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Advice - Roofing options

rgnprof
Explorer
Explorer
Haven't been on for a while, but spring is here...I have an older Class C - 29 ft. '93 Ford E350 - pretty good shape but I have to do something with the roof. I have to replace the shower skylight - cracks in the corners and I have some leaks in the roof, primarily where the EPDM wraps over the top along the edges and is then secured to the side of the RV. These problems are much worse in the rear of the coach...

I have patched along the sides numerous times and places with 4" Eternabond tape - generally with good success. But, I feel like I need to "fix it better"...

So, I'm considering 3 options - 1) coat the roof with one of those rubberized paints, probably just rolling it on over the Eternabond, 2) replacing all of the EPDM rubber, and 3) replaced the EPDM rubber from the shower skylight back to the rear of the coach only - about 12 ft. of the roof. I know the 3rd option may not make sense, but it would take care of almost all of my problem - PLUS it would be a whole lot easier. I know it adds another seam, but I don't have to fool with the AC or most of the top vents if I go this route and I could easily get it done in a day or two...I think!

What do you guys think? Is option 3 particularly short-sighted? Any other options I'm missing? We would like to keep this coach for another 3-5 years, but it is over 20 years old...

Thanks for any advice!
Ryan
18 REPLIES 18

LifeInsideJack
Explorer
Explorer
We replaced out roof finally. We pulled everything off down to the bare wood. What we found is the 2x2s along the edges were rotted but the plywood was in very good condition. We made the necessary repairs. We then rolled on the LaSalle Bristol XTRM PVC roof material. This came with in installation kit which is basically glue and sealers. Lots of it also.

Top Tip: The 35' roll was less expensive than the 30' roll. I ordered this from Amazon and got free shipping on it. Good thing too because all of this is oversize and heavy.

Since we were replacing the roof and it would be bright white we replaced all of the vents, dormers and a/c cover. All of this looks fantastic. We removed the antennas up there and left them off. Since we had to lay down 1/16" sheets to deal with the old glue issue those holes were covered up. We put our solar panels up there (3 x 250x) and the panels are huge. They barely fit and in the end the roof looks wonderful.



We pulled the roof material down the front of the coach. There was a seam at the top of the sleeping loft. A seam. So foolish. So we gooped that seam up, filled it in and pulled the roof material over it. The other thing we did that Fleetwood did not do was pull the roof material over the sides. Why would they not do this? These two changes will prevent those areas from leaking again.

It was nearly 110* when the new roof material went on. Stupid hot if you ask me, so the glue set fast and the material was easy to work.

I recommend this material. Here's a estimated cost for this project:

Roof Material: $535.00
Installation Kit: $115.00
1/16" sheets: $65.00
New Vents and covers: $225.00
New Clearance Lights: $20.00
New Marker Lights: $15.00

Labor: $800.00
Tip: $200.00 (the hottest day of work was 114* and they stayed until noon)

Copious amounts of cold beverages: $35.00

Our website: www.lifeinsidejack.com

Our Motto: Love. Joy. Hope. Peace. Freedom.

LifeInsideJack
Explorer
Explorer
No kidding. The other folks here that this couple have worked for have no complaints. Their pricing is very low. The best part is that I do not have to leave the coach somewhere as this is our home.

It's about $800 for materials and they quoted me another $800 for their work. I'm planning to replace all the vents, the AC cover and the fridge vent. When this coach was painted black those items were painted black also. That's just too much for my taste.

I'm not sure which of us will pull the trigger first but I'll post here when we start. Since we blog our build I'll post copious pictures of what we end up doing. I've budgeted more than double to deal with the unexpected or to make improvements if necessary.

Keep your progress posted.
Our website: www.lifeinsidejack.com

Our Motto: Love. Joy. Hope. Peace. Freedom.

rgnprof
Explorer
Explorer
Thank you. Did some reading on that LaSalle Bristol product - it's PVC. Another option...

I called PPL in Texas and asked for advice and they said that regular EPDM is the easiest to install, but it seems like there are a variety of types...

I have looked at Brite Ply - which is a bit more expensive, Alpha Systems SuperFlex and then just EPDM as found all over the place...

I am looking for the easiest to install and the cheapest - and PPL said that would be EPDM, but I just watched an Alpha Systems video and it looks as easy to install as Dicor EPDM...and you can find it pretty cheap as well

It's hard to keep track of the different product lines...confusing. And then a PVC option??

ryan

LifeInsideJack
Explorer
Explorer
This last weekend it rained pretty good. We had the roof recoated to buy us time before we did a major reroof project on this but at 4:30 in the morning we were at Wally World buying large tarps. So much for buying time.

What I noticed is that the roof is concave and holding water. I am very disappointed because I did so much work to remodel the inside and to lose any of that to a bad roof is just silly.

So, since our coach is a '94, we are looking at the RMA Xtrm product by LaSalle Bristol. In the RV Park where we are parked currently a couple of other folks have used this and there is a couple here that will do the installation. Beyond that we're going to put new splines up there to get the roof back up where it belongs so there is no more pooling of water.

I priced the products out and found what I needed at Amazon and with my Prime membership I get free shipping.

