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  for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Polishing stainless steel backsplash

Is it possible to get more shine on stainless steel with a satin finish? I just had a backsplash made by a local fabricator and the finish is not reflective. Is there anything I can do at home, with chemicals available in hardware stores. I do have access to power tools. Thanks so much for any help.

Audrey Hennefer
homeowner - Gresham, OR
2005

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It's not done with chemicals. It might be more work than you're looking for, but this can be polished and buffed to a mirror finish. Search the site for "mirror polish stainless" and "motorcycle polishing" for quite detailed instructions. A mirror polished surface will show every fingerprint and water spot though.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
2005

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I am a homeowner with stainless steel in much of the kitchen. An area was marked with scratches in a circular pattern, from an attempt to clean with a nylon cleaning brush and Comet. My question is how to get rid of that pattern and restore the look to what it was before. It had a grain to it - do I sand with the grain? Steel wool? Rubbing compound ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] ?

Anthony Shaw
consumer - Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
2005

Ed . note: BarrysRestoreItAll [a finishing.com supporting advertiser], offers "Scratch-B-Gone", a kit and instructions for removing scratches from stainless steel. It may solve this problem.