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General Forums => The Mess Hall => Topic started by: chrisfranklin on February 21, 2006, 11:15:13 PM
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I had read something the other day at the offroaders site (http://www.offroaders.com/info/tips/useful_tips.htm) about using household Floor Wax (specifically, "Future Floor Wax") instead of regular paste wax to restore or fix up your paintjob. Apparently products such as Future Floor Wax last something like 2 months when performing shiny-tire, armour-all duty, also. The durability potential kind of got me interested in giving Floor Wax a shot for finish protection.
Future Floor Wax isn't actually a wax, it's an acrylic compound. You clean your Jeep and then, while it sits in the shade, literally paint the "Future" on it with a sponge. You just leave it on and let it sit for 4 hours, preferably in the sun, to cure. Additional coats can be applied as you wish, the more you put on, the deeper the finish looks. There is no rubbing or buffing and the Future has a self-leveling tendency on the porous/older Jeep paint surface which leaves a mirror finish.
Anyway, I am fairly shocked :shock: by just how good this Future stuff works. The paint looks better than new; hell, the 12 year old Jeep looks like it belongs at the 1994 LA Auto Show. Looks like I dropped thousands on some gloss black multi-coat auto paint job
Only a couple of things you should be mindful of:
1) apply it in the shade. Dark paint and a hot sun cause the Future to cure quickly on your paint; as a result, the finish may not self-level and thus streaks will show.
2) use a sponge, not rags, to apply the stuff. a Sponge will give the finish a smoother appearance. Rags or even microfibre towels will cause streaks
3) Generally brush or sponge it on back and forth in the same direction (kind of like when sanding wood with the grain)
4) Its ok on plastic, rubber, & paint. Glass, mirrors, & windows I would avoid. You can use paint thinner to remove Future from areas such as the aforementioned.
5) If your first coat shows streaks in the sun (say because you used a rag or towel to apply it), then apply a second coat with a sponge while in a shady area and the surface should even out and streaks will be eliminated.
For 6 bucks and the cost of a couple of sponges, a bottle of Future Floor Wax does absolute miracles for your Jeep's finish; best part is it is supposed to maintain the knockout shine for a couple of months and there is no rubbing or buffing involved, also. Best paint protection product I have ever used for Autos.
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This sounds like a fantastic idea. And alot of you guys with newer Jeeps, or cleaner Jeeps would certianly benefit from this.
My question is... Will it fill my dents, or trail scars?? :lol:
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Yeah my dents are still intact, unfortunately.
:x
Also, its a good idea to wear those rubber disposable gloves when applying the Future. And, I did one coat and went through a whole bottle of the stuff. But it's readily available at most Drugstores or Walmarts. And, you can use it on sides of tires like you would with Armour-all and it apparently lasts for 8+ weeks (armour-all lasts like what, a week?)
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Does anyone else think this may not be such a good idea??
I mean, I could put shilac on my Jeep and it would look shiny and nice for a long time.
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I was thinking the same thing...
and then I thought (and I'm sorry to those that this pertains too), but how would want their Jeep that shiny? It's a Jeep! I like mine beat up, rode hard and put away wet!
Seriously, I do think the idea is a good one. Paint protection from the beginning even makes a hardcore Jeep, into sometihing nice to look at.
Ever tho mine has a few heavy scratches and scars, I still get a thrill when I wash it (and I even wash the spring, axles and shackles). I think it still looks tough, even when it's clean.
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Pictures of that knockout shine?? Before and afters???
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Well, I won't be doing it. My paint looks ok for now. It's a low gloss metallic paint that uses no clear coat. They even say not to wax it. It's a bit oxidized but still looks decent, especially for a Jeep.
I'd maybe try it on a small area if you do want to try it. Actually, you'll probably want to wash the Jeep with something strong to strip off any old wax. Then apply the new wax.
