Trillium - how to shine??

[Beernink]

Hi.. searching for your advice We just purchased 1975 Trillium. It is dull looking. What methods we need to do to make it shine again?

Thank you Roger - Marilyn

[Thomas G.]

Check out this thread:

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...-43004-27.html

[RRJR]

Hi Marilyn
I have a 75 trillium (green) & have been advised by a friend to use "VIM" bathroom cleaner (not the one with bleach). I have tried a couple of test spots and lookd good.
I plan to wash the trailer first with a mild soap and water then use Vim with a car polisher. I have all the plastic strips from windows removed and will seal after polish and then replace the strips. I may also look into a final finish with a clear marine coating or I've also heard a clear hard floor coating does a good job.
Will make postings as I proceed.
Ron

[Jan F.N]

Originally Posted by Beernink

Hi.. searching for your advice We just purchased 1975 Trillium. It is dull looking. What methods we need to do to make it shine again?

Thank you Roger - Marilyn

I read somewhere to try "Gel-Gloss" as our Trillium had mold and tree sap spots over a large area of the roof and upper half when we purchased it last fall. This requires a little elbow grease if you do not use a polisher however the results speak for themself. Less than $10 for a 16 oz can at Cdn Tire and WalMart. It cleans and polishes.

[Rick G]

Originally Posted by Beernink

Hi.. searching for your advice We just purchased 1975 Trillium. It is dull looking. What methods we need to do to make it shine again?

Thank you Roger - Marilyn

I agree, check out this thread: Check this out NOT Poliglow...Time will tell.. I just did this a couple of weeks ago on our Trillium (see post 337 on the thread) and it looks great.

Rick G

[Dezzh]

I have a 75 Trillium.. and it too was very dull/hazy and almost rough to the touch. I went to a marine store, purchased a 3M product. One bottle was just a polishing compound and the other was a Restorer & Wax. It took me 4 full days by hand, and I'll tell you that it looks like brand new. The feel of the trailer to the touch is like GLASS.

If you can afford the time... it is well worth it.

cheers...

[RogerDat]

3M rubbing, polish or scratch polish is fine to super fine abrasive which rubs off the chalking that old paint or gel coat does. I apply using a soft wet rag. Removes those black run down streaks well BUT... you are removing some surface so don't over rub and there is a limit to how many times one can do it. Your not removing the "pits" that make it rough and dull but rubbing off the high points to make it smooth and removing the chalky paint to let the good paint show. The chalked surface is the top of the paint degrading but it provides a layer that protects the "good" finish underneath from UV.

Bar keepers friend is a special type of bleach and super duper fine abrasive that can be a good cleaning choice, comes as a powder in a shaker can. Apply with a wet rag or small auto detail brush, does trailer finish and aluminum both rather well.

The not Pliglow link provided by Rick is about putting a protective coat on using inexpensive but heavy duty floor wax. Wax (from Rick or the one mentioned by Dezz) fills pits and provides a smooth shiny surface over the color underneath. With the added advantage of being easy to clean and preventing chalking until it wears off.

So you wash to get the grit off then if needed polish with a non-wax very mild abrasive, then apply wax to seal the whole thing. Wax needs a clean, well rinsed, dry, and wax free surface to stick to.

I would avoid wax and polish in one. I like to control the polish stage to get it right, then apply wax when it looks as good as I think it will get. Plan on using the Red Max #3 as described in the link by RickG.

Get before and after pictures :-)

[Normand Choiniere]

Don't loose your time with car wax, Polyglow, 3M, Vertgalss etc... I've tried all of them. Go for Red max Pro3 (now Zep Wet Look (identical at Home depot)). Nothing beats that floor finish and nothing is easier to do.

[Beernink]

Normad...What steps do we need to do to apply Red Max Pro 3? When I look at Red Max Pro website.. there are several types, stripper, high gloss finish and floor finish?? Which ones did you use?

thank you Marilyn

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Beernink

Normad...What steps do we need to do to apply Red Max Pro 3? When I look at Red Max Pro website.. there are several types, stripper, high gloss finish and floor finish?? Which ones did you use?

thank you Marilyn

It is all laid out here in detail. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...-43004-27.html

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Dezzh

I have a 75 Trillium.. and it too was very dull/hazy and almost rough to the touch. I went to a marine store, purchased a 3M product. One bottle was just a polishing compound and the other was a Restorer & Wax. It took me 4 full days by hand, and I'll tell you that it looks like brand new. The feel of the trailer to the touch is like GLASS.

