Community Forums

89sandman · 05-20-2014, 09:37 PM

I used to be a detailer and have buffed all my motorhomes/ trailers since my early 20's. I'm now 48 and did my motorhome a few months ago when I bought it but I'm never buffing any type of rv again unless it has full body paint. My rv has gel coat so it is a day long project and kills my back. just too much work, I'm getting older and lazier and just really have better things to do with my time

So I'm getting ready try the Zep treatment but am wondering if a gallon will be enough to do my 30 footer?

TurtleKent · 05-20-2014, 10:14 PM

A gallon will do yours plus 2-3 other coaches as well. Remember to apply at least 4, maybe 5 coats, before you can expect to see a nice shine. Very thin coats, stretch each Zep application far as you can.

donhoward49 · 05-21-2014, 05:57 AM

Copied from a previous post.. So far I have only dune my roof, but planning to do the rest this year

1. Wash coach thoroughly with Dawn.
2. Remove oxidation with Bar Keeper's Friend. (The hardest part and probably the most important.)
3. Apply 4-5 thin coats of Zep commercial Acrylic Floor Finish.
It is like water, so easy to use. However it's also easy to put on too much, leaving runs.
Finish looks blotchy until the third coat. Then the luster begins to appear. I put four coats on the roof and five on the sides.

Fred Cooper · 05-21-2014, 07:44 AM

Yes, a gallon will be more than enough.

I tried several methods, and what worked best for me was:
1. wear rubber gloves (very important

)
2. put the liquid in a spray bottle
3. Use a round microfiber pad ( designed for applying wax) as your applicator
4. Spray the liquid onto the microfiber pad and apply to the coach

This allowed me to apply a thin coat without runs and eliminated a lot of small bubbles that occurred with dipping a rag into the liquid.

Fred

TriMoot · 05-21-2014, 11:59 AM

So we bought our MH last November (1997 Rexhall Air) and it definitely needs some love on the outside. It's very oxidized and I'm not sure what's going on with the roof, but when it rains, the next day there are white drippy marks down the windshield and one of the side windows.

So, I came across this post and have LOTS of questions:

1. Dawn? Really? Is that for washing dishes?
2. Bar Keeper's Friend. The powder or liquid?
3. Floor wax on the RV? This really threw me. Will this fix the white residue thing going on from the roof?

Last question..should I power wash the roof as I see lots of little mold thingys all over the place, even on some of the edges.

Thanks in advance.
Tri

Quote:

Originally Posted by donhoward49

Copied from a previous post.. So far I have only dune my roof, but planning to do the rest this year

1. Wash coach thoroughly with Dawn.
2. Remove oxidation with Bar Keeper's Friend. (The hardest part and probably the most important.)
3. Apply 4-5 thin coats of Zep commercial Acrylic Floor Finish.
It is like water, so easy to use. However it's also easy to put on too much, leaving runs.
Finish looks blotchy until the third coat. Then the luster begins to appear. I put four coats on the roof and five on the sides.

gemert · 05-21-2014, 01:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TriMoot

So we bought our MH last November (1997 Rexhall Air) and it definitely needs some love on the outside. It's very oxidized and I'm not sure what's going on with the roof, but when it rains, the next day there are white drippy marks down the windshield and one of the side windows.

So, I came across this post and have LOTS of questions:

1. Dawn? Really? Is that for washing dishes?
2. Bar Keeper's Friend. The powder or liquid?
3. Floor wax on the RV? This really threw me. Will this fix the white residue thing going on from the roof?

Last question..should I power wash the roof as I see lots of little mold thingys all over the place, even on some of the edges.

Thanks in advance.
Tri

I'm guessing you have a rubber roof. They get powdery as they age. I used the rubber roof cleaner sold at camper's world and the roof on my last 5er lasted 15 years without issues. It gets rid of the powdery coating and rejuvenates the rubber. Then I resealed everything that needed it yearly. Pretty easy job on a 27 ft 5er. Probably what you need. If a fiberglass roof, I'm clueless.
Jerry

donhoward49 · 05-21-2014, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TriMoot

So we bought our MH last November (1997 Rexhall Air) and it definitely needs some love on the outside. It's very oxidized and I'm not sure what's going on with the roof, but when it rains, the next day there are white drippy marks down the windshield and one of the side windows.