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Grumble grumble grumble grumble :P
Don't need it, then don't do it. If you've ever waxed a vehicle, then you may may see this as a cheap, beneficial improvement. I did.
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Tell you what I'll do is test it out for a couple of months see how it holds up to wash, maybe give it another coat, do some photos, etc (don't really have any "befores" though unless maybe the County has one of my license plate and front end :)).
I believe there is an expensive product on the market called "Liquid Glass"
polish which runs about $20 for 16 ounces. Its acrylic-based, essentially the same thing as the Future "Floor Wax" and you can get it at any Autozone-type place. The Future stuff is about 1/4th the price.
True, a FT trail Jeep probably ain't going to wear any of this shiny crap too well. But, if you have a newer unmodified rig or you wanna shine a ride up for sale, you might find this stuff useful
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I would try it....just don't want to suddenly go outside a year later and see my paint flaking off because there was one ingredient in there that shouldn't be used on cars (not that flaking paint would really diminish the look of my beast).
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I'd rather go the permanent route and spray my jeep with true finish polyurethane clear coat. I had a CJ8 and finished it with that over the color of my choice. It won't stop rock rash but I had many branches and limbs up aginst it with no trouble. It's very easy to spray and you don't have to sand it smooth afterwards. Really tough paint!!!
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Really be tough...
Color matched Line-X!!
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Really be tough...
Color matched Line-X!!
I don't really like using bead liner to cover the exterior. The problem being, mud, dirt and other grime will sit in the low spots and be impossible to clean. Major PITA if you want it to look good.
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I was talking to the only line x guy in chicago and he said they dropped the colored versions b/c they faded in time and that didnt make them any money yuo know with their gaurantee and all.
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Most spray bedliner places don't make that much money and makes a huge mess. This is why many dealers who do sell new trucks with the liners have them outsourced instead of doing it in house.
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Going on three weeks with this stuff on the Jeep and I'd definitely say the Future gets points for durability. Gone through two rains and a car wash and the tires still look like I just hit them with Armor All; the body finish is still deep and water beads.
I didn't do a perfect job applying the Future the first go around; I used a bristle brush and, as a result, I can still see evidence of brush marks on the hood in the light. Will use a foam brush on round two which should effectively eliminate any brush streaks. But, I'm fairly impressed and will work on rounding up some photos of my very, yes, "new-looking,"
YJ. :lol:
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photos,seeing is beleiving
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So, its been a couple of months since I posted on the Future Floor Wax. And, I have since drawn a few conclusions about the stuff. First off, I live in Los Angeles where the smog and pollution, etc is the worst of any city in this country (but apparently is gradually improving), so the average car may be exposed to more than the average amount of environmental fall-out.
Anyway, did the Future wax on the Jeep in February and it looked like a million bucks, people coming up and going, "damn, did you get it painted, looks great!" So, I was really positive on the stuff. Only trick is that strange white spots began to appear on the hood after about a month or so; the best I could tell it was the floor wax reacting to something in the air or in a liquid it had been exposed to (Like I said, LA so it could have been frigging anything causing it).
I did also use this Future floor wax on the tires, flares and other rubber surfaces and it definitely gave a great shine that lasted about 10 times longer than armor all; no problem with spots there either, probably because those surfaces didn't receive any exposure to the whatever hit the hood.
I didn't have any trouble removing the floor wax from the paint during a recent polish job and it doesn't appear to harm the paint. So you may want to give it a go if you live in clearer, cleaner environs.
Anyway, in sum, I'll probably keep using the Future on the dark, rubber surfaces and, instead use (the frigging expensive) Liquid Glass for the paint (Liquid Glass is Acrylic-based like Future Floor Wax, but its designed for use on cars and gets rave reviews, so hopefully its been engineered to handle environmental fallout.
