Using Sand Paper To Reduce Glare

Anyone else here sand their laptop lids with a very high grit sand paper so it will feel more matte?

 

For a moment there, I thought you were talking about using sandpaper to create a matte display.

 

lol


/10char

 

A display with some texture. Now that'd be awesome.

 

If you use sandpaper on a laptop, then the paint will come off obviously and it will be the color of the plastic.
On metal it is even more difficult, and it will go through several finishes/colors depending on how much you sand it...
In any case its not easy to keep even, I guess you could try like 1000 grit.

 

Don't do it. Find some stick on design for your laptop's lid.

 

I use 1,000 grit on my sister's HP Dv4 lid, it feels very smooth and it's not glossy anymore. It's not perfectly even, but the uneveness can be found only if you look for it; combined with the correct lighting.

I don't know where to get them and I avoid ordering online as much as possible.

 

Yeah, I don't know if its worth the gamble. Without knowing the finish you could just cause yourself grief.

I would go higher on the grit if you're still willing to try.

 

Are there any of us that opened that thread expecting something besides a sandpapered LCD?! What a misleading title!

I doubt the feel would really be matte but more gritty feeling. I believe there are skins you can get that are felt(sp?) material that may provide the feel you want.

 

If you really don't want to order online, go out and buy some vinyl wrap.

 

You would have best results if you wet-sand with wet-or-dry sandpaper in 400 to 600 grit. You'd want to be very careful not to get water inside the case.

You could also paint the glossy case with a couple coats of high quality matt spray paint. You should first wet-sand or dry-sand the case to ensure good paint adhesion. Again, use 400 to 600 grit sandpaper.

If you want a really rich looking and soft case, I would suggest going to a fabric store and picking out a backed vinyl material that can be applied using spray adhesive or contact cement. You may be able to purchase a remnant piece of material at much less cost than "off the roll".

 

That will make it look like a piece of crap. And 600 grit is not delicate enough for that. You would need to go much higher and take extreme care. And wet sanding a laptop without taking it apart? No way in a million years is that ever going to work.

Repainting the back of the lid is an option, but only if you take it apart and are super careful. But in this case you should just sand down the original lid and paint it a different matte color. But also this would require letting it sit out in the sun for a couple of weeks for the paint to fully cure if you are using an enamel.

Backed vinyl is made for upholstering and stuff like that. Unless you want your laptop to look like a huge gluey pleather couch mess, just get vinyl wrap. It is very thin, stretchable, and has an adhesive backing. It is used for automotive application mostly, but many other things as well. There are many different colors and designs. You could probably find it at walmart or an automotive store, but the best selections are always online.

 

Spray it with your color choice of Plasti-Dip rubber coating. It will give it a matte rubber texture

 

Just apply a clear vinyl on top

 

That tends to wear off very easily. Some people tried to refinish their Thinkpads with Plastidip and it wore off very fast.

 

So for the rest of us who incorrectly interpreted the topic, is it feasible to convert a glossy display to matte using sandpaper? What grit would you use?

 

No

Matte screen is just a AG coating (Anti-Glare) which disperses light so it doesnt reflect like Glossy screens do.

Though you can go from Matte to Glossy by removing the AG coating like this.

 

I see. Thanks, Flipfire!

 

what about painting it with a non-glossy finish.
And yes i thought the OP was talking about the screen at first

 

WOW

Did anybody NOT miss the part a dozen posts ago where the OP successfully did exactly what he wanted to do?
LOL

 

I didn't but...what's done it's done and anyway 1000grid is very very smooth already.

 

maybe buy that krylon matte finish?

 

I use to laser engrave laptops and what i would do is make the recipient buy a replacement lid to do stuff to just in case.