Using Zep to restore oxidized fiberglass

[jgeoffw]

A while back I read on the forum recomendations to use Zep. I just bought a gallon jug and the instructions " which are for floors" recommend using 1 or 2 coats of Zep Commercial Stain resistant floor sealer prior to using the Wet Look Finish. Has anyone done this prep on their RV.? Is it necessary, does it prolong the life of the finish?
All replies and recommendations would be gratefully recieved.

[Bill MacDermod]

Originally Posted by jgeoffw

A while back I read on the forum recomendations to use Zep. I just bought a gallon jug and the instructions " which are for floors" recommend using 1 or 2 coats of Zep Commercial Stain resistant floor sealer prior to using the Wet Look Finish. Has anyone done this prep on their RV.? Is it necessary, does it prolong the life of the finish?
All replies and recommendations would be gratefully recieved.

I did mine last year and it still looking good. The procedure is to scrub the surface with bar keepers friend ofanpther abrasive soap powder then 3 or 4 coats of zep or Red Max (same product), this stuff will run like crazy so do small areas at a time, I did it by putting on latex gloves and using a micro fiber cloth about the size of a facecloth and folded it 2X, dip the cloth into the zep and ring it out then start to apply, as I mentioned watch for runs as this stuff dries pretty quick. I did a section at a timeand it actually looks nasty until the 3rd coat then all of a sudden it glows. I plan on giving it a good cleaning this year and applying another coat

[George Lauver]

Geoff...Yes, I applied 2 coats of the sealer first to seal the spider cracks and then topped that with 3 coats of the finishing wax; could not be happier with the end results!

[jgeoffw]

Thanks for your prompt replies guys. Very helpfull and to you George for the photo of your great result. I hope that mine will loo as good. I think that I will go the Sealer route too.

[David B.]

Originally Posted by George Lauver

Geoff...Yes, I applied 2 coats of the sealer first to seal the spider cracks and then topped that with 3 coats of the finishing wax; could not be happier with the end results!

What is the sealer that you used first to seal the spider cracks?

[jgeoffw]

The sealer Zep recommends on the instructions label on the container is Zep Commercial Stain resistant floor sealer

[George Lauver]

Yes, this is the one I used; although if you look close you can still see the cracks, after applying the sealer the finish was smoother to the touch.

[Seasong]

I just did mine with the Zep this weekend but didn't use the sealer, just four coats of the high gloss high traffic floor finish. She's gleaming! I read the 39 page thread and it looked like most folks didn't use the sealer. I'm waiting for the sun to shine to take pictures.

[George Lauver]

I agree Sue, to achieve a shine alone the wax finish is all that is needed. The sole purpose of the sealer is to fill the pores in the gel coat. Is it needed? I truely can not answer that; my finish was so far gone that I chose to follow the recommendation of the manufactures chemist. Each has to decide for themselves.

[rabbit]

Does the sealer appear more or less viscous than the wax? I am guessing that a sealer would be less viscous-- contain less solids. I also think that the majority of the RedMaxPro and ZEP users did not start with the sealer. Same chemical formula in all likelihood. Incidentally, PoliGlow sells an 8" wide chamois over sponge applicator which works well with the floor wax substitutes and threads on to painter's extension pole. Used with a roller pan to get the right load in the chamois, it allows an even and quick application which flats out and doesn't leave swirl marks. Beats wringing out microfiber cloths and avoids the chance of dye in the cloth bleeding into wax.

jack

[George Lauver]

After further research: sealers contain "bigger" polymers that fill imperfections. They simply create a barrier, that allows the finish to stay on top, rather than be sucked into the voids in the surface. A sealer is also harder to remove and will allow the top surface to be scrubbed and recoated without the need to totally strip the entire surface. This made me a believer!

[JSR54]

Jack you are rite about the color bleeding out of the micro fiber towels, I did not realize untill i had 3 coats of zep on my unit that it had a pale green coloring in the finish, I would recomend washing any new micro fiber towels along with a spot of bleach before using them with zep.

[gihuff]

I put on a coat with a buffer, then about 20 minutes later another coat.
Shines no doubt, but looks a little nasty. is it the buffer or just need most coats? Also should i buff with a clean terry cloth buff pad after the last coat?

[rabbit]

Good recommendation, Jay. Bleach should remove excess dye that migrates into the wax. Here's a long 45 page thread on prepping for and applying the floor waxes. http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...ell-43004.html
Lots of good information to add to what you find here.

jack

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by gihuff

I put on a coat with a buffer, then about 20 minutes later another coat.
Shines no doubt, but looks a little nasty. is it the buffer or just need most coats? Also should i buff with a clean terry cloth buff pad after the last coat?

You don't need a buffer and two coats isn't enough.

[gihuff]

Will a person have the task of stripping this stuff off in a couple years?

[KevinPete]

Don't need a buffer, just wipe it on. Shine won't really come out until the 3rd or 4th coat. Then it will amaze you. I've been toying with the idea of a coat of wax over the Zep, but it's really not needed. With some of the changes I've been making in the Scamp, I'll probably end up stripping it and recoating the whole trailer next year, just to keep it all even.

[mmeyer]

Originally Posted by gihuff

Will a person have the task of stripping this stuff off in a couple years?

If you use the zep stripper , my experience is that it is easier to strip than putting on the 5 coats of floor wax. I stripped the polyGlo after 3 years . Had issues with ammonia , I think the zep stripper was about $9/gal and well worth it only took about 45 min. To completely remove everything but the roof which I had spent about half a day on with the ammonia.
Michael J.

[RRJR]

Don't use the buffer. Just a plain lint free cloth. The buffer seems to throw it around and not aply evenly. With a cloth you just wring it out and wipe and when finihed you can start again with next coat , dries quickly. I notice a big difference after the 3 rd coat and then put on two more, GREAT SHINE>

[JSR54]

Originally Posted by Donna D.

You don't need a buffer and two coats isn't enough.

I think that the use of the buffer to apply the floor finish might be a bit much as the product dries rather quickly and the spatter that the buffer would produce maybe detrimental to your project, micro fiber towels worked real well for me, applies evenly and with 4-5 coats you should have a good glosy finish.