Checking in to see if anyone has a solution -
We recently acquired a set of 6 Panton/Vitra S chairs for FREE, however they are all covered in drywall dust. They came from the university where he works. 4 of the 6 are scratched to varying extents-mostly on the back where it looks like they rubbed against a table or chair rail. Can anyone recommend how best to clean them? And if the scratches can be removed? My husband thinks I need to use novus & various sandpapers (ranging from 400-1200 grit). I'm concerned this will harm the plastic. I read in a post re: a Colombo trolley that novus is effective, but I think the Panton chairs are a different type of plastic.
Any ideas/comments? They were free after all, so I'm not expecting perfection-just want to spruce them up as best possible.
The Vitra chairs are polypropylene.
So no machine sanding.
It may be possible to remove deep scratches and gouges by hand sanding or filing, but finishing the repair to match the rest of the chair might be impossible, as any fine-grit sanding you do will polish away the matte surface texture. Still, you may be able to make a repair that looks better than what you have now.
You should test your scratch-removal technique someplace inconspicuous first... I'd use the underside of the seat, behind the user's knee. That area's textured the same as the rest of the chair but will never be seen when the chair's in use.
Good luck...
To clarify
Novus product would not be a good choice for the current production polypropylene chairs.
The vintage Vitra chairs, like the Herman Miller version, were made of glossy hard plastic (e.g. polystyrol). Vitra also offers a glossy current version called the Panton Classic.
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