Wood Finish

[Gary Winzenburger]

We just became the proud owners of a 1997 Beaver Marquis. Love it so far, but would like to know if there's anything we can do to get rid of the milky looking finish on the wood work, including the chair frames. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Andy Clark]

Gary, be sure you don't have the factory Pickled White finish. That's not the factory name, but it adequately describes the color. If you do, there's nothing you can do to change it short of stripping all the woodwork.
We like the color in our '95 Pat. It gives the interior a wide open airy feel.
HTH
Andy

[Gary Winzenburger]

I don't think this was a finish option, but we can live with it if it can't be removed easily. We are new to RV'ing, so we can't wait to get it on the road.

[Edward Buker]

Gary,

If you have areas where what looks like a clear finish has become milky looking and it is not even and consistent it probably is permanent without refinishing. My understanding is when the finishing systems were migrating from laquer or enamel based finshes to water based finishes, due to EPA regulations, the water based technology was not fully developed. For several years water based finishes were used that over time could reabsorb water and the result would be to have a milky appearance. The technology improved and this problem in later years seems to be resolved.

This company in their question and answer section talks about water stains in the finsh being removed by a wood restorer that gets absorbed into the finish. May be worth a try but I have not heard of someone being able to resolve this issue.

http://www.howardproducts.com/questions.php

Later Ed

[David T. Richelderfer]

Our interior dark cherry wood finish has some isolated milky looking areas.  We were told to get a product referred to as "Oz Oil."  We got a bottle and have been using it.  It seems to help remove the milkiness a little more each time we apply it.

[Gary Winzenburger]

Thanks for the product suggestions. I'll be going to Home Depot to look for Howard and Oz Oil. David, can you get it there? Thanks

[David T. Richelderfer]

We got the Oz Oil through Amazon in a plastic, pint container.  http://www.amazon.com/Behlen-OZ-Cream-Polish/dp/B0012H173O/ref=pd_bxgy_hg_img_z

$8.85 plus freight.  But it says to use sparingly.  I put a little on a soft cloth and it goes a long way.

[Dave Cunningham]

Gary,

I had that problem in my 2000 Marquis, and according to the boys at Beaver Coach in Bend OR. it was a problem with the sealer they were using at the time.  One thing that I can tell you is that I refinished the dining table in that unit, and whatever they used on those cabinets has to be similar to whatever they used to stop the space shuttle from burning upon re-entry. I have never even seen any type of automotive finish so tough; I used every type of aircraft stripper I could find and nothing will touch that stuff. I ended up belt sanding it off with 60 grit, all the way up to 180, re-staining, and re-coating with 4 coats of automotive clear. It turned out great, but the thought of doing all the cabinets , with their recesses , what a nightmare, I would suggest if David's stuff is working at all, just keep using it.

Dave

[Gerald Farris]

The problem that Gary is dealing with is restricted to the very high gloss "piano finish" that was used on the Marquis coaches starting in 1997. The whitish blush is related to moisture.

You might try calling Jim Sizemore at RV Outfitters. Jim and his associate Greg Fulton do a lot of Beaver cabinet work, and if there is a solution for this problem, they will probably know about it.

Gerald 

[Gary Winzenburger]

Gerald, that's the Marquis we have (1997), so I feel you're right about it being related to moisture. The finish is very hard, so it will be a challenge if we decide to try taking it off. Thanks for all the suggestions - I have a lot of calling and research to do.

[John Hennessey]

We had a cabinet built by a cabinet maker who said that the finish on our cabinets is spayed lacquer. My husband installed a drawer dishwasher and used brushing lacquer and it matches perfectly.

[Glenda Farris Co-Admin]

We looked at a Marquis several years ago that had been stored in Florida, closed up, and many of the cabinets were a milky white.  It's not spots, its a very light milky appearance.  It's not on the outer finish; that was still very glossy.

I took pictures and sent them to BCS, back when they were still building Beavers there and talked to the factory folks and the woodworking guys.  The moisture in the motorhome was inside the cabinets and affecting the layer of lacquer next to the wood. (Lacquer is white in it's liquid state.) They said there were 7 layers of lacquer on the woodwork.

They told us it was impossible to refinish the frames, as sanding it off would destroy the wood.  They said they could possibly refinish the doors to the cabinets.

They said they had seen where a milky motorhome had been taken to a dryer climate and it improved some.

BTW. 'OZ' is the only thing Greg Fulton of RV Outfitters recommended to us to use on our Marquis lacquer cabinets.  He also sells it and will ship it to you.  What I got from him was a spray polish ($11 in 2010).  He used to work at the factory in the woodworking dept and does beautiful work.

Here are some photos of the one we looked at.



Glenda    

[Adam Hicklin]

When we bought our '98 Marquis it looked exactly like the photos Glenda posted.  However, this white, milky finish was on the surface.  If you rubbed with your finger it would come off.  We used and orange oil based wood cleaner.  Came right off.  Didn't seem to harm the finish and so far the milk hasn't returned.  

[Glenda Farris Co-Admin]

That's a different kind of milky problem.  We have that with our 2000 Marquis in areas that aren't touched a lot, like the bedroom pocket doors, inside closet doors and the kitchen pocket door are places I see it a lot.  Also, under the cabinets in the living room.  It's like a yucky, milky, oily, dusty layer on the wood and it does come right off when I polish it with OZ.  

The only thing to be concerned about when using any product that doesn't mention lacquer or "sealed wood" is that over time, it may cause problems.  I knew a past BAC member, with a Marquis that told me "I use Clorox wipes (no bleach) , but the finish is getting sticky."

Glenda  

[Glenda Farris Co-Admin]

Gary, honestly I wouldn't worry about it too much.   You don't want to do anything to mar the glossy finish.    I would recommend getting some OZ, since it's really good to polish the wood anyway and see if it helps.  

We see a lot of Marquis' that have a touch of the milkiness creeping in and it's not that big of a deal.  

Glenda