Floor Polish? buff or not,,, wax or not.

[ampline]

Today,,, I began buffing my 1990 16 ft scamp with a mild buffing compound and applying a Mcquiers cleaner wax... And sadly the shine is not that great for all the work involved. My gel coat is not in bad condition either (a little chalky here and there). So after doing some research,,, and reading some threads regarding RedMax, Zep, and Poliglow.. I am thinking that i am going to give one of these products a shot. I want the shine. So,, my questions are...

Do i need to strip the mcquires wax with some tsp or bars keepers before applying these floor polishes? (will the floor polish stick to the areas that are already waxed?)

Should i continue to buff before applying these polishes? or do i just need to clean with a scuff pad and some bars keeper friend?

Which is better,,, zep or RedMax? (i don't think i have the money for polyglo and it seems it is mostly the same product )

Thanks, Any info is greatly appreciated. We are expecting dry weather for the next few days... Time to make it shine.

[RogerDat]

I would say yes strip any existing wax to clean gel coat before application of any other wax product. Don't expect this wax to stick to some other wax and peeling would not look good.

No point to buffing, the Zep and RM will fill in the pits with the first two or three coats you apply. That "filling" action is why it works so well on the older trailers. It allows the final coat to be applied to a smooth reflective surface.

I would suggest the BKF and TSP along with a good rinse.
You want the trailer as clean as you can get it so you don't trap dirt or left over cleaner under the clear wax.

Watch out for runs as both waxes are really thin, wipe any runs off quickly because runs will harden fast. I applied with a white (no color to bleed from cloth) micro fiber cloth.

My experience was in the time I could work may way around the camper applying a thin coat where I started was dry and ready to start the next coat. Went really fast. Note the "thin" coat. It was really like wiping with a damp rag.

I would avoid doing it in high heat, direct sun. I think it would dry too fast and any overlap in wiping might run into half dry wax and disturb the smooth spread of the coat. Same as painting when it's too hot tends to leave brush strokes.

I used RM #3 and was happy with it. But others have been happy with the Zep.

Post pictures when done!

[rabbit]

Have a look at the "Not Polyglo . . . Time will tell" thread. Use the Google search box on the search dropdown menu. There is a mine of information there on methods of application and opinions both pro and con of the merits of floor wax on fiberglass.

jack

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Have a look at the "Not Polyglo . . . Time will tell" thread. Use the Google search box on the search dropdown menu. There is a mine of information there on methods of application and opinions both pro and con of the merits of floor wax on fiberglass.

jack

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ell-43004.html

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by ampline

Today,,, I began buffing my 1990 16 ft scamp with a mild buffing compound and applying a Mcquiers cleaner wax... And sadly the shine is not that great for all the work involved. My gel coat is not in bad condition either (a little chalky here and there).

Where you able to get the chalky off? If so it may be that you just need to put another coat of real good wax on it by hand to get the shine to come out. I know from using the combo wax and clean type products they dont give you a great final shine - and in the case of 3M products 3M suggest they need a final coat of a good wax only to bring the shine out - put on by hand. It worked for me and perhaps as you have already put so much time into it, it may be worth a try before stripping it all.

[RogerDat]

As Carol says sometimes the combination buff and wax "restore" products can yield better results if followed by the complimentary wax only product from the same manufacturer. Two things reduce the shine, chalking of the surface and pitting which make the surface less smooth and reflective. If you have removed the chalk by rubbing it out then a second coat of wax may fill in the pits.

I can sum up the con of floor wax on fiberglass.
1). It penatrates and prior to painting total removal is required to avoid "fish eyes" from the reaction of paint over wax.
2). The long term track record of both Zep and RM is unknown for this use. UV resistance, repeated application results, and the most effective process for total removal are less established than say paste wax.

The first is a given for any wax type product but since few have used the floor wax and then painted their trailer the best process for doing that is not really well established.

The second concern is getting reduced the longer people use these products and can provide feed back on real world experiences.

Poliglow has the same issues on removal for painting. It's pretty close to the same product just diluted and more expensive.

Use the link Tom provided and you will find a wealth of information and discussion to help you decide and implement.

I'm really happy with the results of RedMax (as is DW) but my trailer is 34 years old and the white gel coat without the RM is so pitted it is slightly rough to the touch and wearing thin in places, I can't rub it out to a smooth surface. Now it's all shiny and looks almost new. I would also add if your going to replace decals or stripes do it first so you stick them to trailer not the wax.

Newer trailer with less wear and age on the gel coat such as yours or Carols could have other options that would yield good results.

[Carol H]

Actually you can use pretty well any brand of paste wax as long as its a good one. Like the floor wax the more costs you add the shiner you will find it gets.

[ampline]

i applied it today... and WOW... I am a happy man. It looks awesome. I took my time, followed all the steps, and i am amazed. I will post some pics soon. I finished as it was getting dark.... and to be honest, i sat and stared at it for an hour. It erased 22 years of neglected gel coat. My father (fiberglass guru) was amazed.. He lives on a houseboat.... and he will be coating the sides of his boat with it... He has used poly-glo, and he testified that zep is as good, if not better.

[DaMScampers]

Ampline, I am finding myself in the same spot as you began. In your thread there are a lot of great suggestions and then you say that you "applied it today..." What was the IT that you applied? Would you do a followup post and tell us exactly what you did?

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by DaMScampers

Ampline, I am finding myself in the same spot as you began. In your thread there are a lot of great suggestions and then you say that you "applied it today..." What was the IT that you applied? Would you do a followup post and tell us exactly what you did?

Probably Zep Wet look floor wax, as the Red Max Pro 3 has been phased out.

[Mikmay]

Just got in from putting zep wet look on the burro.I painted the burro a little more than a year ago with valspar tractor paint it looked fantastic with a real nice shine . With in a few months it started to loose it's shine until it has become very dull and lifeless .ive done my other trailers with zep wet look with fantastic results so I was not going to even bother with wax on the burro ,went right to the zep wet look after putting on the zep sealer. I'll tell you it looks better than it ever did when freshly painted I would never use wax again