take a few pics before I started. DOH!