Joined the Zep Revolution

[LeRoi2]

I have to say I am flummoxed at anyone using ZEP Floor wax on a motor home.

ZEP is a pretty small manufacturer of institutional and industrial janitorial products, based in Atlanta, GA. They were recently taken private after years of declining sales. They were never much into retail distribution, until a few years ago, when they got a toehold into Lowes.

Floor wax is better than no wax, as is a ZEP product better than nothing. However, using the correct product, from a quality manufacturer, will give the best results.

Floor wax is not formulated to stand up to hours of direct sunlight, high and low temperature extremes, floods of rainwater, detergent baths, or application on painted surfaces, or fiberglass. Think about it folks, it's FLOOR WAX! Are you driving a floor around?

Modern automobile waxes fall into 2 general types, carnuba wax, or polymers. Carnuba wax would be the closest to ZEP Floor wax, except the main ingredient, carnuba, is certainly a more refined product than that used by ZEP. Plus auto waxes contain additives for UV ray protection, and are formulated to stand up to heat, direct sunlight, detergents, water, and application onto painted surfaces. ZEP Floor wax is formulated to lay on a floor inside a temperature controlled environment and be walked on. The two waxes are apples and oranges.

The use of polymer based paint treatments is gaining more favor every year. They are easy to apply, and unlike waxes, do not need to be stripped. They can be applied with several coats, and shine up much easier, but are not as long lasting as carnuba wax.

Using products formulated for auto finishes is going to cost more, because they use better, more refined, costlier ingredients, with more additives, to last longer, and hold up better.

Lastly, the high gloss, wet look floor waxes, only obtain that look when they are finish polished by a high speed buffer, one that has MUCH higher rpm than a hand held buffer can reach.

Buy quality waxes and polishes formulated for cars, trucks, and RV's, and leave floor wax for floors.

[RedneckExpress]

How do you guys get the floor polish on horizontal surfaces without it sagging or running?

[vtwinwilly]

Zep is not a wax.

I would describe it as a water based clear coat with polymer solids.

[vtwinwilly]

Originally Posted by RedneckExpress

How do you guys get the floor polish on horizontal surfaces without it sagging or running?

Do Not follow the instructions on the Zep bottle or as seen in the Zep videos online.
That is DO NOT use a Rayon mop as described in the Zep videos. That will make a mess.

I personally use Vertglas applicators, but a folded micro fiber cloth works fine for application. Fold the micro fiber cloth several time to create a firm edge. Wet the edge with Zep, then wipe a thin coat onto the fiberglass. One wipe only. Repeat this until the entire coach (or wall, or whatever sectioned off area you are working) is done with a single coat.

Let dry, do it again. 6 to 8 coats will usually do it.

[vtwinwilly]

Originally Posted by LeRoi2

Buy quality waxes and polishes formulated for cars, trucks, and RV's, and leave floor wax for floors.

LeRoi2,

Using Zep, Vertglas, Poly-glow, Red Max 3, or any one of the many clear coat finishes is only recommended (by me) if you have an old motorhome where the gel coat has reached the end of its life and just will not hold a shine anymore.

I have compounded, polished and waxed with quality materials and achieved pretty good results only to have it loose it's shine in about 6 weeks and start to chalk in 12. In other words, the compounding and waxing just does not last.

I tried Vertglas (similar product as Zep Wet Look Floor Finish) the first time back in 2007. I was amazed at the results. I never achieve that kind of shine compounding and waxing. It also last for at least 6 to 8 months before needing a maintenance coat.
I was so impressed with the results, I have never compounded and waxed again.

Now with that said, if I had a relatively new finish, I would stick with using a high quality wax.

[mbridinger]

Originally Posted by LeRoi2

I have to say I am flummoxed at anyone using ZEP Floor wax on a motor home.

ZEP is a pretty small manufacturer of institutional and industrial janitorial products, based in Atlanta, GA. They were recently taken private after years of declining sales. They were never much into retail distribution, until a few years ago, when they got a toehold into Lowes.

Floor wax is better than no wax, as is a ZEP product better than nothing. However, using the correct product, from a quality manufacturer, will give the best results.

