How To Polish Acrylic

Project Overview

Acrylic is often chosen because of its glass like transparency that can be polished to a high shine - particularly for items that will be on display and for applications where edges are visible. When acrylic has been cut edges can look cloudy or opaque - with a little know how, they can be transformed to a glossy shine. Learn how to do it here.
 

Step by Step

Step1  - Have your sandpaper and acrylic ready
You will need 3 types of 'wet or dry' water-proof sandpaper. They are sold by 'grit' which measures how coarse a sandpaper is. The more grit, the finer the sandpaper.  Have sandpaper with a grit of 180, 320-360 and 600 to hand.

Step 2  - Start with coarse sandpaper
Begin by smoothing out the edges of your acrylic with 180 grit sandpaper and wet sand the edges. Rinse your sandpaper as needed to stop it clogging up. As the edges level and smooth move onto the sandpaper with the grit of 320 - 360 to give a more polished finish. 

Step 3 - Finish off with finer sandpaper
Finish off smoothing the acylic edges with the fine 600 grit sandpaper. Your acrylic should start showing smooth polished edges.

Step 4 - Polish The Easy Way
For more highly polished, shiny edges there are products you can use to help to give a lustrous finish. If you are considering using a such wax or paste be sure to use one that is suitable for acrylic, like Vuplex. 

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