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03-24-2014, 01:44 PM
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#1
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Junior Member
Name: Dale
Trailer: Allegro
California
Posts: 3
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Restoring Fiberglass
Hi,Mr.Zee here(my username).Im new to this forum and just realized Ispent some time asking for help,but put my topic in the wrong spot,whoops.Anyway can someone help me,cause I want to restore the fiberglss on my 27 yr old Allegro.It has deep cracking,andbad oxidation.Is there a product to restore the dry fiberglass back to close to original,or do I have to prep and apply new gelcoat?Sure would appreciate some advice.Thanks,Mr.Zee
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Fiberglass RV mobile app
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03-24-2014, 02:07 PM
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#2
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Senior Member
Name: Francesca Knowles
Trailer: '78 Trillium 4500
Jefferson County, Washington State, U.S.A.
Posts: 4,669
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Not too many actual fiberglass restoration experts here- mostly hobbyists devoted to a certain "type" of trailer.
For a more technical question like yours:
I've gotten my best advice per fiberglass restoration from boatbuilders. I'm lucky enough to live in an area with lots of those, but online forums on that subject are also a wealth of information. And there are TONS of Youtube videos on the subject!
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03-24-2014, 02:24 PM
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#3
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Junior Member
Name: Dale
Trailer: Allegro
California
Posts: 3
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Francisca,Thanks for advice.I live in the California north bay delta,and will take your advice seriously.Mr.Zee
Sent from my SGH-M919 using Fiberglass RV mobile app
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03-24-2014, 03:14 PM
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#4
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Senior Member
Trailer: 2002 19 ft Scamp 19 ft 5th Wheel
Posts: 3,640
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Check with a large boat repair dealership. Me, I would clean the ox off, fill the cracks and put on a good paint job.
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03-24-2014, 03:34 PM
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#5
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Senior Member
Name: s
Trailer: none
us
Posts: 128
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I'm far from being an expert but if in your situation I would consider painting as an option. Gelcoat with pigment, white or otherwise, is a cost effective way of achieving a finish but there are other ways to obtain one, some even better in my opinion. Coach House motorhomes for example are all molded fiberglass but receive a painted finish over the gelcoat. They're probably the best quality fiberglass and finish work that I've seen. Gelcoat is really a painted finish in a way, it's just applied during the mold process. This essentially skips a step making it less expensive to produce.
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03-25-2014, 02:28 AM
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#6
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Senior Member
Name: Dave
Trailer: Casita SD17 2006 "Missing Link"
California
Posts: 3,738
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Interesting comment on gelcoat and paint. I can see what you are saying about the gel being cheaper for production. I've never owned anything fiberglassed that was painted. The first thing that comes to mind is a Corvette, they are painted right ?
My dune buggy is a red gel coat finish, 20+ years old and has had, well.... an expirienced off road life. She's a bit sun faded and has a few scrapes here and there but the overall finish is good and has held up fine.
I'm sure a painted fiberglass trailer would hold up for many years of road use. Everything in life has pluses and minuses .
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03-25-2014, 06:14 AM
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#7
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Senior Member
Trailer: Class A Motorhome
Posts: 7,912
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Original gelcoat is one of the significant advantages of molded fiberglass construction. As mentioned, on many products, such as dune buggies and boats, a wide variety of very complex and durable finished can be created that become a part of the finished surface. The fact that it can be created in the mold at lower cost than painting afterwards is merely a plus to the technique. Just imagine trying to create any of the metalflake finishes with a spray gun.
For trailers, boats. and a wide range of recreational vehicles I can't imagine a better and more durable coating. If some on knows of such please mention it by name.
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03-25-2014, 09:50 AM
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#8
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Senior Member
Name: Chuck
Trailer: tp
Washington
Posts: 649
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I am not an expert but I have coated several dull fiberglass trailers with PoliGlow with great success. PoliGlow was developed for sailboats. It is not a wax. It is clear coat that effectively seals the surface and produces a shine that has been measured to exceed 5 times that of the best waxes. Easy to apply just wipe on it may take 2 or 3 coats. No buffing required. I bought the product at MyBoatStore.com - Proven boat care, finishing, waxing, and maintenance products..
Chuck
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03-25-2014, 09:56 AM
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#9
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Member
Name: steve
Trailer: Born Free Fiberglass
California
Posts: 51
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Check out Tap Plastics.
They have stores all over. At least one in the Bay Area.
Also go their web site. tapplastics.com
Click Fiberglass, then click Gel Coats and watch the 2 videos on how to do refinishing.
Sounds like what you need.
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03-27-2014, 09:36 PM
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#10
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Senior Member
Name: s
Trailer: none
us
Posts: 128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Borrego Dave
Interesting comment on gelcoat and paint. I can see what you are saying about the gel being cheaper for production. I've never owned anything fiberglassed that was painted. The first thing that comes to mind is a Corvette, they are painted right ?
My dune buggy is a red gel coat finish, 20+ years old and has had, well.... an expirienced off road life. She's a bit sun faded and has a few scrapes here and there but the overall finish is good and has held up fine.
I'm sure a painted fiberglass trailer would hold up for many years of road use. Everything in life has pluses and minuses .
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Another example of painted fiberglass is a camper shell. The Leer shell on my pickup has a painted finish to match the truck and has held up better than the finish on my trailer despite being older and left out in the sun much longer.
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03-27-2014, 09:37 PM
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#11
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Senior Member
Name: s
Trailer: none
us
Posts: 128
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stev
Check out Tap Plastics.
They have stores all over. At least one in the Bay Area.
Also go their web site. tapplastics.com
Click Fiberglass, then click Gel Coats and watch the 2 videos on how to do refinishing.
Sounds like what you need.
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Nice videos on the Tap Plastics site. Thanks for pointing them out.
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