FAQ

How does glass polishing work

Glass scratch and stain removal is basically a cut and polish process.
"Cutting" means use of abrasives to remove a thin layer of glass. The deeper the scratch, the more glass needs to be removed. During this process the abrasives obviously create more damage (scratches) in the glass. This damage is gradually reduced by using finer and finer abrasives. Finally, the "polishing" part means removing the haze that has been created by the finest of the previous abrasives.

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Are the repairs visible?

We take exceptional care to remove all traces of the polishing. That is our job. A professional is able to not just make the glass damage disappear but also remove all traces of it, maybe an expert can pick it, but that would be very rare.

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Can you repair all types of glass?

Almost. We have repaired thousands of panels of

  • Float glass

  • laminated glass

  • toughened glass

  • heat-strengthened glass

  • double glazing

  • tinted glass

  • low-e glass (un-coated side only)

However, there are some limitations. Please refer to the "limitations" question

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Can you repair deep scratches?

Some websites (and glass polishers) will tell you that really deep glass scratches cannot be repaired. That is not strictly speaking correct, but here is the full story. Yes, deep scratches can be successfully repaired, but it takes an experienced operator to do so. The reason for this is this: Deep scratches (more than 100 micron) need a lot of glass to be removed to get to the undamaged part of the panel. The more glass you remove, the greater the risk that you will not abrade it really evenly, hence you will be causing distortion in the glass. So, the bottom line is that yes, it can be done, but you need an expert to do it if you don't want your views through the glass to look distorted afterwards.

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Will polishing weaken the glass?

No – The scratch has already weakened the glass by causing a strain in the silica lattice, If scratched glass is subjected to impacts or stresses, it will often crack in the area where the scratch is located. It follows on from there that when the scratch(es) are polishes out, this weakness is removed and the break resistance is restored to about 90-95% of its original value.

With reference to toughened panels, Glass Restore Australia has commissioned independent testing for the NSW Railways and established that the Glass Restore Australia process does not adversely affect strength, even for toughened glass. When our technicians remove the scratch they are leaving behind a structurally sound piece of glass. Read more about the engineer's report here

Glass Polish Ireland, an affiliated company, has commissioned test by a renowned Technical Institute. The process used by Glass Polish Ireland is almost identical to ours. Read the test results here

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Can you remove scratches from toughened glass?

Yes – No problem at all, it is actually easier to repair and our system works very efficiently on tempered glass because of the glass density. Our scratch removal system works equally well on laminated, curved, plate and mirrored glass. We are capable of handling any thickness of glass, including single glazing strength.

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Will it work on curved or bent glass

Yes – Absolutely, we regularly remove scratches from curved glass for our customers. Our technicians are trained to work on curved glass whether it is automotive or architectural. Our system is light, compact and can reach places that were considered out of reach previusly.

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How about car windscreens?

We repair side and rear automotive glass, both current and vintage cars. However, we do not repair windscreens unless the glass has been removed from the vehicle, typically during car restorations.

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Can scratches be removed from tinted glass?

Yes, that is no problem. The tint is not sitting on top of the glass, but is part of the glass itself. Removing a thin layer, as done by the cutting process, will not at all affect the tint. As an example, most modern cars come with tinted glass right from the factory. Typically, scratches in those panels can be removed without a problem. However, some people additionally get part of their car glass tinted with an aftermarket product (film). Scratches in that film can typically not be repaired. Instead, the film needs to be replaced.

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Does it create a lot of dust?

The actual polishing of the glass is a wet process and therefore does not create dust. The first few stages, however, are done with a dry abrasive. We pride ourselves to take special care by protecting all surrounding surfaces. In some instances the dust and overspray control takes more time than the actual polishing. Many of our clients have commented on how clean their premises were left.

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What do you consider a deep glass scratch?