Very frustrating.
Our website: www.lifeinsidejack.com

Our Motto: Love. Joy. Hope. Peace. Freedom.

rgnprof
Explorer
Explorer
Ok, I'm getting closer to doing this job and have decided to just replace the whole roof. After looking at it again last weekend, I almost changed my mind to just covering it with a liquid roof product, but I've had too many leaks and I know I have some wood that needs to be replaced.

As I've been searching for the best price, I have discovered that there are a lot of options...what do you guys recommend? TPO or EPDM? I have EPDM on it now, but I almost think I can go back with TPO a little cheaper...maybe???

Any thoughts?

ryan

falconbrother
Explorer II
Explorer II
rgnprof wrote:
Hey John, nice to hear from you. You think it's stupid to just do half the roof?? I plan on buying enough EPDM to do the whole thing, but...I may wait and do it in stages...

ryan


Doing it in stages will mean seams. Eternabond tape doesn't last an eternity, contrary to popular belief. If it's on a surface where water has become trapped the seal will eventually fail. I have seen it with my own eyes. With water trapped under it it will fail in a year or two. If however, it stays dry under there then it will last a good long time. It's really easy to trap moisture under your roof repair. I pulled the rubber off of mine when the weather was going to be hot and dry for a couple of days. I left it exposed till the wood under there was dry. Then I recovered it. If it has been leaking you can bet that there is water trapped under there. Over time it will rot the marine plywood. While you
re up there working you will find pin hole size leaks that you didn't see but, that when you push down on it water will leak out. This gets worse with age.. Obviously you need to do something and do it very soon.

Good luck on whatever you decide to do. I understand about monitoring how much you spend on an old RV. My old motorhome was 26 years old when I sold it. The roof was dry as a bone but, it took a lot of effort, some wrong turns, and patience to figure out what worked. The chassis will outlast the coach in most RVs simply due to water damage. The place where I store my RV has a few motorhomes rotting away.

j-d
Explorer
Explorer
Of course, I'd like to see anybody who gets into all the trouble for a roof, do it all and be done with it. I opted to have ours done "commercially" and notice I didn't say "professionally" because I'm not pleased with the work they did. Seaming across the roof, with Eternabond, is probably OK "structurally." But what about the edges? I'm far less concerned with the piercings, like vents, A/C, antenna... Than I'm concerned about the edges. The part I don't think I like, is taking the side edges off twice.

You'll probably learn more at the edges, about the condition of things, than around the center. I know the work is supposed to stay dry once it's all assembled and sealed. Still, I'd suggest you consider stainless steel screws.

You are Mr. Persistent. I'm sure that what you decide to do, either way, will get done. Methodically, Carefully, Effectively.
If God's Your Co-Pilot Move Over, jd
2003 Jayco Escapade 31A on 2002 Ford E450 V10 4R100 218" WB

rgnprof
Explorer
Explorer
Hey John, nice to hear from you. You think it's stupid to just do half the roof?? I plan on buying enough EPDM to do the whole thing, but...I may wait and do it in stages...

ryan

j-d
Explorer
Explorer
Ryan, Sounds like you can get into and out of this job pretty quickly if you're only doing part of the roof.

Still... Do you have shelter to work under? We're basically in Summer Sun and you don't want heat exhaustion doing this. That, the savings ain't worth. You could probably tarp it against sudden rain, but you need sun shade for yourself.
If God's Your Co-Pilot Move Over, jd
2003 Jayco Escapade 31A on 2002 Ford E450 V10 4R100 218" WB

rgnprof
Explorer
Explorer
Yea, I think I will go the Dicor route...PPL Motorhomes has the EPDM on sale right now. I'm just trying to figure out if I can get way with just doing the rear 10-12 feet or so...I know I should do the whole thing...I think I can seal the seam pretty good using Eternabond tape and I can do the front half next year....

winnietrey
Explorer
Explorer
I have found Dicor to be a pretty good company, they have a help line you can call. (they have answered all my questions, and in fact have told me how to do it rather than spend big bucks at the dealer). Going on 17 years now and the rig has never leaked How about this idea? Use Dicor self leveling and non self leveling around the edges of the etranabond. Depending if vertical or horizontal.

Then use the Dicor product to cover the roof, etrnabond included. I know their are other products out there. But based on my experience with Dicor, I would use their product. As a thought perhaps watch their youtube stuff and give them a call. My thought is RV's are their biz, they probably know it better than many other companies

rgnprof
Explorer
Explorer
Yes, but I can buy ALL the materials necessary to redo my roof in EPDM rubber for less than $500...I'm finding this process is going to run in the thousands (I'm reading between $4-5K) - IMHO, that's WAY overkill for a 24 y/o motorhome.

ryan

LifeInsideJack
Explorer
Explorer
RV Armor is applied by Certified Technicians and has a lifetime transferable warranty. This is not something you can do yourself.

We have a '94 Tioga and this type of roof is on our agenda for next summer. It's worth it to me to have a roof I don't have to think about. This coach has suffered enough water damage.
Our website: www.lifeinsidejack.com

Our Motto: Love. Joy. Hope. Peace. Freedom.

rgnprof
Explorer
Explorer
I have not done extensive research here...is RV Flex Armor something I can install? I'm assuming I still have to remove all of the rooftop stuff...? And how much does it cost?

Again, this RV is already 24 years old...

Thanks - ryan