Once and for all: Interior Wood Polishes

E

Eisen Hulk

New member
Hey, guys.



I'm sure this has been talked about many times already on here, but I can't seem to find a definitive answer. When polishing/protecting wood trim, what is your go to product?



Thanks in advance.
 
On all the cars that I've done, I have just used AIO. It cleans them well and they look great when finished. I've never dealt with wood trim with a bunch of marring though.
 
Thanks, man. So Klasse AIO would be ok, correct?



I'd like to hear some input on what people use for heavily marred wood.



Way2SSlow said:
On all the cars that I've done, I have just used AIO. It cleans them well and they look great when finished. I've never dealt with wood trim with a bunch of marring though.
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EisenHulk said:
Thanks, man. So Klasse AIO would be ok, correct?



I'd like to hear some input on what people use for heavily marred wood.
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Yeah Casey, K-AIO (with a gentle hand and cloth) works pretty well.



You have to be careful because some of the finishes on interior wood is pretty thin. You can sometimes tell by looking closely how much finish you have to work with. K-AIO has some very mild abrasives along with a chemical cleaner. I've never had to use anything more abrasive than AIO and you'll be surprised how nicely wood cleans up with that.
 
Thanks, John.



You saw the jug of K-AIO in my garage....I think I have enough. Hahahaha.



Eliot Ness said:
Yeah Casey, K-AIO (with a gentle hand and cloth) works pretty well.



You have to be careful because some of the finishes on interior wood is pretty thin. You can sometimes tell by looking closely how much finish you have to work with. K-AIO has some very mild abrasives along with a chemical cleaner. I've never had to use anything more abrasive than AIO and you'll be surprised how nicely wood cleans up with that.
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I like acrylic glazes like EZ-Creme for minor damage.



I might be getting a newish car (Avalon) with trashed wood, and I'm thinking of trying 6000+ grit paper to restore it. The cut on superfine papers (model plane type) is more even than most mild compounds by hand.
 
I used Meguiar's ScratchX very successfully to remove superficial marring in wood finish (which is coated in any case - you are not relly dealing with the wood underneath) and then finished off same as paint finish - and quick detailer to give it that extra shine. Looks good now.
 
I use plain Pledge at the shop on BMW wood trim. Works great! Fills light scratches and leaves a very glossy finish. I spray the product on a mf towel and wipe the trim.



Cheap Too!



Toto
 
If you're working on some wood that actually has some scratches that go through the finish then you might want to try some OLD ENGLISH® Scratch Cover. It comes in a formula for both light and dark colored wood. I always liked to follow that up with a good wood wax or even some Pledge like Toto mentioned. Anyone who deals with wood, especially antiques, will have a bottle of Old English close by.
 
Keep in mind that not all interior trims have the same protective covering. Some are epoxy, some are clear, and I suppose there could be others. The first step is identifying which it is.
 
Interesting. Is there an easy way to do so?



BuffMe said:
Keep in mind that not all interior trims have the same protective covering. Some are epoxy, some are clear, and I suppose there could be others. The first step is identifying which it is.
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The corrective procedures for polishing shouldn't differ that much other than abrasion levels necessary. So, starting with the least aggressive is always the best. However, if it is deep scratching, I'm not sure whether or not epoxy can be brought back to a high gloss like clear can after sanding. Hopefully someone can chime in with more knowledge in that area.
 
I've gone as aggressive as 3M PI-III MG 05937, but I usually keep it milder than that.



For protection, if I'm not using my old jar of Zymol Interior Wood Wax, I just use some other LSP, whatever seems easiest to keep off surrounding surfaces. I *have* been using my old VM for an AIO version of this too, and it seems to work well.



For gentle cleaning when AIO isn't necessary, I usually just use some kind of QD. Had been using #34 for years, but now I've been reaching for FK146.
 
If I am really feeling ambitious I will use an AIO on it...probably ZAIO. Normally I will just wipe it down with QD, it cleans off any soap residues from the interior cleaning and leaves it slick.
 
Bigpoppa3346 said:
If I am really feeling ambitious I will use an AIO on it...probably ZAIO...
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I'd be a little careful about the ZAIO, it's way more abrasive than I'd usually want to use for this application *(or at least the sample I have is)*. It seems especially abrasive on "non-paint" surfaces like plastics, and I kinda think of most interior wood finishes as being more like that than "regular car paint".
 
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