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Plastic window restore?

knightstyle
knightstyle Posts: 7,277 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
We have just bought an old caravan with plastic windows. Someone has cleaned them with  scouring pad and they have lots of minor scratches.
Can you recommend a polish or something to remove them?

Comments

  • WIAWSNB
    WIAWSNB Posts: 1,447 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Any paint 'cutting' compound should sort this, but seriously consider using an orbital sander/polisher to save yer arms. Cheap to buy, and I bet there's a few on your local FB Marketplace for next to now't.
    There are numerous 'cutting' products, including plastic polishes and headlamp restorers - they are all effectively the same, but probably worth trying reviews.

  • flashg67
    flashg67 Posts: 4,141 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    As above, using a sander, progressively finer grades of sandpaper before a final polish- Similar to polishing plastic car headlights I imagine - plenty of youtube guides on that to check out
  • Rodders53
    Rodders53 Posts: 2,731 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    edited 7 October at 5:49PM
    There are specific Caravan-specific forums that should - via a Google search for the subject - throw up specific product recommendations for the acrylic plastics used from other Caravan owners.

    Some acrylic windows will be damaged by certain 'wrong' products; e.g. petroleum based glass cleaners. Plus the plastic isn't all that thick and damage may already be done from the wrong products being used in the past.

    Fenwicks likely make a product designed for caravan window restoration.
  • WIAWSNB
    WIAWSNB Posts: 1,447 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    flashg67 said:
    As above, using a sander, progressively finer grades of sandpaper before a final polish- Similar to polishing plastic car headlights I imagine - plenty of youtube guides on that to check out
    Good point.
    It really comes down to how deep the scouring marks are.
    'Cutting' pastes will only polish up flat 'matt' surfaces that otherwise don't have deeper scores. If, for example, you can feel these marks with your fingertips, then 'polish' won't shift it as it would have to 'cut' down to the bottom depth - that would take decades.
    So, if the scouring marks are deep - can be felt - then you'd be best sanding the surface first to get down to the deepest mark. By sanding, I mean fine grade wet 'n' dry paper, used wet. 
    600 grit will shift pretty quickly, then on to 1200 to get a flat Matt surface, and then polish.

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