Shiny RV with Red Max Pro (pics)

[EMD360]

How many of you use this stuff? We were getting that chalky finish with faded and peeling graphics. I was waxing it with Meguiars--trying to avoid the graphics and spray them with 303 Protectant instead. I spray the dirt off after almost every trip too. We've only had it 15 months--I hated to see it get "old looking" under my care.
Replant just mentioned Lowes Red Max Pro and I read the links. Wow! Why not take the chance that the fiberglass would be looking shiny and new?
It worked! Here are a few pics.

The graphics bleed out color when washed.

And they were peeling up at the edges. I took a flat razor blade holder and trimmed off the peeling edges--

This is after the trimming. They are a bit ragged in places, but at least no longer peeling.

I used my little power sprayer with TSP in it and scrubbed with Bar Keeper's Friend as recommended.

This is the tire cover with one side is just washed with a sponge and TSP, the other is washed with a green scrubbie and Bar Keeper's Friend. I also used the white scrubbie (1000 grit sandpaper grade and much more expensive) for scratches--it did wonders even on the cab metal but for most of the job I used the cheap green stuff. I completely wore out 4 half sheets!

This is a "before" of the cleaned passenger side.

Red Max Pro Step 3 ready to apply.

Finished! It took me about 10 hours to do the job.

Plus I washed and waxed the cab. But by this time I was losing daylight so it is harder to see the shine.
I'm really pleased with the results. The recommendation is a new coat every year--that is a lot longer time period than waxing.
This was a good project for the start of a great season. I think it was worth the effort!

[Jason_Nipp]

OK, so perhaps I missed some, please don't shoot if I missed the answers.

So with Redmax, do any of the coats required being buffed out?

How does Redmax compare to PoliGlow?

Romer1, you said you used a DAWN solution, was this instead of TSP?

I have considerable oxidation as well as fiberglass weave, perhaps my gel coat is wearing thin... will Redmax seal this?

I am assuming prep is the longest step in this process?

I need to do some caulking as well, is it advisable to caulk before or after this process?

Thanks

[EMD360]

I just washed ours last weekend after our camping trip the week before. It was very easy to wash, but I still had to use the Bounce dryer sheet to get off the bug goo. After I used the sprayer to get the dust off, I used dish detergent, not Dawn but what I had on hand with a bucket and sponge. It kept its shine and looks great. I hate to take it back to storage, it is so pretty. 🙂

[LT_E5]

Still no pictures yet but I finished up today. It looks 10x better. The first side I used the TSP powder then Bar Keepers both with the green scrubby.. The 3 other sides I used Bar Keepers then Greased Lightning with a green scrubby. The sides with the Greased Lightning were easier to clean and seemed to come out better. On a side note, I did the plastic trim around the entry door window. I had a dark drip run down the side which was real difficult to clean up. This tell me that this is a real durible finish. I didn't have any stripper so I used the Greased Lighting and scrubby and had to scrub quite abit.

[California_Boon]

Thanks to all of you who have posted!

This past weekend, I started the project and have about 1/2 of my Jamboree completed. Surface prep is the hardest part, the actual application of the wax is easy and certainly the pay off! It looks unbelievable!

I'm anxious to see how the finish reacts to time and the weather. I am very pleased with the end result. It's never looked better.

[LT_E5]

EMD360 wrote:

LT E5 wrote:
I'm currently in the process of waiting for the 4th coat to dry. I figure I would put on 5 coats. My only complaint is little bugs are flying into the side and sticking to the wet RedMax. Other than that it looks great but I am a little disappointed that, with all of the cleaning, I could tell it's still alittle yellowed when compared to the cab.

Sorry to hear that the Bar Keeper's Friend didn't help with the yellowing. It doesn't have bleach in it so it is just a mild abrasive cleaner. I wonder if the Clorox Cleaner would have whitened the fiberglass? One guy on the fiberglassrv post just used Mean Green and Clorox mixed and scrubbed with a brush. What can you do about the bugs? Maybe apply on a warmer day so that the finish dries quicker? Put a zapper nearby?
Do you have any photos? :@

No picture yet. I only did one side. I was planning on doing the other sides today but ended up working. Most likely won't be able to do the other until next week. The bugs were just a light hearted annoyance.

[EMD360]

03Ultra wrote:
This may be a dumb question... Are you using Red Max Pro floor finish on the fiberglass?

