Corian® Clean Up

     I research and research and research before I make a decision, and sometimes I still manage to choose wrongly.  Selecting Corian® countertops with integrated sinks for our bathrooms was one such wrong choice.  The sinks are easily scratched and show some stains.  We replaced the ugly public restroom style faucet in one bathroom with a prettier bronze fixture, and this happened to the sink:

This ring appeared around the drain immediately after the old faucet and drain were replaced.  Is it a scratch or some sort of plumber's goop?  Why didn't I lasso the plumber before he got out of the house and demand that he explain? 

 
     This ring was rough to the touch and no amount of cleaning with mild cleaners like Simple Green or dish detergent removed it.  I was afraid to use Soft Scrub (even though the label says it is safe for use on Corian®) or Bon Ami.  After a few years, I had all I could stand of looking at this imperfection, and I decided to get rid of the blemish or get a new sink.
     More researching.  I read about several methods - using Soft Scrub, wet/dry sand paper, or attaching polishing pads with various abrasion factors to electric drills.  I had previous experience polishing hazy, weathered plastic headlights, so I decided to sand with super fine grit wet/dry sand paper and finish with the polish from my headlight restoration kit.

My arsenal - polish from the headlight restoration kit, 800 and 1000 grit wet/dry sand paper, and a rag.

     
     I wet the sink and the 800 grit paper and gently rubbed the ring around the drain.  Nothing much happened, so I switched to 600 grit paper and rubbed so, so gently.  The ring disappeared.

The ring is gone.  If you look closely, you will see that the water collected around the drain is milky from the particles removed from the sink's surface.

      I rinsed and repeated sanding with the 800 grit, then the 1000 grit paper.  I finished by scrubbing around only the drain with the headlight restoration polish and a wet rag.  After cleaning with Simple Green and drying the sink, I saw a perfectly clean and flawless ring around the drain... and the rest of the sink bore the fine scratches of seven years of daily use.  My first impulse was to go through this process on entire bowl, but the little voice in my head kept repeating, "Less is more, less is more."  I decided to clean the sink with Soft Scrub.  Good choice.  The ring of perfection (as I have taken to calling it) blends invisibly with the rest of the sink.

Looking good!

     A word of warning: All Corian® sinks have a matte finish.  The matte surface is the reason this worked so well.  I wouldn't do this on the semi-gloss or glossy finishes of a countertop.

     A lesson learned: You really can use Soft Scrub on Corian®.