The Plastic People – How to remove scratches from acrylic

Acrylic, also known as Plexiglas or Perspex, is a popular, plastic-based alternative to glass. 

It is an extremely versatile substance, used widely around the home in furniture (such as coffee tables and side tables) fish tanks, picture frames, splash-backs and mirrors. It is both decorative and functional, and as a result an essential material.

But how do you remove scratches from acrylic products in your home? Follow these handy tips from plastic product providers The Plastic People, and your acrylic furniture will continue to shine.

 Light scratches

Light scratches, as you can imagine, are much easier to combat than deep ones. 

To do this effectively, you will need a special acrylic polish and some paper. You will need a variety of grade (thicknesses) of paper to complete the task.

Use two towels, one water-soaked and one dry, of 600 grade paper. Run the wet towel over the scratch, then the dry.

Your acrylic may look like there’s lot of little scratch marks on it, or that it now has a frosted appearance, but this will go away during the process.

Move to grade 800 wet and dry paper, and rub the scratch for another minute, then move onto grade 1200 and do the same. 

Once this is done, clean and dry the area with acrylic polish and the acrylic should look like it has never been scratched!

Deeper scratches

Unfortunately, deeper scratches on acrylic products require a little more elbow grease to remove. The best way to determine whether the scratch is deeper or not, is to rub it with your fingernail. If you can feel it, you need to follow this method.

Instead of paper, you need to use 600-grit sandpaper to rub the affected area. Rub in a circular motion with the 600 grit to start, although you may need to move to 1200 grit, depending on the depth of the scratch. Once this is done, dampen the sandpaper to wipe away any marks or debris. Use a fine sandpaper to polish everything up. 

Acrylic in cars

Acrylic isn’t only something you see in furniture at home. It shows up in cars too, mainly in headlight covers, dashboards and bits of interior trim. Over time those surfaces get small scratches from wiping dust away or just everyday use. It’s pretty normal. Using light sanding and polish can clear up cloudy headlights and marked panels, and it makes a bigger difference than most people expect. 

If you’re buying a used car, it’s worth slowing down and giving the bodywork a proper look. Don’t just glance at it. Check the paint closely and run a car check on the vehicle as well. Panels that don’t match, uneven colour or signs of overspray can point to past repairs. A clean history and consistent paint usually mean the car’s been looked after. 

Finish off with some acrylic polish to add the shine back and your acrylic will be as good as new!