rv refinishing

on another forum, there has been discussion on the best way/products to clean and shine the exterior fiberglass. Several folks mentioned Poliglow. One man looked into the chemical composition of Poliglow, and found it to be extremely similiar to Red Max Pro, a floor polish available at Lowes. He had two travel trailers that were dull and heavily oxidized. He cleaned them with an abrasive pad to remove the oxidation and other stains. He then applied several coats of the red max pro with a foam applicator. The results were amazing.

I have used a product for many years called Premium 25. It is made by Service Master, a company know for cleaning and commercial property maintenence. It works on all types if floors, and works especially well on tile. Of all the topical sealers I have used, this one is by far the best.

So I conducted a small test on my rv, and I must say the result is incredible. I applied only one coat, and the sheen is amazing. I will apply two more, and see what that does. It is incredibly durable on floors, and is UV resistant. Another benefit is that it re- emulsifies itself. That means that if it scratches and you re apply another coat on top of it, it will slightly melt the coat beneath it, and help to blend the scratch.

The best part is that it takes nothing more than wiping the product with a foam brush or roller on your coach. The hardest part (and the most important) is the prep. And you dont need to wax it. At this point I am not sure how often (if at all) re application is required, but Im guessing not often. My coach is older and was pretty bad, so I have nothing to loose by doing the entire thing. I will post pictures after its complete.

Jeez, I wish you guys had posted earlier. I was just pulling on my overalls to start the manic whole weekend clean of the RV. I don't think anyone has cared for the outside of our RV for many many years. The paintwork is faded badly so I have allowed two days to try and get it back.

Over here in the uk we don't have the brands you mentioned so I bought MER boat polish. Tried a small spot last night and it made a slight impression. I do have an electric polisher so I am hoping that this may help.

What is it they say about the wrong tools for a job?

Note to self:- never take a quick peek at the forum before you are about to do a job.

See you all in a month!!!!!!!

:-[

Does you RV have full body paint? If so, I understand the "big job".

If paint truly is faded, boat wax won't do much for it, neither will applying wax with a "polisher" (aka buffer). Wax will protect a paint from the effects of sun and airborne contamination but, if the paint is already faded, it's too late (or too soon) to apply wax. Look for a product that's made specifically to restore the lustre of faded paint. A quick look at Halfords web site shows Autoglym paint restorer. They also sell a Turtle Wax product called Colour Back that claims to restore paint, although it doesn't appear to contain the abrasives that the Autoglym product does.

The other message is talking about restoring oxidized (unpainted) fiberglass.

I fear that, since it's already mid afternoon in the UK, you probably won't see this in time 

There are two different things under discussion here - one is restoring an oxidized and/or faded surface and the other is a shiny surface protection after the dull finish has been repaired. Most any decent wax product will do the latter chore, but some are shinier than others. And some are longer lasting than others as well. Heavy duty floor wax products are probably a good choice for fiberglass once the finish has been restored.

For painted surfaces in good condition, you probably don't need that much wax product. A standard cleaner/waxer designed for automotive finishes should work fine.

Red Max Pro is NOT a floor WAX.  RMP is an acrylic floor finish.

Tom,

Just finished cleaning the RV, roof took 1/2 a day as was green but now looks amazing. The body took a further half day today, it looks clean however very dull. You are totally right about the polish, it has not touched it. I am trying to work out what is on the body, top half is white and appears to be fibreglass and the bottom half is graphics in bronze. The whole lot is duller than my previous marriage!!!  ;D ;D ;D

I did see the products in Halfords the other day but was unsure about them on the coach.

So are we saying the floor polish would do the trick, I heard about this from someone else however I don't want to do any damage and make it worse.

Thanks

Are those graphics actually decals (stickers)? If so, and if they're faded, I doubt you can do much other than replace them. A few folks have reported painting them.

I have no clue about floor polish, but I doubt it would restore faded paint or graphics.

There is no magic formula for restoring faded decals, but the RMP-3 will certainly make them look much better.  Not new, but better.

Gents, as ever I appreciate your help and advice. I am going to see if I can import some RMP-3 and give it a bash.

People over here keep telling me to join different UK RV forums however I can walk way from the friendliness and fantastic advice I have been given on here. Thank you one and all.

I will post some pics of before and after if I can get my iPad to upload to the forum.

Thanks

Just finished finished applying the acrylic floor polish to the rig, and I am sold. I used a proprietary polish that is not available to the public, and the results were nothing short of amazing. Even the bounder decals look better. I recommend this procedure to anyone with an rv that is heavily oxidized. My rig looks brand new. The secret to a good finish is using a foam brush. Thin coats are better than thick coats. 4 coats was the magic number for me.

Ive now undertaken the laborious task of replacing the side decals....

ranger magnum said:

Just finished finished applying the acrylic floor polish to the rig, and I am sold. I used a proprietary polish that is not available to the public, and the results were nothing short of amazing. Even the bounder decals look better. I recommend this procedure to anyone with an rv that is heavily oxidized. My rig looks brand new. The secret to a good finish is using a foam brush. Thin coats are better than thick coats. 4 coats was the magic number for me.

Ive now undertaken the laborious task of replacing the side decals....

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I agree that thin coats are better than thick coats to prevent excess build up and drip/run possibilities, but what leads you to believe that using a "foam brush" is the secret to getting a good finish.

I did use a microfiber cloth attached OVER a foam rubber "sponge mop", but simply for the convenience of using the long handle.  I found the cloth to be the best method for controlling foam bubbles and getting a perfect coat applied.

Do you have any concern that you may have been better off to replace the decals first?

