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Removing scratches from a stainless steel sink-Need help

January 1, 2009

Hi All,

I have only had my $500 SS Elkay sink for two weeks and I have some bad scratches already. I was carefully washing a metal baking sheet when it happened.

I don't remember this being a problem with my other cheaper sinks but maybe I wasn't paying attention.

Is there anyway to remove them? Some of the methods I have seen on the web I'm worried would make them worse. Thanks!!!

Comments (15)

sailormann
It's going to scratch. When it gets evenly scratched all over it will look great - so the best thing to do is get busy and scratch it some more.

See if the whole family can't be coaxed into spending a half hour with sharp knives carving their initials into it ;)
January 1, 2009
icenet
"When it gets evenly scratched all over it will look great"

True or not true?
January 1, 2009
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rnest44
My Elkay sink is over 25 years old and I think it still looks great. It's going to Home Source when we finally get this reno going.
January 1, 2009
oruboris
' "When it gets evenly scratched all over it will look great"
True or not true? '

True, IMO: stainless sinks and counters develope an overall, non-directional luster that slowly replaces the brushing marks that flow all one way. The more you get, the more it blends together. Color remains as when new [at least when clean!], but the look gets softer.

Not true of appliances, where there's never enough scratches to create the random appearence you get on more used surfaces.

Besides: use a Stainless sink or counter, and the scratches come fast and easy. You'll drive yourself mad trying to keep it pristine. Scratches simply have to be seen as an inherint part of package.
January 1, 2009
sue_ct
True. I spent 1200.00 on my Franke Orca sink with all accessories and it has scratches. It will be fine 10 and even 20 years from now, when you won't be able to see one of them. I do also have a bottom grid, though, so that protects it and it will actually probably take longer to get the all over scratched look. You didn't notice them on your old sink for two reasons: 1. it didn't cost 500.00 and 2. it had already developed the all over scratched patina.

Sue
January 1, 2009
rosie
Agree, scratch the heck out of your sink as quickly as possible. It's really as much breaking yourself inas the sink because trying to keep it unscratched would turn a fantastically functional material into effectively an absurdly inappropriate one--like covering a backsplash with linen and expecting it to work.

It'll ultimately end up looking very nice. Hmm, maybe linen with a decade's patterning of aged grease spots would too...?. Never mind. Before this, all my stainless sinks were old and "patinaed" when I moved in and I was genuinely VERY surprised to come here and find people worried about scratching them. I'd never noticed that they could be in a way that'd be noticeable or that anyone could care about.
January 1, 2009
eandhl
Only the first few scratch hurt. Eventually it is all scratched and develops a beautiful patina.
January 1, 2009
icenet
Great, bring on the scratches! :) Thanks all!
January 1, 2009
queensinfo
in a brushed type finish on my sink, i was able to take out some of the light scratches using bar keepers friend (rubbing in the direction of the polishing of the sink).
January 1, 2009
bodiCA
Bar Keepers Friend and 3M pads help to freshen
January 2, 2009
icenet
Bar Keepers Friend is very popular on this site. I have to get some for my sink. What 3M pads were you using?
January 2, 2009
brunosonio
Let it get scratched! It looks great over time...that's what SS does. We put in the huge Franke pro sink (the biggest and deepest one they make), and I spent a month trying to keep it pristine. Then the first scratches happened from normal metal on metal contact and I quickly got over my scratch phobia.

Part of the problem is the brushed #4 finish the sinks and appliance companies use. It's pretty fragile because you have delicate grooves running in one direction. It's very easy to scratch across the grooves.

We have a Franke bar sink with a smooth matte SS, and it's still scratch free 2 years later. Our FP double ovens have the smooth matte iridium SS that FP offers, and it's also scratch and stain free after several years.

A kitchen sink is meant to be used, not preserved like a piece of art. Kind of like your pots and pans...after several years of hard use, they will show the wear and tear. But it's a good thing to let that happen, and totally natural.
January 3, 2009
tim2009
I've just had my stainless steel sink replaced, for some reason the scratches it had cannot be removed, so I took the time to search the internet and found the site which sells a stainless steel sink, I gave it a try and it's perfectly working now.

Here is a link that might be useful: sink
May 31, 2009
mmaja5325
I might consider buying that sink tim. Thanks for the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tim's link
June 30, 2009
maubry
I'm having doubts of replacing my sink till I found your recommendation Tim.

Here is a link that might be useful: sink
August 2, 2009

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