How to Restore Old Fiberglass

Once Fiberglass deteriorates, The ONLY sure fix is to paint. You can use types of restorers and polishes, but the results fade away within weeks. For some reason, LOTS of people think fiberglass does NOT need regular polishing. I have a friend with a 30 year old Mastercraft red ski boat. Looks brand new. BUT, he is very OCD and washes and Polishes the boat every time he comes home from the lake or river. LOTS of work but the results speak for themselves. Doug

dougrainer wrote:
Once Fiberglass deteriorates, The ONLY sure fix is to paint. You can use types of restorers and polishes, but the results fade away within weeks. For some reason, LOTS of people think fiberglass does NOT need regular polishing. I have a friend with a 30 year old Mastercraft red ski boat. Looks brand new. BUT, he is very OCD and washes and Polishes the boat every time he comes home from the lake or river. LOTS of work but the results speak for themselves. Doug

Yep, once you let fiberglass get chaulky, the only long term fix is painting.

We did it on a prior boat and it was a great option. Should be even easier on an RV. If it's just faded and no underlying damage, you might find a buddy who knows how to spray and it won't be a very hard job. We used a 1 part (interlux brightside) and it was still shiny 3 yrs later when we sold the boat...never buffed or waxed it in that time.

Use PoliGlow. I did it on my last 5er and the difference was like night and day.https://poliglow.com/

HappyKayakers wrote:
Use PoliGlow. I did it on my last 5er and the difference was like night and day.https://poliglow.com/

I've used polyglow on a boat I bought that was 15 yrs old and sat outside ... made it look like new. It lasts a couple of years in the Florida sun until it needs to be reapplied.... easy job... wipe on with a sponge/chamois.

Suggest you search this site for posts on Red Max Pro or ZEP wet look floor finish. These are floor care products available from Home Depot or Lowes. Milky liquid that is easy to apply and gives a shiny finish that last for a long time. I have been using it for the past 20 years on many different Fiberglas motor homes with great success.

TC&Z wrote:
I searched and could not find anything....

Our MH is 16 yrs old. It is white fiberglass with decals. All the decals are ruined from sun exposure on one side so they have been removed. I want to restore the fiberglass before applying new decals. Nothing seems to work. It is thin layer of fiberglass laminated to luan. Using an orbital polisher I have tried polishing compound, Maguaris One Step 67, others, no luck. Any suggestions?

If I am able to get the fiberglass white again (like the areas where the decals were) then what polish or product should I use to restore the shine, the original luster? Not confident that wax alone will do this?

Thanks, trying to take care of her....

You'll never get the fiberglass back to the white and as everyone has mentioned waxes and such are a lot of work with little long term return for aged gelcoat fiberglass. For my 2006 coach I used the white shadow for the decals to mask off and paint. Once the paint was set I use Zep for top coat shine. Lasts a year and a deep clean and reapplication each spring restores the shine. The red is paint while the others are still decals.

Here is something that might interest you. It's about boats but it'll work on RVs too.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=roll+%26+tip+boat+painting&form=ANNTH1&refig=dc3278fb54e740eaae58d6cb6d3ff915&sp=1&lq=0&qs=UT&pq=roll+%26+tip+&sc=9-11&cvid=dc3278fb54e740eaae58d6cb6d3ff915

oldave wrote:
Here is something that might interest you. It's about boats but it'll work on RVs too.

https://www.bing.com/search?q=roll+%26+tip+boat+painting&form=ANNTH1&refig=dc3278fb54e740eaae58d6cb6d3ff915&sp=1&lq=0&qs=UT&pq=roll+%26+tip+&sc=9-11&cvid=dc3278fb54e740eaae58d6cb6d3ff915

. I tried this technique on my back bumper but did not like the way it came out. The video I watched made it look easy but I think the guys were more experienced than me. As far as restoring a worn finish if your MH has some gel coat on the side walls, not filon and you have good shoulders I would try using the red max pro cleaning steps to remove the bulk of the oxidation then use a buffer and cutting compound followed by a polishing compound then a good wax. I have filon side walls and two repaired shoulders and used the red max pro process about 10 years ago and was happy with the results. I live in Ct so the sun did not yellow the finish. Friends that live in the south had yellowing and some peeling. The floor polish adheres good to a worn gel coat but will peel easy on a smooth surface.