Floor wax is not formulated to stand up to hours of direct sunlight, high and low temperature extremes, floods of rainwater, detergent baths, or application on painted surfaces, or fiberglass. Think about it folks, it's FLOOR WAX! Are you driving a floor around?

Modern automobile waxes fall into 2 general types, carnuba wax, or polymers. Carnuba wax would be the closest to ZEP Floor wax, except the main ingredient, carnuba, is certainly a more refined product than that used by ZEP. Plus auto waxes contain additives for UV ray protection, and are formulated to stand up to heat, direct sunlight, detergents, water, and application onto painted surfaces. ZEP Floor wax is formulated to lay on a floor inside a temperature controlled environment and be walked on. The two waxes are apples and oranges.

The use of polymer based paint treatments is gaining more favor every year. They are easy to apply, and unlike waxes, do not need to be stripped. They can be applied with several coats, and shine up much easier, but are not as long lasting as carnuba wax.

Using products formulated for auto finishes is going to cost more, because they use better, more refined, costlier ingredients, with more additives, to last longer, and hold up better.

Lastly, the high gloss, wet look floor waxes, only obtain that look when they are finish polished by a high speed buffer, one that has MUCH higher rpm than a hand held buffer can reach.

Buy quality waxes and polishes formulated for cars, trucks, and RV's, and leave floor wax for floors.

Perhaps you are "flummoxed" because you paid 10 times more for your RV than any of us that own old worn out but functional units.

[NavlAv8r]

Originally Posted by LeRoi2

I have to say I am flummoxed at anyone using ZEP Floor wax on a motor home.

ZEP is a pretty small manufacturer of institutional and industrial janitorial products, based in Atlanta, GA. They were recently taken private after years of declining sales. They were never much into retail distribution, until a few years ago, when they got a toehold into Lowes.

Floor wax is better than no wax, as is a ZEP product better than nothing. However, using the correct product, from a quality manufacturer, will give the best results.

Floor wax is not formulated to stand up to hours of direct sunlight, high and low temperature extremes, floods of rainwater, detergent baths, or application on painted surfaces, or fiberglass. Think about it folks, it's FLOOR WAX! Are you driving a floor around?

Modern automobile waxes fall into 2 general types, carnuba wax, or polymers. Carnuba wax would be the closest to ZEP Floor wax, except the main ingredient, carnuba, is certainly a more refined product than that used by ZEP. Plus auto waxes contain additives for UV ray protection, and are formulated to stand up to heat, direct sunlight, detergents, water, and application onto painted surfaces. ZEP Floor wax is formulated to lay on a floor inside a temperature controlled environment and be walked on. The two waxes are apples and oranges.

The use of polymer based paint treatments is gaining more favor every year. They are easy to apply, and unlike waxes, do not need to be stripped. They can be applied with several coats, and shine up much easier, but are not as long lasting as carnuba wax.

Using products formulated for auto finishes is going to cost more, because they use better, more refined, costlier ingredients, with more additives, to last longer, and hold up better.

Lastly, the high gloss, wet look floor waxes, only obtain that look when they are finish polished by a high speed buffer, one that has MUCH higher rpm than a hand held buffer can reach.

Buy quality waxes and polishes formulated for cars, trucks, and RV's, and leave floor wax for floors.

I am not sure why you are so negative about ZEP, especially in light of the long-term successes (2-4 yr) in sun, wind, rain, etc that many people have experienced. If ZEP is not for you, that's great, but for others it has been simple solution to an ugly visual problem for tired gel coated surfaces.

I started this thread because my 13 yr old Pace Arrow fiberglass wall panels had lost virtually all of the gel coat with a resultant rough surface texture. And none of the ~25 different wax products I have tried have improved the appearance of my coach at all.

I didn't notice any difference at all between any waxed area compared to an unwaxed area on my gel-challenged walls . . . and the mold & dirt comes back into the billions of tiny surface cracks/scratches within weeks of a wax surface-treated area.

