Check this out NOT Poliglow...Time will tell..

[Lil M.]

Originally Posted by Sharon D

How are people doing the top of their trailers? Are you using a long handled microfiber brush? The sides I can do, but I am not sure about the top.


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I'm only 5' 2" and I just use a 6-foot step ladder. I'm able to reach all the roof area of my 13' Scamp with a scrub brush to clean with Barkeeper's Friend, and a microfiber dish rag to rinse with TSP/water and then wipe on Red Maxx.

[Joe Romas]

Originally Posted by Jay Herb

I have a 2002 17' Casita and I want to strip the old polish and wax off the sides and was wandering how you did the sides ? The top being flat no problem but the sides will be harder and what striper did you use ?
Thanks in advance. Jay

Jay.
I'm not herb but have done what your wanting to do a couple of times on our 1999.
The best product I've found is acrylic floor stripper. Besides stripping off wax and sealer it will leave the surface very clean, bright and white.
Sam's club has a brand of professional cleaning products that I believe is made by the makers of Zep. Their floor stripper is around $6 a gallon and you dilute it. You'll need rubber gloves, eye protection and green scratch pads. Rinse and keep the surface wet as you go or the finish will re harden.
You'll be surprised how bright and white your trailer will be

Joe

[mmeyer]

The Zep stripper works very well , should be in the same area as the Zep
Also found the purple cleaner found at auto stores works, was trying to clean some stubborn dirt and accidentally removed the finish and along with the run taking off more, I had to redo a whole side to make it look right


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[Jay Herb]

Thank You for all the good info, I saved it and hope to get started next week. Jay

[JRTrillium]

Beautiful finish! I cannot boast the same. But, I did apply some elbow grease with a can of Mother's Calif orniaGold Brazillian Carnauba Cleaner Wax (sheesh long title) and managed to come up with a healthy looking shine beginning to take place. I think the roof has two coats now, the rest below has three.

I thought the pic uploaded but did not. I'll go figure that out now!

[JRTrillium]

Hope it uploaded this time.

[Elisabeth Crisp]

Pretty!

[Dick & Joanne]

Originally Posted by Sharon D

How are people doing the top of their trailers? Are you using a long handled microfiber brush? The sides I can do, but I am not sure about the top.


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I use a cotton floor mop. Works well for me.

Dick

[Jared J]

I put 5 coats on 11-12, and noticed on this last trip that the roof is peeling.

It sits in full sun year round, and gets tree sap/bird crap on it.

Still worth it for two years protection for the price. Looks like I'll be stripping and reapplying soon.


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[Kevin K]

I put 3 coats of poly Glow on 3 years ago and now all the poly glow is gone off just the top of the trailer .


Instructions from Poly Glow.
Maintenance
"To maintain a shine reapply 2 to 3 coats of Poli Glow every 12 months. In tropical areas, reapply Poli Glow every 6 to 8 months. If scratches or wear spots occur, the can be touched up by applying a few coats of Poli Glow. Maintenance is easy, as dirt and grime will not adhere to Poli Glow finish. Avoid contact with Ammonia based products, degreasers, teak or hull cleaners, and abrasive cleaners."


On Sat. I cleaned the whole trailer with Bars Keeper and reapplied 3 coats of poly glow.
LOOKS LIKE NEW AGAIN.

[AbdRahim]

Wow these look better than my new trailer. I was about to head over to a local boat place to see what they were using, but this RedMax stuff looks impressive. I have used Best Wash and Wax, but was not sure it was getting a good wax. Thanks for the info.


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[kootenaigirl]

AbdRahim - please be aware that people usually use this on older trailers where the gel coat is really oxidized. It is NOT recommended or necessary for newer trailers

[Whaler]

Ok so here's what appears to be either some poorly maintained ZEP finish or what happens after a few years of baking in California sun. We recently bought our BF from Pomfritz in inland Northern Cali....where I'm assuming she experienced some pretty hefty UV's.
Im not at all happy with this flakey, yellow, crumbly dust thats coating the sides and roof!!
The product seems to be the High Traffic ZEP.
I'm a surfboard builder and am fairly convinced once this crap is stripped off, I can use my machine and one of my go to buffing compounds to restore a beautiful gloss(albeit with much straining and sweating...)






