To strip or not to strip. That is the question.

[mjmcwhorte]

We are restoring a 1955 Sovereign whose birch interior is intact. The finish is still reasonable good, but it is somewhat dull and lifeless. I have seen photos of other Fifties models that have a deep, glossy finish that is beautiful, but I don't know if it's original or refinished. Can someone advise me on this? What are the best products either to restore/renew the existing finish or to stip and refinish the birch?

Thanks to all.

Marian

[dwightdi]

It depends, of course, on how mistreated the cabinets are. Something as simple as a lemon oil furniture polish may do. We used up two bottles in doing three coats on our '63. If you want higher gloss, you might use a Danish oil refinishing product from Formsby. They also have a more agressive Refinishing formula. If you want to seal the surfaces from all moisture and give a high gloss, you might use a water based urethane varnish. If you want to just protect a very wet prone area, a solvent based varnish may be your answer. To keep the unit as pure as possible, limit yourself to the soak in oils. The finished product looks nice.

[startrekker2001]

Marian,
You shouldn't have to strip your trailer, it didn't have clearcoat in '55. That's a big plus. If you want to polish your trailer be advised it is a lot of work initially and annually to keep the finish looking good. It is a lifetime commitment... and worth every second spent on it.

Go to www.perfectpolish.com for all the information you will ever need. Also Shirley Manning has an outstanding website at http://globetrotter64.home.att.net/ They give an in-depth blow by blow on how to polish a trailer.

You can get there by clicking on the above link or on the perfectpolish home page click on Misc info then on Airstream Polishing Project.

I polished my '78 31' Excella. You can see it on my photos on this website. Just click on my username.

Good luck.