So, I came across this post and have LOTS of questions:

1. Dawn? Really? Is that for washing dishes?
2. Bar Keeper's Friend. The powder or liquid?
3. Floor wax on the RV? This really threw me. Will this fix the white residue thing going on from the roof?

Last question..should I power wash the roof as I see lots of little mold thingys all over the place, even on some of the edges.

Thanks in advance.
Tri

Yes dawn that u use on dishes, it removes old wax and cleans
Powdered Barkeepers, to get it super clean,,
Floor wax on an RV , yes 4 thin coats
As for the roof, I would never use a power washer,, First find if is rubber or Aluminum, if aluminum I would super clean it then Use the wax,, Rubber roof, use cleaner & conditioner from Camping world

JEEPOHOLIC · 05-21-2014, 11:35 PM

I sure would like to see someone post about this: the floor wax can be sprayed on in thin coats, I like to work smart not hard

donhoward49 · 05-22-2014, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JEEPOHOLIC

I sure would like to see someone post about this: the floor wax can be sprayed on in thin coats, I like to work smart not hard

I think you would have Run's from spraying it on.. Pollyglow has a special "mop" to spread it.. I never tried that... as far as hard to put on,, try hiring a younger helper, sure made it easier on me.
Guys, I copied a two page instruction list, probably from this site, that I used.. if anybody wants it send a private message to me, with your email address, and I will attach it to you

Rendon · 05-22-2014, 07:53 PM

Ok I've read all these posts about how to clean ur RV. The bar keepers, do you mix that in the bucket with the dawn dish soap? I just washed my rv today and was not able to get all the mildew off. I used McGuires car wash with a little bleach. It looks much better but I want all the mildew off. Any other suggestions for the mildew? I googled this and found a post to use Awesome from the dollars store, full strength. Has anyone tried Awesome.

Fred Cooper · 05-22-2014, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rendon

Ok I've read all these posts about how to clean ur RV. The bar keepers, do you mix that in the bucket with the dawn dish soap? I just washed my rv today and was not able to get all the mildew off. I used McGuires car wash with a little bleach. It looks much better but I want all the mildew off. Any other suggestions for the mildew? I googled this and found a post to use Awesome from the dollars store, full strength. Has anyone tried Awesome.

Full strength awesome will work, but be careful as it will melt some paints (I watched the painted stripe on my houseboat run down the side of the boat)

Here's my remedy for the mildew. Buy a gallon jug of Jomax (Home Depot)...it's a house cleaner type chemical. Mix the Jomax, Bleach, and water in a pump sprayer in the ratio as indicated on the Jomax bottle.

Spray it on, let it sit for 5 minutes or so, brush and rinse. I use this on my motorhome my fiberglass boat and the painted woodwork on my porch. Works great with a pressure washer instead of the brush, but the pressure washer will lift the decals also.

For removing the oxidation, sprinkle the powered bar keepers friend onto a damp sponge or scrubbie (test a spot as you don't want to be too aggressive). Scrub and rinse. Now your rv will be even more dull than when you started (but the Zep will take care of that).

Wash aggressively and dry before putting the zep on the rv.

Fred

IndioMark · 05-23-2014, 10:22 AM

I bought a gallon of Zep and have used about two thirds of a gallon. Three coats on the roof and sides. I will probably do another coat or two on the upper portion of the sides. It's white and could use a little more. Ours is 33 ft long

dwhit · 05-23-2014, 01:22 PM

We used two full gallons on our 34'...eight coats over five days...never do it if it's damp or chilly.

45acp · 05-23-2014, 03:19 PM

Over the last few years I have used ZEP with mixed results. When scrubbing with Bar Keepers Friend I used a red 3M abrasive pad and between the two it will remove your mildew but don't get overly aggressive as the combination can really grind down thru more than you want. The ZEP can be applied as stated in other posts, I used a dish soap bottle to dispense the wax onto a wash cloth and that worked fine for me. The problem I found with the wax is on the side of the motorhome that faces south most of the time. It gets the most sunshine and as a result small blisters or blotches popped up all over the side. If I waxed over these it left pale spots and looked terrible. Also on the top the Arizona sun would strip all of the wax off in no time. The front, back and other side are all just fine. I had to scrub all of the wax off of the one side, buff it with rubbing compound and re-wax with a good grade car wax. The bottom line is "Arizona sunshine" can ruin anything.