I would rather focus my attention on the interior updates so the "idea" of the ZEP is nice time wise, just not sure if I wanna strip and repeat, then have to strip and repeat year after year.
Thoughts?
Hey Pomfritz, when was the last application of the floor finish?

[Gene Masse]

Whaler, the Poli Glow people say their product has UV protection to prevent that. Yes, it does need to be redone. By the second year my old unit needed it again. I recommend a good cleaning then add a fresh coat once a year after the initial application.

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[trainjunkie]

I discovered the same thing Whaler described after having RedMaxx on my trailer for about a year. It looked terrible and no longer repelled water. It even seemed like dirt was embedding into it more easily the older it got.

Granted, I probably put my trailer through the most harsh conditions imaginable. Two trips a year between Alaska and California, another couple of shorter trips in between the big ones, and several months baking in the California sun, and several months in all sorts of weather in Alaska, including snow and ice. The floor wax just didn't stand a chance.

It looked beautiful when I first applied it. Everything went on just as everyone described. I cleaned the gelcoat obsessively before applying the 5 or so coats of RedMaxx. It looked beautiful, but it didn't last.

Last fall I stripped it off, which turned out to be a huge pain in the ass. I used full-strength Zep acrylic floor wax stripper in a garden sprayer, ScotchBrite pads, stiff bristled brushes, and a power washer and it took MANY applications and scrubs to get all of it off. Way too much work.

After stripping the wax I went over the entire trailer with 3M Marine Restorer wax, both by hand and with a polishing wheel. Then I went over it again with 3M Marine Ultra Performance Paste Wax, again by hand and machine.

The reality is that using marine wax doesn't fill in the scratches like floor polish does. It's simply not as shiny as newly applied floor wax. But what shine there is seems to last longer, and the finish is smoother. It's easier to clean and it's a harder finish.

It's also a LOT more work than the floor wax method and I suspect upkeep will be quite involved as well. Still, from what I've seen so far, I think good quality, marine-grade wax is superior to floor polish in the long term. Of course, YMMV due to the conditions in which you use and store your trailer.

I admit that my trailer probably lives in an environment that is more harsh than most so we'll see how the 3M wax holds up after a few more months. I'm on my way to Alaska now and after washing the trailer off a couple times already, I can tell the current wax is better than the floor polish was at releasing dirt and bugs. It's also easier to remove black streaks from as well. I wish it was shiny like fresh gelcoat but I don't think any traditional wax can do that to a rig this old that had such a worn and chalky finish when I got it. So far though, I'm happier with the 3M wax than I was with the floor finish.

[Whaler]

After a quick text with the previous owner, he says the Zep was last applied 2 years ago.
So now what to do...? I think I'm gonna start with a wash, then a strip, then maybe another wash with BKF, then do a few tests with "my" methods.
Thank you Gene Masse & Train Junkie.

I will post any updates..

[Glenn Baglo]

If floor wax was a superior way to clean and brighten a fiberglass trailer, don't you think 3M would bottle it and sell it?

[Bob Miller]

Hmmmmm.....
I don't think that ZEP High Traffic Floor Finish is what we used. I believe the recommended product was ZEP Wet Look Floor Polish.
As the Lil Bigfoot we used it on is long gone, and the Hunter's finish is still to new, I haven't had any on hand for some time.


Perhaps others can chime in on which exact ZEP product they used.

[mmeyer]

The only difference between the high traffic and the wet look is the high traffic has more solids which means each application leaves a little more of the shiney stuff


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[Gene Masse]

Looks like we should be using the Poli Glow instead. I wonder if a couple coats of floor wax then finish with a couple coats of Poliglow on top.

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