Red Max Pro #3 Question

[vman60]

I looked up TSP and it looks like a versatile product. I guess the best part of it is that it opens the pores of what ever your cleaning so that would make it good for the Resdmax to adhere to.

[Senior Chief]

Its a powder you dissolve in hot water, like Spic 'n Span. I would use a white Scotchbrite pad, but that would depend on how grungy your surface is; a sponge might be enough. There is a sodium-free version of TSP (in fact, original TSP is getting harder and harder to find) which seems to work just as well for cleaning.

Use gloves; its strong! Its a mild paint remover/deglosser, so don't get it on any finished surfaces you care about. It won't hurt the fiberglass, or your stripes & decals.

Personally, I found the Bar Keepers Friend to be superior to TSP in cleaning the winter's layer of black gunk off our motorhome.

[4x4van]

Go here and scroll down to the pics of my Jamboree Class C:
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fu...d/24950880.cfm

Here's a tutorial I put together on the process:

Restoring the finish of an older RV using Red Max Pro:

Materials:
-Red Max Pro (Step 3) Low Maintenance Floor Finish (available at Lowes)
-Bar Keeper’s Friend (powdered)
-TSP (Trisodium Phosphate, powdered)
-3M scrubbies (white)
-Microfiber rags (white or laundered)
-Latex gloves

Preparing the surface is the most important part, since anything left on the surface will be sealed under the Red Max Pro acrylic coating. Start by washing your motorhome as you normally would, making sure to include the roof, rinsing well from the top down.

Now, you want to remove any and all stains, soiling, oxidation, and chalkiness from the surface of the motorhome. Dip a white 3M scrubbie into water and then sprinkle Bar Keeper’s Friend on it. Scrub the surface of the motorhome, rinsing the scrubbie and re-applying the BKF often. Do small areas at a time, rinsing well with water as you go. I used a “flow-thru” brush with a hose to rinse the BKF thoroughly as I went along.

The next step is to make sure that there is absolutely no remaining wax on the motorhome, since wax can cause the Red Max to peel. Mix up a bucket of TSP (1/2 cup) in water (2 gal), and wash the entire motorhome. You can use a carwash brush, a sponge, a pressure washer…anything you would normally use when you wash your RV. Rinse well, and let the motorhome dry completely. You should be left with a clean and smooth (although dull) surface. Congrats, the prep-work is now complete!

Now for the easy part. Pour some Red Max Pro (RMP) into a shallow container (a pie pan works well). Fold a microfiber rag to about hand-sized, dip into the RMP (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 the surface of the motorhome with the wet rag. Don’t try to over-apply; just wet the surface (imagine wiping a layer of dust off with a wet rag). It really doesn’t matter whether you wipe horizontally, vertically, or in circles; RMP is very thin/watery and you are just trying to “moisten” the surface. Work your way all the way around the motorhome. RMP will dry quickly; 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, shiny in some places, dull in others…don’t panic. Each additional coat will even it out and start to build up a deep layer of shine. By coat 3, you will be grinning ear to ear. And coat 4 will be the icing on the cake. Not only will your RV shine like it hasn’t shined in years, it will be a deeper color as well. Even old, faded, cracked graphics will have a new lease on life! And all for around $30!

Things (I learned) to keep in mind:

-Don’t use colored microfiber rags unless they have been laundered, as the color may bleed.

-Be careful around window frames, locks, latches, etc., as the RMP is very watery and will have a tendency to gather at those spots and cause runs. Watch for runs and give them a quick wipe with the rag before they start to “set up”.

-Some older, deteriorated graphics may “bleed” color onto the rag. Watch for this and change or re-fold your rag so you don’t spread that color onto other parts of the MH. If this occurs, it should only happen with the first coat, as the RMP will then “seal” the graphics up. Subsequent coats will not have the problem.

-After each coat, go around and open/operate all hatches, locks, catches, etc. The acrylic (RMP) coating can sort of “glue” them closed. J

-You can also do the window frames and other painted metal areas; I did my entire Class C cab since it was very faded and dull. Came out fantastic, and my painted window frames look new, as well!

In closing:

For an older MH that has lost it’s shine/luster, this process is an easy, inexpensive way to restore it to a “Wow” finish. It’s much easier than any wax, polish, oxidation remover, or fiberglass restorer that I have ever used, and the results are not only much better, they are longer lasting as well. From what I have read, a single “touch-up” coat should be applied each year. With the ease of application, that single touch up coat should only take about 20 minutes.

[Senior Chief]

Outstanding tutorial! Something to refer back to when people ask the inevitable questions.

[4x4van]

Thanks. When I first heard about this product, I was skeptical. My '88 Jamboree's finish was in pretty bad shape even when I purchased it nearly a decade ago. I had tried every product known, from waxes to polishes, from oxidation removers to gel coat restorers...hand buffing, machine buffing, and everything in between. All I ever accomplished was a sore back & arms, a lighter wallet, and no real improvement. Most didn't help at all, those that did gave only so-so results that lasted, at best, 3-4 weeks.

When I first saw posts about Red Max, I was intrigued, but not convinced. So I started to search and research. I read everything I could find on using this Floor Finish on RVs. Eventually, I decided that I really had nothing to lose.

The prep, as the tutorial says, is the most important part, and the hardest. However, even that, including the scrubbing with the Bar Keeper's Friend, was much easier than any wax or polish that I had ever tried.

My painted metal cab was also quite dull and oxidized, as well as the painted aluminum window frames. The process outlined above was used on it all; cab, window frames, and the coach itself including graphics. My MH has never looked this good since the day I purchased it, and the shine has already outlasted anything else I've ever tried.