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Still useless without pics...what's the deal-i-o?? :?:
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You will get no pictures and Like It, mozman68!! :lol:
(But, I will say this, if people post opinions or experiences online without pictures, it doesn't bother me...so, understandably, this is how I "do unto others." However, Rome being Rome, I am looking for an opportunity to incorporate digital photos in to my online communications repertoire. Could be sooner than you think)
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Whoa... Looks like Chris is trying to make his way boldly into the 20th century ;)
If you can't get a digital picture for us, do you thing you could draw a little something?
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Nah, SMC, all I'm saying is that if you guys don't put up photos, I'll buy what you are talking about...You are in my "Circle of Trust" :lol:
(First photo I provide will show my Jeep and me giving one fingered salute to all the unfaithful :)
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I would remove ALL wax before doing this , otherwise wouldn't it be like painting oil over latex ? I don't know , there isn't that much metal to a jeep waxing doesn't take that long, however if thats what your after is a shine more power to you and your quest, hope it works out.
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Okay Chris it's now September, how is the Future Wax looking on your Jeep? Is it turning yellow or flaking? Almost forgot, what color is your Jeep? we need to test this on a white Jeep or we may not see stuff like yellowing.
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Decided to try the future floor wax based on a write up I saw on a different jeep 4x4 site, don't recall which one. whole point of doing it is that its supposed to serve as a cheap way, 27 oz for $6, to get an acrylic based wax coating vs,. paying out the nose for the expensive 16 oz of $20 liquid glass product (an acrylic-based auto finishing product).
Acrylic waxes (floor or car) are supposedly self-leveling, so you get a "glass-like" finish or whatever.
Guardian, since you are in So Cal, I probably wouldn't recommend using the Future Wax. It's acrylic, but I think pollutants in the air may react with the wax and screw up the finish in So Cal. Did mine and it looked like a million for a few days and then very pronounced white spots (not water spots) started to appear - perhaps the wax reacting to something. Tires and plastic surfaces stayed ok, though.
So, frankly, I'd just use Future on your tires, if anything if you are looking for an Armor-all finish that lasts for like 3 months vs the typical few days. I'm not using Future except for tires if I am in a Waxing mood. I use Liquid Glass (expensive, but you can get 2 or 3 outstanding wax jobs for your $20 and it doesn't seem to react to anything)
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My Red paint is looking oxidized on my hood and I want something to bring back the shine. How does the Liquid Glass compare to the future wax?
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My Red paint is looking oxidized on my hood and I want something to bring back the shine. How does the Liquid Glass compare to the future wax?
How about just wet sanding and polishing it.
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I would need to go buy a buffing/polishing unit because doing by hand would take alot hard work and long hours. I understand there is a learning curve with this type of work and I have never been into body/paint work much. My entire hood and the front top of the fenders look faded and oxidized.
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Guardian, I'd use the Liquid Glass wax, not the Future wax. I've use both and like the Liquid Glass better, just because it does not appear to react to the outdoors environment at all in So Cal.
Thing is Liquid Glass is just an acrylic wax and not a "cleaner" or "polish" type wax. So, probably a good idea to sand/polish you ride and then apply Liquid glass, or skip the sanding and just apply Polish and Liquid Glass.
Course, you could just skip all that and get decent results just doing a single coat of Mother's California Gold Carnuba Wax/Cleaner. It's one of the best non-acrylic waxes out there; won't last as long as Liquid Glass, but it ain't bad and does a pretty good polish job too.
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Only huge mistake made while buffing is heat. As long as you keep feeling the hood while you do it and not concentrate on one spot you should be fine. Keep the paper good and wet while sanding and keep that buffer moving and you should be fine. If you get nervous about burning through the paint you can also turn down the speed. It'll just take longer.
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Only huge mistake made while buffing is heat. As long as you keep feeling the hood while you do it and not concentrate on one spot you should be fine. Keep the paper good and wet while sanding and keep that buffer moving and you should be fine. If you get nervous about burning through the paint you can also turn down the speed. It'll just take longer.
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Jesse, your advise is encouraging and I may decide to get brave and give it a try, I'll let you know.