All I know now is that after a thorough bleach (50/50) cleaning and soap wash and dry, the coach looks better today than when I bought it 9 years ago, and that is solely because of 5 coats of ZEP.

My neighbors even notice the improvement just driving by my driveway. Like others posters have said about their experiences with ZEP on their RVs, "It really shines".

As an aside, I believe the ZEP's 5 coats have filled and smoothed the sharp hills & valley's of the tiny surface cracks/scratches so that mold will come off with little effort when I next wash the coach.

I also believe far less mold will grow in the smooth valleys of the gel surface defects because there is microscopically fewer rough surfaces for it to grow on. Of course that's just my scientific guesstimate, and I am certainly willing to be wrong.

But the bottom line is . . . I don't care if ZEP is a floor polish or not. I just love the results.

If I have to recoat it once a year with 1-2 more coats, so be it. One day of labor and less than 1/4 gallon of ZEP is certainly worth my time and money each year.

Regarding the "polymer based paint treatment" mentioned in a previous post, I have no idea what it is, but if it can replace my missing gel coat with a smooth shine long term like ZEP then I'll do it. Until then, ZEP is the best value to me for my time and money.


And . . . if someone wants to think I am driving a "floor" around the highways, then I think that person is seriously confused between a floor and an RV - (re: a poster's comment _ "Think about it folks, it's FLOOR WAX! Are you driving a floor around?".

Anyway, to me, my coach now looks like a virtually new 13 yr old ride that I am extremely proud to motor around in. And if long term the ZEP treatment is an utter failure then I'll strip it off with no regrets about the labor or cost ($16/gal ZEP High Traffic at Lowe's on May 1, 2016 and 3 days labor).

No harm . . . no foul.

I gave it the college try . . . and failed.

But, I believe it's better to have tried something great and failed,

Than to try nothing at all . . . and succeed.


Oh, BTW . . . FYI, ZEP is a polish, not a wax.

[OutdoorDanS]

LeRoi2 doesn't understand modern floor finishes. Floors haven't had waxes applied to them for over 30 years. Floor finishes have polymer solids in varying percentages. They also have ingredients that make them harder or softer depending on the type of flooring that it is being applied to. In the past some polymers would yellow after several years. Newer polymers those formulated in the last 10 to 15 years will maintain clarity and shine if properly maintained. Fiberglass is similar to flooring materials and will "take" the floor finish well when applied with a micro fiber applicator in thin coats, and yes Zep finishes hold up to water, uv rays and other elements. Think what a high traffic super market floor takes for abuse every day.
I am very aware of the Zep formula for their floor finish that you can purchase at the big hardware stores. It is a premium formula. I know several people that have used it with great results. I will be using it to freshen up my 18 year old National Dolphin. I will post before and after pics. The chemistry is great for this low cost application.

[Piker]

We Zep-ed our '94 HR in the spring of 2013. It really did shine it up nice, and 4 years later the stuff is still intact... and still shiny. As a quick fix on an older rig with oxidized paint, it's definitely an option in my book.

I will say that our pin stripes seemed to really start to degrade and flake off after applying the Zep... but I can't necessarily attribute that to the Zep. They were 20 years old at the time.

We've replaced the passenger side siding since then... complete with new paint. I won't be putting Zep on the new paint. It will get a coat of good old car wax. I'm working on stripping the stripes off of the end caps right now in preparation for painting them maybe sometime later this summer, or maybe after we replace the drivers side siding. The Zep will have to be removed completely to prep for paint, and it's somewhat of a pain to strip, and makes kind of a mess... but it certainly made it shine for a long time.

-cheers

[Sweetbriar]

Started with Redd Maxx in 2012 until my gallon jug got used up and had to shift to Zep. Both work very nicely on the tired unpainted fiberglass of my coach.

My coach is in the driveway exposed to the weather of southeastern Virginia 24/7/365 and my experience is about the same as vtwinwilly. Side walls hold up well but the rear cap, which gets a lot of afternoon sun, will start to peel over winter. Each May I'll give the coach a good scrub down followed by three or four re-coats and it looks like new again.

