Vertglas

[Jay Moeller]

I've been using Starbright on my 1988 Scamp and it looks pretty dang good. Maybe not as nice as brand new gel coat, but I'm pleased. Follow the instructions and use plenty of clean towels. Starbright is not only a wax, but it's a cleaner.

Be sure to take some good before and after pictures... we'd love to see them

Donna,

I am the new owner of a 1994 Bigfoot 17. It has the normal amount of oxidation for a 14 year old egg shell. I am trying to decide to use Vertglas or Meguirs 49 and 45(not sure of the spelling).

I know your have read alot of these mesages over the years, and I noticed that you prefer to use a wax such as Starbright, rather than a finish restorer such as VertGlas. I have read through a number of the posts here but was unable to find anyone who had a negative expereince with VertGlass. However, I found a few posts where VertGlas and Polyglos were not reccomended because they might peel over time. The only negative I heard about a product like Vertglass came to me during my quest for my new egg. The owner of the Bigfoot 17 that is currently for sale in Eugene told me that had to strip a "floor wax" like product off the exterior of his Bigfoot because it looked bad. (Kinda sounds like it might have been Polyglos or Vertglas.

Do you know of anyone who definately had the VertGlas peel?

Thanks
Jay

[Donna D.]

Jay I split this off the Exterior Fiberglass care topic, hopefully it will get it's share of views and you'll get answers to your questions: yep

[Booker B.]

Hi Jay,

I have not used Vertglas or Poliglow but I have ordered and will be applying some Poliglow in the next month. Generally I have read that Poliglow outlast Vertglas (less chance of peel or yellowing mainly) but there are opinions on both sides.

I have also read there are some owners who experienced peel or have bad results using these products. Proponents state clearly that the product works excellent IF YOU FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS EXACTLY. This means doing a very through cleaning using there recommend wax/oxide remover and applying a minimum of 4 coats and preferably 6. They also recommend a once yearly reapplication.

I think if you get a brand new trailer and start using wax you will be good to go for a long time. However, on an older oxidized trailer like my 76 Trillium I don't think I could ever get the Gelcoat to shine with a basic wax.

I will be posting before/after pictures and comments when I do the Poliglow.

[Paul McEwan]

Donna,

I am the new owner of a 1994 Bigfoot 17. It has the normal amount of oxidation for a 14 year old egg shell. I am trying to decide to use Vertglas or Meguirs 49 and 45(not sure of the spelling).

I know your have read alot of these mesages over the years, and I noticed that you prefer to use a wax such as Starbright, rather than a finish restorer such as VertGlas. I have read through a number of the posts here but was unable to find anyone who had a negative expereince with VertGlass. However, I found a few posts where VertGlas and Polyglos were not reccomended because they might peel over time. The only negative I heard about a product like Vertglass came to me during my quest for my new egg. The owner of the Bigfoot 17 that is currently for sale in Eugene told me that had to strip a "floor wax" like product off the exterior of his Bigfoot because it looked bad. (Kinda sounds like it might have been Polyglos or Vertglas.

Do you know of anyone who definately had the VertGlas peel?

Thanks
Jay

I know it's an old post but I might as well help answer the question:

I have used VertGlass and seen PolyGlo to know it's similar. I did 8 coats and it took me about 16 hours of work. It looked fantastic! Like new!

It didn't last a year...

It looks worse now than when I started. So I am looking for a new solution. I can not recommend these products. Unless I can find someone to apply it for me continually I won't be using it again. My time is too valuable, the product too expensive, the fix not lasting enough to bother.

I can say the prep cleaner that comes with VertGlass is quite good for oxidation removal. Now just need to get a shine that lasts.

[Bill MacDermod]

I haven't found anything that will last even a year, I guess I've tried about everything that has been mentioned on these sights and if you don't wax 2 or 3 time a year it won't stay shined if stored outside, therefore sometimes mine looks presentable and sometime it looks plumb sorry. I refuse to beat myself up over it. I wash it before we go out and she seems very happy with that and so am I.

