Aging Fiberglass Roof Restoration
Shortly after purchasing a ten year old quality diesel pusher I discovered (by white streaks on the sides of my coach when it rained) that the fiberglass roof was badly oxidized. Although the rest of the coach was in good condition, it appeared that the roof had been untouched (except for caulking) for ten years.
Structurally, this was not a problem, but the white streaks were unsighty ? so I set out to remedy the situation. Various options were offered by the manufacturer, repair facilities, and fellow RVers. Options for repair included a product sold at the big RV store, mopping it down with Mop N Glow, having it sprayed with a truck bed liner material, and various kinds of paint.
Fiberglass, being one of the few things on the coach with which I am very familiar (having worked on fiberglass boats for many years), I decided to rely on my knowledge and experience. Having successfully restored the roof, I want to share my experience with others who might have an oxidized roof that needs restoring.
For over 10 years I have been using products made by a small company (located in Hawaii and founded by a sailor/chemist) called Island Girl. Their first product, originally called simply ?Island Girl? (and later called Pink, as more products were added to the line), worked like nothing else I have ever found to clean the oxidation from lifelines, fenders, rub rails, and dorade vents. Over the years I used other Island Girl products, which performed even better. Recently I used Island Girl Sea Glow to restore an oxidized deck on a 30 year old boat.
The Island Girl website. www.IslandGirlProducts.com, introduced me to some new products unfamiliar to me. After talking with Tony (the president) I decided to use Neutral Clear to remove the bulk of the oxidation because it is much less expensive than the Elixir, which I used after most of the oxidation was removed.
After removing the oxidized gel coat with Neutral Clear I cleaned and sealed with Elixir, I then applied Mirror Hard super wax with an electric buffer. Two days later I wiped the roof down with a microfiber cloth, and now have an oxidation clear, well protected, shiny roof that looks almost like new on my Coach. The Mirror Hard super wax is claimed to last up to three years in the tropics. Having cleaned and restored the roof, it is a reasonably easy task to apply a fresh coat of Mirror Hard every year to two.
While the job required considerable time and elbow grease, I?m completely satisfied with the results. From a cost/benefit standpoint, I think it is the way to go ? especially if you have more time than money.
Another product that comes in handy for fiberglass roofs is Marine Tex, a white two-part epoxy putty that is ideal for repairing gel coat voids. These voids originate in the manufacturing process and don?t negatively affect the integrity of the roof. Over time, the thin, brittle outer layer of gel coat often comes off, leaving a small void. This is easily repaired by grinding out the void to solid fiberglass and filing it with Marine Tex. While Marine Tex is reasonably self leveling, you might end up with a small raised area ? which can either be left as is or sanded smooth.
Shortly after purchasing a ten year old quality diesel pusher I discovered (by white streaks on the sides of my coach when it rained) that the fiberglass roof was badly oxidized. Although the rest of the coach was in good condition, it appeared that the roof had been untouched (except for caulking) for ten years.
Structurally, this was not a problem, but the white streaks were unsighty ? so I set out to remedy the situation. Various options were offered by the manufacturer, repair facilities, and fellow RVers. Options for repair included a product sold at the big RV store, mopping it down with Mop N Glow, having it sprayed with a truck bed liner material, and various kinds of paint.
Fiberglass, being one of the few things on the coach with which I am very familiar (having worked on fiberglass boats for many years), I decided to rely on my knowledge and experience. Having successfully restored the roof, I want to share my experience with others who might have an oxidized roof that needs restoring.
For over 10 years I have been using products made by a small company (located in Hawaii and founded by a sailor/chemist) called Island Girl. Their first product, originally called simply ?Island Girl? (and later called Pink, as more products were added to the line), worked like nothing else I have ever found to clean the oxidation from lifelines, fenders, rub rails, and dorade vents. Over the years I used other Island Girl products, which performed even better. Recently I used Island Girl Sea Glow to restore an oxidized deck on a 30 year old boat.
The Island Girl website. www.IslandGirlProducts.com, introduced me to some new products unfamiliar to me. After talking with Tony (the president) I decided to use Neutral Clear to remove the bulk of the oxidation because it is much less expensive than the Elixir, which I used after most of the oxidation was removed.
After removing the oxidized gel coat with Neutral Clear I cleaned and sealed with Elixir, I then applied Mirror Hard super wax with an electric buffer. Two days later I wiped the roof down with a microfiber cloth, and now have an oxidation clear, well protected, shiny roof that looks almost like new on my Coach. The Mirror Hard super wax is claimed to last up to three years in the tropics. Having cleaned and restored the roof, it is a reasonably easy task to apply a fresh coat of Mirror Hard every year to two.
While the job required considerable time and elbow grease, I?m completely satisfied with the results. From a cost/benefit standpoint, I think it is the way to go ? especially if you have more time than money.
Another product that comes in handy for fiberglass roofs is Marine Tex, a white two-part epoxy putty that is ideal for repairing gel coat voids. These voids originate in the manufacturing process and don?t negatively affect the integrity of the roof. Over time, the thin, brittle outer layer of gel coat often comes off, leaving a small void. This is easily repaired by grinding out the void to solid fiberglass and filing it with Marine Tex. While Marine Tex is reasonably self leveling, you might end up with a small raised area ? which can either be left as is or sanded smooth.