For anyone with an older MH that has lost it's shine, give it a try. The before/after pics of my coach here: http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24950880.cfm
will convince you.

[Ray,IN]

I would be wary of using TSP around the decals, it is a very strong cleaner originally designed to remove wallpaper. It does work great in your holding tanks to clean them of any debris, grease, etc that is stuck to the tank interior and sensors.

[4x4van]

Originally Posted by Ray,IN

I would be wary of using TSP around the decals, it is a very strong cleaner originally designed to remove wallpaper.

I used it as a final wash on my coach in order to ensure that all wax was removed before the Red Max Pro application, but I didn't scrub hard with it; I just washed with a soft brush the same as I would have washed it using car wash soap, and rinsed well with plenty of clean water.

I did have some slight bleeding of my lower graphics during the first coat of Red Max, but that first coat sealed them, and I had no further issues. Perhaps the bleeding was caused by the TSP.

All I know is that many people have used those 3 products; Bar Keeper's Friend (for stain & oxidation removal), TSP (for residual wax removal), and finally Red Max Pro, and reported fantastic results. As stated in my tutorial, the "goal" with the prep work is to remove all stains, oxidation, wax...everything...and get down to just the fiberglass surface, period. However you go about that is up to the individual, but those products worked for me and others, without alot of back breaking labor.

[vman60]

I was trying to remember where I had heard of the tsp product before and it came back to me. I used it on an old mobil home I used to have at the lake years ago. Trying to get rid of the chalky paint so I could re paint it. I must have had it mixed to strong because by the time I got done using it it just about ate my skin off and my hands were in so much pain I couldn"t use them for 2 days. I think I will stick to other cleaners for the prep. But the info above is excellent. I think its going to take me a week to get all the old stripes off lol. I went to a friend of mines body shop and he said if he was doing, he would use a heat gun and puddy knife. So next weekend that's what I will be doing. Can"t wait to get that coach back to its proper glory. Thanks for all the good info.

[Larry Barnhart]

This job seems to be scary for most including me before I did it. My final wash was using TSP with 2 gallons of hot water and a very small amount of TSP. Directions on the box and I washed just like every time I wash the fifth using the long handle brush and rinising. no problem for you to worry on yours or your hands. your biggest problem will be telling all you did to make it look so great when you are asked. Have fun and apply thin coats.
chevman

[vman60]

So basicaly what being said here is I don"t have to soak a towel and scrub it with a scotch bright pad with the tsp. Just use a handled brush such as a car wash has and its the final wash and rinse to the prep is that right? A good looking rig you have there chevyman. Not bad advice at all but I'm a ford guy. Hadem all but the fords out workem everytime. Just funnin with ya.

[Larry Barnhart]

Yes but I washed with the bar keepers friend before the TSP using a the 3m pad and some dawn soap and a small bucket of hot water. I wased it several times using dawn soap and one time using a small narrow brush to get into the places where wax could build up. I don't work this truck just tow the alpenlite south each winter and of course because it is not a ford truck it doesn't take all of the road to drive. No Brag just fact.
chevman

[4x4van]

Originally Posted by vman60

I think its going to take me a week to get all the old stripes off lol. I went to a friend of mines body shop and he said if he was doing, he would use a heat gun and puddy knife. So next weekend that's what I will be doing. Can"t wait to get that coach back to its proper glory. Thanks for all the good info.

Is there a particular reason you're removing the striping? I just ask because mine were in bad shape; cracked, faded, checked...yet after a good cleaning and the Red Max Pro, they look great, even with the checking.

As for the TSP; you don't need to scrub with it. The scrubbing is done with the Bar Keeper's Friend and a white 3M scrubbie. The TSP is used as a final wash down (a weak mixture, just 1/2 cup TSP to 2 gallons of water), just like you would wash your RV with any carwash soap.

Go back up and take another quick look at my tutorial again, it spells out the individual steps pretty clearly.

[vman60]

Originally Posted by 4x4van

Is there a particular reason you're removing the striping? I just ask because mine were in bad shape; cracked, faded, checked...yet after a good cleaning and the Red Max Pro, they look great, even with the checking.

As for the TSP; you don't need to scrub with it. The scrubbing is done with the Bar Keeper's Friend and a white 3M scrubbie. The TSP is used as a final wash down (a weak mixture, just 1/2 cup TSP to 2 gallons of water), just like you would wash your RV with any carwash soap.

Go back up and take another quick look at my tutorial again, it spells out the individual steps pretty clearly.

Yes mine are cracked faded and just plain ugly. I'm going with a brilliant red and black striping. It will stand out and look better, specially with some alluminum cleaner, chrome thats there and more chrome to add. Just to makeit my own.

[vman60]

Originally Posted by Larry Barnhart

Yes but I washed with the bar keepers friend before the TSP using a the 3m pad and some dawn soap and a small bucket of hot water. I wased it several times using dawn soap and one time using a small narrow brush to get into the places where wax could build up. I don't work this truck just tow the alpenlite south each winter and of course because it is not a ford truck it doesn't take all of the road to drive. No Brag just fact.
chevman

My 1st cleaning is going to be with simple green and dawn mixture, I will try the BKF and then I will finish with what you all are recommending the TSP, Or what I refered to back so many years ago as toxic skin peeler. I f your pulling a heavy load your working it with any truck. I never had any of my fords take up the whole and wind all over the road, and I've had f350's down to the old f100's. My new f150 supercrew will out pull anything in its class. But we all love what we love. Thats what's make the world go round. Thanks again for your info.