Brightening the exterior finish
We bought a 2003 Itasca Spirit 30 footer and it's in good shape but the finish is rather dull; probably spent it's life outdoors. Has anyone found anything good for this? I tried Nu-finish wax, no imp...
Forum Discussion
The whiteners in the Filon sheeting fade from UV exposure, the yellowing is not something that is going to wash off.
It is like an oxidized paint, you have to get back to color by abrading the surface down to wher it is not yet UV damaged. Abrasive polishing will do that. There used to be chemical agents to do the job for pre-clearcoat automotive finishes, but they don't really work for the plastic on the side of our RVs.
Covering it with wax, or a clear plastic floor finish, won't brighten the color underneath. It won't slow down the color change either, unless what you use is a UV shield (there are a couple out there) and some of the protective finishing materials meant for indoor use might also yellow with age.
You have to decide whether the work of rubbing it all down past the dingy part is worth it for you, and you'll probably want to do it without damage to the applied graphics (which have almost certainly faded) because the color under the graphics is going to be different, having been protected from exposure to light.
It is like an oxidized paint, you have to get back to color by abrading the surface down to wher it is not yet UV damaged. Abrasive polishing will do that. There used to be chemical agents to do the job for pre-clearcoat automotive finishes, but they don't really work for the plastic on the side of our RVs.
Covering it with wax, or a clear plastic floor finish, won't brighten the color underneath. It won't slow down the color change either, unless what you use is a UV shield (there are a couple out there) and some of the protective finishing materials meant for indoor use might also yellow with age.
You have to decide whether the work of rubbing it all down past the dingy part is worth it for you, and you'll probably want to do it without damage to the applied graphics (which have almost certainly faded) because the color under the graphics is going to be different, having been protected from exposure to light.
