A mirror finish on stainless steel is not just aesthetically pleasing, but it has a few other benefits depending on exactly what you’re fabricating. Keep reading to see if a mirror finish is what you really want, and find the processes and products that will get you a great end result!
A mirror finish on stainless steel is a highly reflective, smooth finish with a scratch free appearance, achieved through polishing the stainless steel. Also known as a #8 finish, a mirror finish can be achieved mechanically, using a progressive series of abrasives and polishing compounds.
Mirror finishes are often chosen for stainless steel products that need to look attractive, like balustrades, architecture, kitchen/bathroom tap-wear, or artworks. The benefit to a mirror finish, is not just that it looks great, but that it is highly corrosion resistant. This is due to the polishing procedure which removes deep scratches which can harbor corrosive particles. This is where mirror finishes are particularly useful in coastal architectural projects which can be exposed to salt air.
To get to a mirror finish, you’ll work your way through leveling the weld, then sanding, progressively using finer abrasives, before polishing for that truly reflective finish.