WHAT TREATMENT TO USE ON INTERIOR CABINETS

that's what I figured. My doors are real wood with some kind of stain finish but everything else is photo-shop. there just isn't enough call for the high quality cabinets in a TT to justify the cost. it would seem. that's why I use pledge as it gives the plastic a nice silicone shine. probably could use the fast wax for car finishes or 303 with the same results. Remember, it's a TT.

Highway 4x4 wrote:
i wish i had real wood to deal with but the fact is that other than the cabinet doors, it's all just a stuck on decal picture of wood. I think most TT's are that way. So, how do you protect and beautify that vinyl or whatever it is decal? damage it and you're done.

The real answer... You can't.

You simply can not put anything on vinyl cabinet "finishes" which will protect or bring them back to new looking.

Placing oily stuff or using any harsh cleaners is simply going to cause much more damage than if you simply used a clean dish cloth which is damp with a light amount of gentle dish soap (IE Dawn).

Pretty much most RVs sadly use vinyl laminate "decals" over top cheap press board (basically glue and sawdust pressed together under heat and pressure).

It is cheap and quick for the RV manufacturers to use so .. they use it.

More expensive RVs may use real wood doors or real wood laminated finishes. These types can be refreshed with new finishes provided the top wood laminate layer or in the case of full wood is not water damaged, broken or peeling loose.

Vinyl.. Pretty much a lost cause at best, think Ikea knockdown furniture type of quality.

They are not designed or intended to last but a few years.

Wash them and call it a day.

If you were planning to keep your RV then you could consider having new cabinet doors made. Many cabinet makers out there or find a vocational school which may have a cabinet making class or at least a good wood working class.

Making new doors isn't all that hard if you have the time and a few good tools. I built all new cabinets and doors for my TT using a portable table saw, biscuit cutter some clamps, glue, brad nailer and a lot of patience.

i wish i had real wood to deal with but the fact is that other than the cabinet doors, it's all just a stuck on decal picture of wood. I think most TT's are that way. So, how do you protect and beautify that vinyl or whatever it is decal? damage it and you're done.

Wow, such varied advice, some of it is bound to be wrong. I was holding back waiting for the dust to settle. Until I retired three weeks ago :-) I owned and operated a business that did furniture repair and refinishing, including kitchen cabinet refurbishing.

First thing you need to do is to determine what is on there now. Could be a vinyl coating, RTF (thermo-foil), lacquer, pre-cat lacquer, UV cured, conversion finish, or waterborne finish. It is almost certainly not "polyurethane" that you can buy at Home Depot. Most people think all clear finishes must be poly because that's all they see at the paint store or big box. In 11 years of this work, I never saw a polyurethane finish on a factory-finished piece. It's simply not a production finish. Though there are some two-part polys, they are very specialized and I never encountered one. If it's a plastic or conversion finish, cleaning may be all you can do because finishes won't stick to that stuff.


First, I would suggest just a good cleaning, both with a detergent like Dawn and water to remove the water-soluble stuff, and with mineral spirits to remove the non-water soluble stuff. In my industry, these are known as "polar" and "non-polar" solvents. See below for the link that explains how to clean.

The fact that you have used Pledge is unfortunate. Its silicone oil will upset the surface tension on almost all finishes and cause them to fish-eye (flow out in small little craters). Shellac (Bullseye is one brand in aerosol, and Sealcoat is a canned version that's dewaxed), are both by the same company, Zinsser. This is one of the few products that will not fish eye. In addition, shellac will stick to most any finish, and most finishes will stick to it if it's de-waxed. There are fish-eye preventer additives, but you'd need to have a spray system set up. Go with the aerosol shellac. Pledge, in my book is evil and I've come to hate it. I'll stop there.

Other comments:
- I have found Murphy's oil soap much less effective than Dawn. I've worked on some old pieces that the customer had cleaned six times with it and using my products, I'd get about 1 square foot done before the cloth was so black that I'd need to get a new one.

- I have found Howard's Restor-a-Finish little more than a furniture polish with a little denatured alcohol and a little color added. It looks good for a few weeks, then the product seems to have evaporated away and it looks like it did before.

- Lemon Oils are typically just light mineral oil with a dash of yellow dye and lemon scent. Adds a little sheen and slowly evaporates.

- There are various versions of Thompson's Water Seal. The oil-based ones seem to be a lot of thinner ("light aromatic hydrocarbons", naphtha, mineral spirits, stoddard solvent, or description choice of manufacturer) and a splash of wax. Rather than go this route, just buy some Johnson's Paste Wax, Minwax, Liberon tinted waxes, etc., if you are so inclined. Finishing guru, Bob Flexner says, "A wax finish is about the closest thing there is to no finish at all." Just because water is beading up, that's surface tension and is not preventing the water from penetrating.

- Briwax contains toluene (aka tolulol), that is a fairly strong solvent and can attack some finishes, namely lacquer. It's meant as a restoration wax. I've seen it damage some finishes. Briwax II uses mineral spirits that is safer. And no, mineral spirits will not damage finishes. I've seen it pull some color on one rustic Asian pieces that were finished with a concoction of mineral spirits, tar (Gilsonite) and a bit of linseed oil. Again, really rare.

- Best treatise on the subject
Saving the finish

Thanks JimnDenver for the info on the finishes. But really, the finish on the cabinets in my TT are not going to protect them at all. If I put something on the cabinets that, over a period of several years does harm the finish but in the meantime, they look better, I call that the price I pay. I don't plan on having this TT for that many years. The cabinets will probably outlive the fiberglass exterior skin anyway.

Thank you all for your input. We are going with the murphys oll
Happy trails,
Kyle

I don't build the cabinets, I own the cleaning service that deals with them for decades after they have been built. We have been taking care of high end homes for 30 years. I have seen many pieces damaged with products that should have never been used in the first place. Once the finish is damaged on a 500 year old piece, there is no fixing or replacing it without completely destroying the value.

Is the wood bare, you can use a number of products to improve the look of the surface.

Finished wood is different. The finish is there to create a look, protect the wood and is not intended to be treated. It is hard enough that it will protect the wood from products you put there to help the wood, sometimes sacrificing itself doing so. The oil never gets to the wood but it can slowly damage the finish. Even the oil on finger prints will eventually destroy the finish if not removed. So if the finish is damaged, refinish it.

Pledge by the way is the worse thing you can use. It contains silicone and can craze a finish. Dust with a damp cloth, clean as soon and mildly as possible. Remember that anything that will desolve grease will do the same to finish.

If they are real wood and you don't want to have to do this again for a long time, then put a new finish on them. Lightly sand with 220 grit until all shininess is gone and then at least 2 coats of water based urethane. 3 coats if on bare wood, depending on how much of the original finish remains.
Good luck.

The finish on many of the TT's cabinets, especially the new ones is part of the problem. The quality of the wood and finish in an effort to cut cost and weight has suffered. I would be very careful with any petroleum product as the finish on much of the cabinets is just a stick on vinyl picture. I am not sure what I will use but Pledge, 303, and Minwax are on the list and perhaps a Howards product.
You would probably have much nicer cabinets and doors if you had one of the kitchen cabinet re-facing companies just re-surface the entire interior, but that would cost $$$.

Water based polyurathane will work well. We have had it in our house, on the floors and cabinets for 15 years. When it wears you can touch it uo with a pint of it.