It’s amazing how many similarities there are between water yachting and land yachting. Maintenance and upgrades are expensive – sails vs tires, engine replacements, steering stabilizers vs boom vangs, 30 amp extension cords. The list goes on and on.
Many of the newer motorhomes actually have a gelcoat finish and waxing/polishing is not much different. One thing many RVers rave about is ZEP Wet Look Floor Finish. Preparation is the main key to using this product. Step 1: Start by washing your unit well as you normally would, rinsing well from the top down. Step 2: You now want to remove any and all stains, soiling, oxidation, and chalkiness from the surface. Dip a white 3M scrubbie into water and then liberally sprinkle Bar Keeper’s Friend (BKF) on it. Scrub the surface of the unit, rinsing the scrubbie and re-applying the BKF often. Do small areas at a time, rinsing well with water and a sponge as you go (Rinsing well is important to remove all BKF residue. I used a "flow-thru" brush attached to a hose to rinse the BKF residue thoroughly). Step 3: Next you want to make sure that there is absolutely no remaining wax on the unit, since any residual wax can cause the Floor Finish to peel and flake. Mix up a bucket of TSP (1/2 cup) in water (2 gal), and use it to wash the entire unit again. You can use it with a carwash brush, a sponge, a pressure washer…anything you would normally use to wash your unit. Rinse well as you go, then rinse again and let it dry completely (again, rinsing well is important to remove all TSP residue). You should now be left with a clean and smooth (although dull) wax-free surface. Congrats, the hard part is done! Step 4: Now comes the easy part. Shake the Floor Finish well, and pour some into a shallow container (a pie pan works well). Fold a microfiber rag to about hand-sized, dip it into the Floor Finish (trust me, use gloves!), and squeeze out the excess. How much/how wet? You want it more than damp, but less than dripping. Now simply wipe down the surface of the unit with the wet microfiber rag. Don’t try to apply a heavy coat or try to “rub it in”; just wet the surface (imagine wiping off a layer of dust with a damp rag). It really doesn’t matter whether you wipe horizontally, vertically, or in circles, and don’t worry about overlaps; the Floor Finish is very thin/watery and you are just trying to “moisten” the surface. Work your way all the way around the unit. The thin coat of Floor Finish will dry very quickly; long before you’ve gone all the way around it will be dry and you can immediately start on the next coat. That first coat will likely look really bad; streaky, blotchy, shiny in some places, dull in others…don’t panic. Each additional coat will start to even it out and build up a deep layer of shine. By coat 3, you will be grinning ear to ear. And coat 4 (or 5?) will be the icing on the cake. Not only will your unit shine like it hasn’t shined in years, it will be a deeper color as well*. Even old, faded graphics will have a new lease on life! All for less than $30 total! Wet Look Floor Finish is available at Lowes and Home Hardware – no affiliation but I know what Motorhomes look like after using the product. Stu
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