Hi Lou, we used a microfiber cloth, didn't think of using anything else but the results are amazing...I had to hire someone but it worked out great. My friend got laid off and his wife's restaurant closed overnight so they appreciated the little I could contribute with the wax job.

My decals looked like crap but after the 4 coats they even cleared up and had depth. My buddy is almost anal about his work so I'm sure he did a much better job than I could have. 2 days to pressure wash, 2 days to scrub and 2 days to wax. of course there was lunch and break in between, $400 and I think I got a fair deal.

Have you used the rmp #4?? cleaner, do you think it would remove the old wax or reemulsify it into a shine??

[quote author=catblaster]
My decals looked like crap but after the 4 coats they even cleared up and had depth. My buddy is almost anal about his work so I'm sure he did a much better job than I could have. 2 days to pressure wash, 2 days to scrub and 2 days to wax. of course there was lunch and break in between, $400 and I think I got a fair deal.

Have you used the rmp #4?? cleaner, do you think it would remove the old wax or reemulsify it into a shine??
[/quote]

Will, sounds like you got a very good deal and a feel good 'ata boy' in the bargain.

I think the stage #4 is a complete stripper.  I think the ammonia would completely destroy the acrylic.  The residue would have to be rinsed away, of course.  From what I've read though, the normal maintenance is simply to wash the surface and apply a touch-up coat or two without any stripping.

PS - I ordered my EPDM liquid Roof today just so I can stay one step (project) ahead of you guys.

I envy your abilities...Look out if they give me new airbags..(lungs).Doc signs me off as ok to drive.... I'm outta here..

EDPM going over membrane roof or fiberglass roof?? I have some leakage at seams in glass roof that need fixin.

catblaster said:

I envy your abilities...Look out if they give me new airbags..(lungs).Doc signs me off as ok to drive.... I'm outta here..

EDPM going over membrane roof or fiberglass roof?? I have some leakage at seams in glass roof that need fixin.

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Will, my roof is already a rubber membrane so this is just a coating to replace/repair lost whiteness and thickness after 15 years.

If your fiberglass roof is in decent shape, and just has some seam problems, I think I would just use the Eternabond tape to repair it. 

Those new lungs are infinitely more important than your roof, or mine.  I'll be praying for the best outcome.  Stay in touch, stay positive and we'll have an "old codgers" rally someday soon.

The decals were next to impossible to remove. A good buddy of mine is in the vinyl graphics budiness, so one trip to him netted me 3 full rolls of vinyl. Since my bounder is tan in color, i thought a nice camouflage design would be cool looking and different! So for the next 4 days, I hand cut over 400 pieces of gray, tan and brown vinyl, and applied them where the original side graphics were. I then bordered it with a 1/2" black stripe. I think i have the first "Desert Storm" bounder ever created!

I took the exterior modifications a bit further....all the plastic trim (wheel arches, waste door, freshwater door, etc.) then got sprayed in a satin brown that matches the brown in the camo. This really makes the bounder look a bit more like a truck, and less like a big beige refrigerator.

^^ Photos needed immediately!!!!!! ;D

Our fiberglass '03 Toyhauler was heavily oxidized from years of uncovered exposure and had many black streaks down the sides from roof water run-off.  After many hours of prep, (washing twice with Dawn dish soap, hot water and a little bleach) the surface came out clean.  It was still however, very oxidized.  I scrubbed every inch of surface with Bar Keepers Friend, using Scotch-Brite no scratch scrubbing pads, then washed once more using a soft brush and rinsed very thoroughly several times to remove all the residue from the BKF.  After letting it air dry, I began applying Red Max Pro 3 from a small tupperware bowl using a cloth diaper (the ones auto detailers use).  The first coat looked terrible, the second coat looked even worse, but after the third coat, it started looking really nice.  The thinner the application, the faster it dries and bubbles & runs are minimized.  I proceeded with more coats, working only on the sides shaded from the sun (we don't have a covered area to park under).  The results were absolutely fantastic!! This thing literally looks like new! I lost count after the 5th coat, but I think I ended up with 6-7 thinly applied coats of RMP-3.  Being a nearly 10 yr old unit, I had nothing to lose.  I then replaced all exterior lights with newer LED's and at first glance, this thing looks much newer than it is.  This project took about 30 man hours total, over the course of 3 days, but it was well worth it.

I ordered Collinite No. 845 Insulator wax - The product came highly recommended from the flying forum folks.  I am going to do our plane, SUV, car and RV sometime after the end of beach season.  I did have the rig detailed locally prior to heading to our seasonal RV Park.

Guys rocket science this ain't. If you want to make her RV look brand new use bar keepers friend to thoroughly clean it and Red Max pro #3 to shine it. You gotta make sure its clean before you apply redmax pro
Both products available at Lowes but are scarce so you may have to hunt for it.
Item numbers at Lowes
Red Max Pro #3 item number 216595
Bar keepers friend item number 228018

Bar keepers friend contains an acid so wear rubber gloves and clean a small section at a a time with a scotchbrite pad and rinse thoroughly.

Red Max pro should go on with a micro fibre towel small pad in thin coats. First coat, not much difference. Second coat, I am wasting my time. Third coat,  a little shine. Fourth coat, holy mackeral,what a shine. Fifth coat, outathisworldshowroomshine.
Shine will last all year and bugs and bird poop and sap and everything else will wash off with a water hose. Put a thin coat on before you store it in the fall.

Cleaning it really well and applying thin coats is the key to the whole process.

A shine your MOTHER Would be ptoud of. This stuff really works.