How to Polish Resin

If your jewelry or resin countertops look a bit faded or scratched, it’s time to polish. Resin polishing is the best way to return the surface to its original shiny state. Fortunately, the process of polishing resin is quite simple, you just need to clean, sand and apply polishing compound to the surface.

Table of Contents

Cleaning and sanding the resin

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Use soap and warm water to clean the resin surface if necessary. Dip the sponge in a warm soapy solution and wipe the resin to clean. You need to remove dirt, adhesive or mold from the resin surface before sanding. ^{[1] X Research Source}

For a small piece of resin that is not too dirty, you just need to dip it in a soapy solution to clean it.

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Wet sand the resin surface with 400 grit sandpaper to treat scratches. Spray a little water on the surface or dip a piece of resin in the water before sanding it with sandpaper. Sand the entire resin surface 2-3 times before moving on to the next step. ^{[2] X Research Source}

The wet sanding technique will make the resin surface smoother than dry sanding, while minimizing the amount of dust generated in the process.
Wear a mask or respirator when sanding to avoid inhaling the tiny plastic dust in the air.
You need to use water or wet and dry sandpaper instead of regular sandpaper. Water-based sandpaper is designed for use on wet surfaces, while normal or dry sandpaper is not as effective when exposed to water.

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Repeat the process with even finer sandpaper. After wet sanding the resin with 400 grit sandpaper, proceed again with 600 grit, 800 grit, 1000 grit and finally 1500 grit. This process ensures that scratches that cannot be treated by coarser sandpaper are smoothed and a beautiful surface finish is obtained. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Check that all surfaces and junctions are sanded before moving on to a finer sandpaper.
If you want an even smoother finish, you can also go up to 2000 grit sandpaper. However, in most cases, it is not necessary to proceed to this step because the resin surface is already smooth enough for polishing.

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Use a towel to dry the resin surface to remove plastic debris or dust. Check to be sure that what remains from the sanding process has been thoroughly cleaned before starting to use the polishing compound. This is also the final check to see if the resin surface has scratches that need further sanding. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

You can also check with the naked eye to see if there are any scratches left. If it is, go back and continue sanding until all is set.
Wetting the resin with water will make it easier to spot missed scratches.

Apply polishing compound

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Apply polishing compound all over the resin surface. Apply polishing compound to resin and spread evenly over surface. For best results, use a polishing compound for minor scratches. ^{[5] X Research Sources}

Products such as Turtle Wax Ppishing Compound are effective in treating scratches on resin. Products are available at most home care stores or online.
You can also use an automotive polishing compound.

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Polish the surface of the resin piece with a microfiber cloth. Apply force and wipe in a circular motion to polish small resin surfaces. Pay special attention to visible scratches and be more aggressive in these areas. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Use a disc or polishing tool for large surfaces. Insert the polishing tool or disc into the drill or polisher, turn the machine on for the disc to rotate, and then move it across the resin surface. Always keep the disc rotating in a circular motion at about 1200 rpm (rpm). ^{[7] X Research Sources}

You can buy polishing tools or discs at most home care or auto parts stores.

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Continue polishing until the resin is smooth and bright. Continue polishing the surface with a microfiber towel until the resin is as shiny and smooth as you want it to be. The resin surface will get smoother as you polish, so you can stop when you’re done! ^{[8] X Research Sources}

If after polishing the resin surface still has fine dust or compounds, use a clean microfiber cloth to wipe it.

Things you need

Soap
Water
Sandpaper
Towel
Polishing compound
Microfiber towels

Steps

Cleaning and sanding the resin

Apply polishing compound

Things you need

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