Dear Dave,
What do you think is the best product to shine my RV’s floors and cabinets? —Collen, 2019 Coachmen Chaparral fifth wheel
Dear Collen,
There are a variety of products that I have used over the years. The best one depends on the type of material they are made from and sometimes the finish they’re being applied to.
When I was at Winnebago, we manufactured solid wood cabinet doors and recommended Murphy’s Oil Soap to clean and condition them. They had a final gloss spray on them so they did not need any product to add a shine. However, some wood products would benefit from an occasional wood wax or polish such as Minwax or Old English to restore the wood color and finish.
RV cabinet doors
Most cabinet doors in today’s RVs are not made of wood. Rather, they’re a particle board interior with a vinyl wrap or foil as the outside material. This vinyl has an inherent shine or gloss and most times just cleaning them off with a small amount of white vinegar in water will clean them and bring back the shine. I have always been a fan of Windex, which will clean just about any surface and is a good degreaser, as well.
Also, I have been a big fan of ProtectAll for the past 25 years. They introduced a great product a few years ago that can be used on just about anything. It’s called ProtectAll All Surface Care. We did several tests on fiberglass, rubber, and wood cabinets for RV Repair Club and it really did a great job. It has carnauba wax, so it does shine things up.
RV floor
As for the floor, it again depends on the material. From what I can find on similar models, your Chaparral has vinyl plank flooring. Typically, there is a slight texture to the top coating so it will not be slick. So I would be careful about using anything that will dry with a shine, as it could be slippery. Most of these patterns also have a somewhat dull or matte finish to hide dirt and dust.
I would try the ProtectAll in a small, out-of-the-way location to see if it leaves a slippery surface, and how you like it. I personally have used either Windex or plain soap and water. Of course, these will not put a shine on, so you may not want to use those.
Let’s see what others use on their rigs.
Dave Solberg is a leading expert in the RV industry and the author of the “RV Handbook.”
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I use mop and glow. It never peels up or flakes off and always looks great.
wipe the floor clean with a wet paper towel before squirting some mop and glow onto the floor and gently wiping around with a mop & glow moistened paper towel. Let dry without walking on it and put a 2 coat on the floor. You will not be disappointed. Other brands are nowhere as good as mop and glow.