Zep polish?

Lotsa Zep posts.

I just did mine. Previously I tried Mequire's marine wax. The RV did not shine and even looked blotchy. I hand rubbed in a second coat and in places tried a third coat. The results were no better.

I had to use wax stripper and then soapy water with ammonia. I then went over the whole unit rubbing with bar keepers friend. By comparison the Zep went on quickly with no rubbing or work. I stopped at 4 coats which took about 3 hours to apply. The RV now looks good and shines in the sun. I hope it is now also easy to keep clean.

If the internet reports are correct, the finish should hold up for at least a year, then a good wash and another coat or two should hold it another year. We will see.

I don't think the Zep process is expensive. Actually I think it is very inexpensive.

Zep/Red Max Pro Application Process

It is time consuming but, not hard work. It did a nice job on our 96 Southwind.
If you don't like the idea of floor wax on your RV, just do the cleaning process and then apply the automotive wax of your choice.

Preparation is the key to having a nice finished job with whatever wax you chose.

I used a similar product marketed especially for Marine and RV applications called PoliGlow. I am a very satisfied customer. I think it is basically the same as Zep but requires fewer steps to apply. It is more expensive.

For anyone interested and reading old internet posts, I think the Lowe's red max is long gone. I could not even find the Zep Wet Look acrylic floor finish. The newer Zep product is called High Traffic floor polish. I found it at both Lowes and Home Depot.

I used it on my MH about 8 years ago and was pleased with the results.I would not use it on a newer MH that still has good gel coat shine it will flake off. It lasted about 3 years before it needed another application. The front cap area needed more applications due to the bugs being cleaned off. I never did strip the old stuff off I just recoated it and it blended in well. It will wear off by itself after repeated washing's. Some from Az or other sunny areas of the country have reported yellowing, I never saw any being from CT.

I used it on my 2005 Travel Trailer. First, I gave the camper a good cleaning. Then applied 4 coats of ZEP. Easy to apply. Results are fantastic. The shine stills looks good after being outside all winter.

If you want to restore a brilliant shine without a ton of work or money, then ZEP seems like the way to go. I would use it again.

There are two end goals being pursued--remove any oxidized or fading color, make a gloss shine for the finish.

The oxidization can be removed with a variety of products. For me, the easiest is to use Jasco Prepaint Conditioner in a garden sprayer and brush with a long handled soft bristle brush. Sometimes, an additional spray of Jasco (diluted) is required. I've used this product on many different vehicle and non-vehicle surfaces over the years. It is now a non-TSP alternative. TSP will also work, as will any phosphoric acid based product. In a former career servicing sailboats, we used more intense acids to clean hulls. Unwarranted for RV's.

The shine can be applied with the myriad of waxes available. Boat/marine wax systems work well for fiberglass sided RV's. Floor wax leaves a durable shine but the synthetic, heavier waxes may crack and peel from road use or UV degradation. Vehicle waxes will leave a shine on even aluminum sided trailers. I am now using Parfe liquid wax. It is applied by spraying and leaves a fairly durable shine.

I'm the original poster and am working on polishing mine; about 1/4 done. It's turning out pretty well and improving the looks. It's hard to tell which is helping the most. The prep cleaning with Awesome and rubbing(hard) or applying the polish with a sponge(easy). No doubt takes both. The polish applies a shine but does no cleaning.

Jayco-noslide wrote:
I'm the original poster and am working on polishing mine; about 1/4 done. It's turning out pretty well and improving the looks. It's hard to tell which is helping the most. The prep cleaning with Awesome and rubbing(hard) or applying the polish with a sponge(easy). No doubt takes both. The polish applies a shine but does no cleaning.

The intense rubbing and the heavy surfactant soap is removing the oxidation layer. It can be done a lot easier with different chemicals but it will SEEM better after all of that rubbing.