car wax etc
Hello Jim,
Although car wax certainly will not hurt the slide any, I don't think it will do what you want it to do - and that is to make it nice and smooth again. Also, applying car wax will make it more difficult to fix your slide properly since you will need to strip all that wax off before applying anything else. By the sounds of it, the sun's UV rays and the elements have removed the smooth layer that once was your slide, leaving a pitted dull dry plastic behind, you can probably scratch this finish into a powder with your fingernail.
There are several types of finishes used on slides - some are made entirely of molded plastic while others are fiberglass.
The surface on fiberglass slides will appear to be plastic, however, looking at the underside of the slide, you will notice a fiber material visible that probably looks somewhat like the surface of a cast.
It is important to know the actual composition of the slide before deciding what material to use to give your slide a new lease on life.
If your slide is fiberglass the process is relatively simple since fiberglass is fiberglass, you can go to any marine store (boating) and purchase a gelcoat paint that can either be applied by spraying or by brushing it on, this paint will give your slide a nice new smooth surface coat like the one that was originally there, you can have it white or tinted to any shade you like, depending on the roughness of it's current condition, you may need to apply a number of layers.
For a plastic slide, it is a little more difficult since you need to determine the type of plastic you are working with.
Roto molded plastics are relatively elastic, they will not allow much to adhere properly to their surface, so the surface would require refinishing through sanding and buffing, buffing will "heat" and "melt" the plastic smooth again. Deep gauges (scars) can be removed using a blowtorch and putty knife to smooth them out, then do some final sanding and buffing to refinish the surface - you would need to sand and buff using electric tools - your hands will be useless to perform this job.
Injection molded plastics are usually harder than roto molded plastics and a number of surface coatings will adhere to it if the surface is prepared properly.
Sanding and cleaning off all foreign materials such as wax is mandatory, you can use bondo or plastic filler to repair any areas that may require it. There are a number of paints available that will actually form a bond with properly prepared plastic and hold up for a very long period of time - Krylon Fusion is one paint that works very well with such plastics, a number of coats should give you a nice new hard smooth surface - especially if left in the sun to cure for a week or two.
Several other methods include coating it with such products as "plasticote" or with one of several 2 part epoxies available on the market - none of which are cheap by any means.