If you can afford the time... it is well worth it.

cheers...

I also had excelling results using 3M Restore and wax to get all the marks and caulking off mine when I first got it - but I used a power buffer and it took less than a day. Have since only used the 3M cleaner for tough stains and give it a good wash & wax at the start of each year.

[Rodre]

I took mine to a boat place and they cut polished it and it looks brand new. It was expensive but worth it to me. The difference was night and day. Now all I do is give it a good dousing of Areospace Protectant once a year and that protects it from UV rays and the water just beads off of it. I also store mine inside now as it is the UV rays and rain then drying again that makes them get oxidized, not to mention the things that like to grow in the pores in the gel coat. Avoid parking/storing your Trillium under the trees around your house, especially if you live in a moist climate.

[RogerDat]

On all surfaces there is a limit to how many times they can be power buffed, rubbed out or cut polished with rubbing compound. These all smooth the surface by removing some of the gel coat or paint to get rid of both the chalking on the surface and pitting.

An old trailer may have had this been done in the past or the pits may be deep enough that getting surface to smooth means removing a lot of gel coat, leaving it pretty thin.

That is one big advantage to using Red Max #3, or Zep wet look. They are a very thin liquid that as you wipe on each coat fills in the pits until your polish coat is smooth. typically 4 or 5 coats. But the coats go on fast. Your just wiping it on, by the time you finish first coat were you started is probably dry enough to start over.

Key is just to totally clean it first, that is where the time is invested. Bar keepers friend is just enough to get the chalky surface off as well as stains. TSP, bucket and brush to clean it some more, rinse really really well.

Let dry and start wiping on the floor wax. Couple hours later stand back and say "WOW"

I would add one caveat, if your thinking you will paint in the future avoid any wax or polish, it will all have to be 100% stripped to get a decent paint job. Even a small amount of wax residue can mess up a paint job (fish eye) and paint generally won't stick well to polish (peeling in the nooks and crannies where you did not get polish removed)

That said I see no reason to paint when my 35 year old camper that used to have all the shine of a real egg now looks pretty much like new from the Red Max treatment. This picture is a copy, of a reduced size copy, copied again to remove license plate. In person you could ID the trees by looking at the reflection of the leaves that you can still see around the left top corner.

http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/m...icture2024.jpg

[Rodre]

"On all surfaces there is a limit to how many times they can be power buffed, rubbed out or cut polished with rubbing compound."

This is very true, but I figured the first .01mm of gel coat lasted 30 years so now that I have it back to new it should last my life time with the proper care, this is why I store it inside now.

If you store it outside it is probably better to use the treatments, otherwise you will have to cut polish it every so often, if you want to keep it looking new, and you can probably only do this 2-3 times.

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by Rodre

"On all surfaces there is a limit to how many times they can be power buffed, rubbed out or cut polished with rubbing compound."

This is very true, but I figured the first .01mm of gel coat lasted 30 years so now that I have it back to new it should last my life time with the proper care, this is why I store it inside now.

If you store it outside it is probably better to use the treatments, otherwise you will have to cut polish it every so often, if you want to keep it looking new, and you can probably only do this 2-3 times.

Good point on the outside vs inside storage. That would make a big difference.

On mine the roof was the tell tale area, clearly had the deepest pits and appeared to have had the most wear possibly from prior attempts to rub it out, or just weathering. I know previous two owners stored it outside for years and figure roof took the worst weather related wear and tear.

[Carol H]

The roof on mine was great either - suspect in part it gets the most sun damage and as its hard to wax it didnt get taken care of all that well over the years. But once I used the 3M restore and Wax on it with a power puffer all good. Just need to finish it off with a good wax each spring and fall and the compound power buff should not be needed again for many years.

[rabbit]

+4 or is it +5 on the Red Max Pro (or Zep) and Barkeeper's Friend. The #3 is the finish you want in Red Max. Some have used the prep solution also. Personally I think the official Polyglow applicator is worth the money (an 8" wide block and artificial chamois wrap threaded for painter's extension pole and a smaller chamois for detail. Used with a roller pan for getting the right amount (wet but not soppy), this applicator gives a wide swath which levels very nicely. Many report good results with microfiber rag as applicator. Be careful that the rag is colorfast as there are a few reports of yellowing of the finish and yellow is a common color for the rags.

jack