Yes, it is floor finish. Replant's original post had a link to this Fiberglass RV site.
There are also other Red Max Pro posts on rvnet.
Apparently the floor finish does not have to be Red Max Pro, since I read the original post the guy explained that Home Depot sells Zep which is the same manufacturer and type of floor finish. The "match" is the Zep "Wet-Look" Floor Finish.
This is experimental and being used on older RV's whose finish has been degraded a bit by sun and weather and where the typical waxes have not restored shine. Because 4x4 asked about and tried it, now we know it can be used on metal too and hopefully the shine and protection will last for about a year before another coat is required.
Poliglow is a product that has been tested on RV's and is sold for quite a premium over Red Max, but many people are pleased with the results using that too. Using floor finish is making an assumption that the chemical makeup of floor finish is close enough to provide about the same result as the for-the-purpose product. We are the guinea pigs and will have to continue to monitor the results to see how the finish performs over time.

[EMD360]

LT E5 wrote:
I'm currently in the process of waiting for the 4th coat to dry. I figure I would put on 5 coats. My only complaint is little bugs are flying into the side and sticking to the wet RedMax. Other than that it looks great but I am a little disappointed that, with all of the cleaning, I could tell it's still alittle yellowed when compared to the cab.

Sorry to hear that the Bar Keeper's Friend didn't help with the yellowing. It doesn't have bleach in it so it is just a mild abrasive cleaner. I wonder if the Clorox Cleaner would have whitened the fiberglass? One guy on the fiberglassrv post just used Mean Green and Clorox mixed and scrubbed with a brush. What can you do about the bugs? Maybe apply on a warmer day so that the finish dries quicker? Put a zapper nearby?
Do you have any photos? :@

[LT_E5]

I'm currently in the process of waiting for the 4th coat to dry. I figure I would put on 5 coats. My only complaint is little bugs are flying into the side and sticking to the wet RedMax. Other than that it looks great but I am a little disappointed that, with all of the cleaning, I could tell it's still alittle yellowed when compared to the cab.

[Romer1]

03Ultra wrote:
This may be a dumb question... Are you using Red Max Pro floor finish on the fiberglass?

Yes, the sides of the MH, didn't do roof.

[03Ultra]

This may be a dumb question... Are you using Red Max Pro floor finish on the fiberglass?

[Romer1]

Just finished mine yesterday. Found that washing with Dawn and BKF, then rinsing 2x with pressure washer gave me a good surface to start with Really looks good after 4th coat. I know, it's a class A, but we're all RV'ers.

[EMD360]

The TSP is supposed to remove any old wax. The BKF is to remove that chalky look before applying the Red Max finish. All the posts I read recommended doing both, although some folks used Dawn detergent instead of the TSP. Good luck if you decide to do the project and post your before and after photos. I am really happy so far with the difference in the RV finish.

[woodman22]

This does sound like a great tip to clean up the exterior. The only bad area on my camper is the front of the cab over. My question is about get any wax that I applied over the years off. Is it necessary to scrub the entire RV with the bar keepers friend and the white scrubbie, or will the TSP remove the wax that might have survived the winter? Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks

[PJCorey]

This is a wonderful tip and I plan to follow the lead of all the folks here who have used these products to bring a major shine and smile to their motor homes! Thanks to all of you for the great before/after pictures and the instructions.

[4x4van]

The TSP that I used was sold in powder form; mixed 1/2 cup : 2 gallons water, then applied just like any other car wash soap with a brush and/or sponge and rinsed well. The Bar Keeper's Friend is, as said above, a mild scouring powder used with a white 3M scrubbie pad to remove all the chalky oxidized surface.

Went ahead and added the 4th coat yesterday. Don't think I really needed it, but I figured that it couldn't hurt and would give an extra layer of protection. It only took about 30-45 minutes to apply. I still have more than 1/4 of the gallon left; plenty for 1 or 2 touch-up coats next year!

Yes, I also applied it to the window frames; mine are brown. They were faded & oxidized as well; they now look new. My decals weren't peeling, but they are cracked & checked in some areas. I left them as is; they are still cracked & checked, but they are now a deeper color and shiny, so they still look 10X better than they did.

Again, I can't get over the difference. I've just increased resale value of my MH by at least a few thousand dollars (not that I'm planning on selling, but...). I keep walking outside to look at it just because...:)