I've got a shelf in the garage of different compounds, waxes and what not and not one has had better results, lasts long, was less effort to apply or cost less than Zep.

[Piker]

I should have also mentioned that our rig is kept in a dark garage 24/7 except when we're using it... I'm sure this adds to the longevity of the Zep coating.

-cheers

[rlott2k]

Originally Posted by LeRoi2

I have to say I am flummoxed at anyone using ZEP Floor wax on a motor home.

ZEP is a pretty small manufacturer of institutional and industrial janitorial products, based in Atlanta, GA. They were recently taken private after years of declining sales. They were never much into retail distribution, until a few years ago, when they got a toehold into Lowes.

Floor wax is better than no wax, as is a ZEP product better than nothing. However, using the correct product, from a quality manufacturer, will give the best results.

Floor wax is not formulated to stand up to hours of direct sunlight, high and low temperature extremes, floods of rainwater, detergent baths, or application on painted surfaces, or fiberglass. Think about it folks, it's FLOOR WAX! Are you driving a floor around?

Modern automobile waxes fall into 2 general types, carnuba wax, or polymers. Carnuba wax would be the closest to ZEP Floor wax, except the main ingredient, carnuba, is certainly a more refined product than that used by ZEP. Plus auto waxes contain additives for UV ray protection, and are formulated to stand up to heat, direct sunlight, detergents, water, and application onto painted surfaces. ZEP Floor wax is formulated to lay on a floor inside a temperature controlled environment and be walked on. The two waxes are apples and oranges.

The use of polymer based paint treatments is gaining more favor every year. They are easy to apply, and unlike waxes, do not need to be stripped. They can be applied with several coats, and shine up much easier, but are not as long lasting as carnuba wax.

Using products formulated for auto finishes is going to cost more, because they use better, more refined, costlier ingredients, with more additives, to last longer, and hold up better.

Lastly, the high gloss, wet look floor waxes, only obtain that look when they are finish polished by a high speed buffer, one that has MUCH higher rpm than a hand held buffer can reach.

Buy quality waxes and polishes formulated for cars, trucks, and RV's, and leave floor wax for floors.

I did my 96 Winnebago 3 years ago. Sold it last year and it still looked good but could have used another couple of coats. The reason I did mine was the upper body finish was toast. Not even power polishing would have helped as I would have burned into the fiberglass. Zep is not a wax its more like an acrylic. It took near a day of washing and scrubbing to remove all the grit and previous attempts at waxing. Then another day doing 5 coats. It looked great. A gallon ( I used 1/2) was $30. 5 coats of a good wax would have been close to $100. I not sure about using it on a coach with a good finish to start, but in my case it was the only viable option.

[rlott2k]

Originally Posted by rlott2k

I did my 96 Winnebago 3 years ago. Sold it last year and it still looked good but could have used another couple of coats. The reason I did mine was the upper body finish was toast. Not even power polishing would have helped as I would have burned into the fiberglass. Zep is not a wax its more like an acrylic. It took near a day of washing and scrubbing to remove all the grit and previous attempts at waxing. Then another day doing 5 coats. It looked great. A gallon ( I used 1/2) was $30. 5 coats of a good wax would have been close to $100. I not sure about using it on a coach with a good finish to start, but in my case it was the only viable option.

Another thing to mention... I applied multiple very thin coats. Working around the coach, it was almost dry when I reached the starting point. I did not need to polish after I was done.

[Gerryl]

Originally Posted by stanleysteam

I was very satisfied with ZEP until the past two winters. A year ago, while in the Houston, TX area for 2-3 weeks, one side blistered and bubbled. I redid it and we were in the same area this past winter for a couple weeks and the same thing. There are a lot pine trees where we were parked, don't know if that had any effect. I now have removed all the ZEP and applied about 5 coats of Poly-Glow. So far is is looking good. Much more work than the ZEP, mostly prep work.

So Stanley, It has been almost a year since you switched to Poly Glow from the Zep. We are all wondering how your Poly Glow is holding up?
It is about a year since I applied the Poly Glow and mine looks great, but just to be safe I put a maintenance coat on the other day.