Aluminum can develop oxidation, dullness and stains that hide its natural shine. With the right cleaning and polishing process, bare aluminum can be polished to a bright, mirror-like finish that can look almost like chrome. The key is knowing how do you clean, polish and protect aluminum, removing oxidation and then polishing the surface until the desired shine is achieved.

Start With Clean, Uncoated Aluminum

Before you can start to clean and polish aluminum, it necessary to get to the bottom of things. That is, to make sure that you’re actually working on the actual metal and not something that’s been added as a protective coating. Some coatings are obvious, some are not.

A lot decorative aluminum, like alloy wheels, auto and boat trim and the like, leave the factory with a layer of clear coat to keep things looking shinier longer. No polish in the world is going to work on an aluminum item that’s been clear coated. So, if oxygen has gotten underneath that clear coat and the aluminum has begun to dull, you’ll have to remove that clear coat first. For the most part, as trip to your local hardware store will put you in front of a number of chemical strippers that will do the job. As with all chemical strippers, gloves, a respirator and a well-ventilated area are all a good idea. Once the clear coat has been removed, you can get to polishing and we’ll walk through that in a bit.

Can You Polish Anodized Aluminum?

The anodizing process makes aluminum stronger and more resistant to the effects of weathering. It’s not a good candidate for polishing to a mirror finish. In fact, the only reason to try and remove anodizing is if you want to really change the look of what you’re working on, otherwise you should just leave it alone and clean it the best you can.

Removing regular anodizing requires the use of dangerous caustic chemicals, while removing “hard anodizing” actually requires sanding off the coating to get down to the bare metal. Again, in most cases, it really isn’t worth it.

As for cleaning anodized aluminum, our Flitz Metal Pre-Clean will remove gunk and buildup but it will not clean down to the bare metal. It’ll be clean, but it probably won’t be shiny.

How to Polish Aluminum to a Mirror Finish

Once you're down to bare aluminum, decide what kind of finish you want. Aluminum can be polished from a soft satin finish all the way to a bright, mirror-like shine that resembles chrome. The brighter the finish you want, the more polishing and buffing it will generally require. A chrome-like mirror finish takes more time and effort than a softer satin finish.

Whether you’re working on an aluminum door threshold that’s seen better days, diamond plate the needs a facelift, or a set of aluminum wheels that have been through a magnesium chloride winter north of the Mason-Dixon line, the process is pretty much the same: Clean, Polish, Protect.

Use Flitz Metal Pre-Clean to Prep Aluminum for Polishing

Our Metal Pre-Clean is an acid-free formula that uses organic salts to remove crud right down to the bare metal. A simple rinse with water to neutralize the organic salts stops the cleaning and leaves your aluminum ready for polish. Stubborn crud can be agitated with a stiff nylon brush or #0000 steel wool. It’s a tremendous time-saver and highly recommended if you’re dealing with heavily weather aluminum.

How to Polish Aluminum for a Chrome-Like Shine

Getting aluminum to a bright, chrome-like shine requires both polishing and buffing. A quality aluminum polish removes oxidation and dullness from the surface, while continued buffing burnishes the bare metal and brings out a brighter, more reflective finish. For a true mirror-like result, you may need to repeat the polishing and buffing process until you reach the level of shine you want.

For bare aluminum, Flitz Paste or Liquid Polish can be used to remove oxidation and restore the metal’s shine. Paste Polish provides more concentrated polishing action, while Liquid Polish is convenient for larger surfaces. Both can be worked into the aluminum and buffed to progressively increase the shine. Always read the product label and test a small area first.

Your best friend is a good a buffer and our patented Flitz Buff Balls are washable, re-usable and won’t self-destruct like cheap foam buffers. Better still, they’re self-cooling and will work with any standard 3/8” drill. If you’re looking for a mirror finish, your arms will thank you for getting those buff balls!

Apply a thin layer of polish to a small section of bare aluminum and work it into the surface. As oxidation is removed, you may see black residue coming off the metal—this is normal during aluminum polishing. Continue buffing the area until the residue is removed and the surface becomes brighter. For a highly reflective, chrome-like finish, repeat the polishing and buffing process as needed. Finish by hand-buffing the aluminum with a clean microfiber cloth.

Protect the Aluminum Shine

Once the aluminum has reached the shine you want, protecting the surface can help preserve the finish. For longer-lasting protection, apply Flitz Ceramic Sealant after polishing. It helps protect the freshly polished aluminum from moisture and environmental exposure while making routine cleaning easier.

Polishing aluminum to a mirror finish takes some time, but the process is straightforward: clean the bare aluminum, remove oxidation, polish and buff the surface, then protect the finished metal. The more thoroughly you polish and buff, the closer you can get to that bright, chrome-like shine.

Also remember that we’re always here to help. If you’ve got questions, drop a note to info@flitz.com and we’ll be happy to assist!