[Markz]

My 1986 Boler is definitely colonial white, but did it start out White White an change colors over time?

Trying to figure out if bleaching is necessary or if thats the way it is, somethings will never change.

[Kevin Poll]

My opinion is that a lot is going to depend on the severity of the oxidation on your trailer.

I have recently finished polishing out the gelcoat on my 35 year old trillium (from 220 grit wet sandpaper in some spots -> 400 wet -> 800 wet -> farecla profile 100 coarse compound -> farecla 300 polishing compound) the whole process was fairly time consuming and I would only recommend it to someone that would find some satisfaction in the process, for me the work was repetitive but relaxing.

Before I did the work: waxing the trailer or using gel gloss or even a bit of tutlewax compound and then wax would get a shine but it wouldn't last a month. something about the microscopic roughness of the surface speeds up the deterioration of whatever wax or protectant you put on your trailer. I understand that poliglow or vertglas seals over the oxidation with a layer of some kind of polymer but if it was me I would consider taking some of the oxidation off first to improve the underlying surface (maybe a quick pass with 800 wet sandpaper).

edit to add:
I know that these products have cleaners that are supposed to remove the oxidation, what i found is that as the gelcoat gets oxidized it becomes softer and slightly porous in the badly oxidized spots, it takes more than a chemical cleaner to improve this. In our case I had to do some aggressive sanding to take some material off and expose the harder, more solid undamaged gelcoat underneath.

I am not trying to discourage using vertglas or poliglow, i just think that you'll get a longer lasting result with the right kind of prep in advance.

Kevin

[V'sGlassSleeper]

I am posting with some concern about what do use to refinish the rest of my Bigfoot. I had purchased 2 Vertglas kits years ago and just this last weekend, I used those to refinish the roof (after installing all new roof fans and vents) Although I definitely had to scrub with the oxidation remover and Barkeeper's Friend to really get off the worst of the oxidation, then washed the surface really well with the Vertglas Boat Wash, I wasn't looking for perfect and the results made me happy (I will upload a photo of the refinished roof later). BUT when I went to order more of the Vertglas sealer to use on the sides of the trailer, I see that the product has been discontinued since 2012 - in fact, Lovett Marine, the manufacturer, seems to have gone out of business! I guess I should have checked on that first.

I am praying now that the Vertglas will never be anything I have to sand off because it was a lot of work to refinish the roof and I was planning to just wash the whole trailer really well and then reapply a new coat every year (per the manufacturer recommendation). Now I wonder how I will maintain the roof surface that I already sealed with Vertglas (what product will I be able to apply OVER the Vertglas product without needing to sand it down to the fiberglass gel coat first)? And, what is the most long-lasting product to use to refinish the rest of the trailer?

I have heard mixed reviews about PoliGlow needing to be redone every few months - I want something I can reapply once a year and not have to sand it down every time! I have read about Zep and 3M Restorer. Zep's customer service on Home Depot's website have stated that their products are meant for interior use only, but many forum users seem to have had great success with it. I am leaning toward 3M Restorer, but would like to hear from more users on the longevity of the 3M coat, especially when the trailer is stored outside. My TT is stored under a shade structure, but is still exposed to the extreme Phoenix, Arizona ambient heat and the sides are exposed to UV, plus there is plenty of dust and dirt that blows around. What I loved about the Vertglas was that the dirt just rinses right off, but now I wonder - do I wax it once a year to maintain the finish or will it end up peeling no matter what I do?

My travel trailer is a 1988 Bigfoot B19 and I am not looking to make it "like new" but just to restore the eggshell to glossy to help repel dirt and water and to protect the finish. I want a product that I can wash really thoroughly once year and either recoat with one layer of the same or similar sealant product or wax it to keep it in good condition. I would love your input if you have any experience with fiberglass refinishers over the long-term (several years' worth). Thank you!

I just called a Marine Store here and they recommended Maguiar's Flagship Premium Marine Wax, but I am still wanting to hear about the 3M brand before I buy... 3M sells several waxes. Can anyone comment on this? Thank you!