Low long is a piece of string? It largely depends upon who is talking. A glazier that only ever replaces glass would probably say that any noticeable scratch is too deep to repair. an inexperienced glass polisher would likely say that anything that catches the fingernail is too deep to repair (you see a lot of that on the internet). WE generally call a scratch that leaves a ragged edge, i.e. where the scratching action has caused tiny chips been broken out of the glass. Such scratches are usually more than 100 micron deep. In a way this is fairly academic to an experienced glass polisher, because we routinely remove all of the above, as long as they are not too close to the edge. The deepest damage on glass is what is called "angle grinder splatter" or "spatter" for our British friends. That type of damage is typically more than 500 micron deep. Can that be removed? See our FAQ about angle grinder splatter.

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Can scratches on eye glasses be removed?

Yes they can, by a skilled optician and not by a glass polisher or by someone using a D.I.Y Scratched Glass Repair Kit. These days optic glass is, in fact, not glass but a very specialized plastic. Even if it is actually silicate glass, it has undergone a very sophisticated manufacturing process. Do not attempt it.

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Can you repair scratches with toothpaste

It never ceases to amaze me, how many people suggest this as a solution, dozens of sites on the internet and many clients I talk to. By all means, go ahead and try it. Toothpaste (the whitish variety- not the clear stuff) contains a very fine abrasive similar to white cleansers used to clean kitchen surfaces. This abrasive in theory would be able to remove some glass and hence a glass scratch. However the sheer numbers are against you. Consider this: A fine scratch would be typically around 50 micron deep. The particle size of the abrasive in tooth paste is smaller that 5 micron. How long would you have to polish to get 50+ micron of glass off? It might be a good project for your retirement years!!!

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Can you remove scratches from phone screens?

The Guild of Glass Polishers in the UK suggests the following: If you are going to attempt this, please be very careful. Most mobile phone screens are made from Gorilla Glass, which is not glass in the traditional sense, it is extremely thin, does not react well to heat or pressure and the inside of you mobile phone will not react very well to polishing compound or water. We do not advise that you try it. Read More

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How about DIY kits

I knew you were going to ask that. -:) Google anything related to " glass scratches" and you will find dozens, if not hundreds of sites selling them. I have to declare our past conflict of interest here. Yes, we have sold kits also in the past - and we had may happy customers. (One client told me the kit saved him $5000). So how about them? Yes, there is a place for them, especially if they contain abrasives rather than just a polishing paste. But, for anything large or serious, I would have reservations. You may end up really disappointed. Which DIY glass polishing kits are best? Check our detail discussion here If you rather like another opinion, check this link

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How much does it cost?

The most important factors in the approximate order of relevance are the following

  • depth of the scratch
    a deep scratch can be three or more times as time-consuming to repair than a light one or glass staining

  • the area affected by scratching
    it could be either (1) two square feet for the smallest scratch, or (2) half the panel when multiple scratches in a confined are are present, or (3) the full panel when the scratches are not in a confined area

  • the size of the panel
    smaller panels are harder to polish than larger ones

  • the type and thickness of the glass panel
    toughened glass is the easiest to polish, followed by laminated (if thick enough) and then, lastly, ordinary float glass

    Glass polishing is specialised work requiring high skill levels and it is time-consuming. As a rough guide, it costs $800-$1000 for a day's work by an expert technician but, of course, in many cases that is a considerable cost-saving compared with replacing the panel(s). It is most cost-effective on large panels where damage is confined to a limited area

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Do you provide free quotes?

When you explain your problem to us we will usually give you a free estimate of the cost over the phone. IN case you accept the estimate and the technician on arrival finds that the cost of the job will be significantly above the estimate and you then decide not to go ahead with the repair, you will not be charged anything. In most other cases, if you require a site inspection and written quote, we will have to charge you a call out fee.

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Do you offer any guarantees?

Yes, we do.

If you are not completely satisfied with our glass repair, we will replace the glass panel at no extra cost. That way there is no risk to you (Conditions apply)

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