Repairing Plexiglas

Have you ever noticed how you can find Plexiglas (or plexiglass as it is commonly misspelled) can be found just about everywhere? In homes around the world, Plexiglas can be used for quite a few things—windows in greenhouses, light coverings, windshields on our cars, and so much more. In fact, there often doesn't seem to be anything that you can't do with Plexiglas.

This leads to the question of how to repair Plexiglas when it becomes damaged, dirty, cracked, or becomes otherwise unusable. Repairing Plexiglas is actually pretty easy to do. Here's how.

• Scratches. To repair scratches in Plexiglas you can do one of two things. The first is to purchase a kit specifically designed to repair Plexiglas. These kits, while easy to use, can often cost more money than you are willing to spend. If you plan on using one of these kits, you can often purchase them at your local home improvement store and simply follow the instructions on the back of the package. The other way you can repair the scratches is to use some regular school glue, some cotton swabs, and a lint free rag. Apply some glue to the scratches with a cotton swab and allow it to dry for roughly 30 minutes, and then use a damp lint free rag to wipe off any excess glue from the scratches. After allowing the Plexiglas to dry overnight, clean as normal with a regular non-abrasive cleaner.
• Cracks and holes. The simplest way to repair cracks and holes in Plexiglas is to simply take the damaged item into a professional and have them either repair it or replace it. There are also kits that you can purchase which will allow you to repair these types of damage. Simply follow the directions that come with the packaging, and you will quickly have a crack- and hole-free piece of Plexiglas.
• General wear and tear. For general wear and tear on a piece of Plexiglas, all you really need to do is polish and clean it. For detailed instructions on the Cleaning.Tips.Net website, and type in "restoring light fixture covers" into the search field. Most types of Plexiglas can be cleaned and restored by simply using the method detailed in this article.