Camper Roof coating on top of old Coating?

[SDTacoMan]

Hello all!

Me and my girlfriend just picked up what we thought was a nice move in ready camper, but to our dismay it had a decent leak on the front wall of the camper. We are both lacking a lot of knowledge on RV's, although I have worked a lot of maintenance jobs in the past and I'm a bit of a handyman, so we are trying to make this livable by ourselves.

After pulling the inside wall out I believe I have narrowed the leak down to the outside front corner moldings which I have removed, cleaned, and am going to apply dicor corner tape to the sheet metal and butyl-tape back on then finish it off with some pro-flex RV caulk.

While pulling the corner moldings off near the roof I found that an old coating (the previous owner claimed it was 'just' re-coated) began to peel off with the trim piece.

We were planning on coating the roof with dicor extended life 100% silicone elastomeric roof coating, but we were just going to coat on top of the old coating.

TL;DR

My question is, should I begin trying to peel the old roof coating off (as it seems to be peeling off ok here) or should I leave the coating and just apply on top of it. I don't believe I have any roof related leaks at this point of time anyways, so I'm not sure I want to go for it if it's going to cause me a ton of work.

Here are some pictures of the current roof coating:




and here is where the corner trim piece was covered by the coating, and began peeling away as a consequence of its removal:

[Hoerschel]

Gdetrailer said: " I have zero faith in those miracle roofs in a bucket for reliability over time."
Sorry to learn of your poor experience. Clearly you have not considered or researched the Henry 887 TropiCool 100% silicone coating. It has a lifetime warranty against failure when properly prepped and applied according to labeled directions. A cursory internet search will reveal many satisfied users over many years. I am not paid spokesman, only a satisfied customer.

[Gdetrailer]

SDTacoMan wrote:
Hello all!

Me and my girlfriend just picked up what we thought was a nice move in ready camper, but to our dismay it had a decent leak on the front wall of the camper. We are both lacking a lot of knowledge on RV's, although I have worked a lot of maintenance jobs in the past and I'm a bit of a handyman, so we are trying to make this livable by ourselves.

After pulling the inside wall out I believe I have narrowed the leak down to the outside front corner moldings which I have removed, cleaned, and am going to apply dicor corner tape to the sheet metal and butyl-tape back on then finish it off with some pro-flex RV caulk.

While pulling the corner moldings off near the roof I found that an old coating (the previous owner claimed it was 'just' re-coated) began to peel off with the trim piece.

We were planning on coating the roof with dicor extended life 100% silicone elastomeric roof coating, but we were just going to coat on top of the old coating.

TL;DR

My question is, should I begin trying to peel the old roof coating off (as it seems to be peeling off ok here) or should I leave the coating and just apply on top of it. I don't believe I have any roof related leaks at this point of time anyways, so I'm not sure I want to go for it if it's going to cause me a ton of work.

Here are some pictures of the current roof coating:




and here is where the corner trim piece was covered by the coating, and began peeling away as a consequence of its removal:

Stop, recoating over top something that is easily pealed off is just wasting your money and time!

The previous owner failed to properly prep the old roofing leading to poor adhesion. The next coat you put on is only going to stick as good as the coat that the previous owner put on. In a nutshell it will eventually all peal up..

Your roof is pretty much done, the stuff that was slathered on is so thin that the BLACK of the actual old wornout roof is showing through.

Technically, you NEED to replace the roof unless you want to play wack a mole game of repainting and touching up the slathered on liquid fix in a bottle paint every year or two.

Sorry for the bad news, I have zero faith in those miracle roofs in a bucket for reliability over time. They ARE a quick fix if you want to sell the RV for top dollar to the next unknowing owner.

And YES, I HAVE tried those miracle roofs in a bucket, mine lasted less than two years and it was splotchy and cracking.

All is not lost though..

There is a product called "Peel and Seal" with aluminum foil covering which was recommended by several RV dealers. Comes in up to 36" wide by 33 ft long rolls. See HERE



This stuff is ultra sticky and you must be careful to not let it touch anything other than the roof surface you want to cover.. It will stick to it's self also.

The downside is you will NEED to remove ALL of the slathered on coating that is not well adhered the previous owner put on to ensure you are not going to have any adhesion issues.

[Gjac]

I would clean the roof real good with soap, bleach and a brush, then power wash to remove any loose coating. Just use good sense when using the power washer not to get too close. An electric one between 1500-1700 psi works well, get all the mold off also. Check for any leaks inside, areas where new caulking is needed. After drying then recoat with with any number of coatings, Bus coat, Heng's, Henry's, Dicor, etc. The prep work to me is more important than the name brand coating you use.

[Veebyes]

Recoating is on next springs, 'to do' list, Seems to be a bunch of similar products to choose from. One needs to read the descriptions & coverages very very carefully.

Mine was built late 2007 but from 2009 onwards has spent 7 months each year indoors. No leaks though it did get a little intimate with a tree branch which gave it a rub. Put tape over the mark as a preventative measure but will take that off before recoating.

The whole process looks as easy as can be. Sure beats doing 32' worth of boat bottom. Cheap too. A gallon of good bottom paint is around $300 these days.

[gbopp]

Clean the roof well. Apply Eternabond Tape and Dicor self leveling Lap sealant to the seams and joints.
Then coat the roof with Heng's Rubber Roof Coating. It goes on easily and needs no primer.

[Oasisbob]

Take off as much of the old as you can. Anything you put down will only adhere as well as the surface it bonds to. I strongly suggest pressurizing the interior and soaping up the outside to find all the leaks. Sometimes water enters through the back side of a running light. You will be surprised.

[Lwiddis]

I’m a Heng’s fan. Easy to apply. How are the seams on the sides?

[MrWizard]

A stiff broom, brush off as much loose stuff as you can,
A little water and a soft brush/broom to remove dirt,
Then apply the new coating to the dry clean roof,

[2oldman]

MFL wrote:
while I have not used the Heng's rubber roof coating, I have read of many others that have, and liked it.

I have, but not for a complete roof job. I would not hesitate to use it for that purpose however. I would remove anything you can first.

It's the only thing that stopped my skylight from leaking. Goes on like paint.

[MFL]

OK, that sounds like a simple recoat will do the job. The Dicor should work for you, and while I have not used the Heng's rubber roof coating, I have read of many others that have, and liked it.

Good luck, and welcome to the forum,

Jerry

[SDTacoMan]

yeah, I figured that's not a wise choice. However, it does appear to be mostly solid. I would have figured this are was solid as well if I hadn't taken the corner trim pieces off. There's no visible peeling elsewhere on the roof and the lap sealant around all the vents and stuff looks pretty fresh.

[MFL]

While pics help, still hard to give good advice without actually seeing the roof. You likely know that recoating a roof that is peeling badly, would not be a wise choice. If the roof is mostly solid, but just looks bad, I'd just recoat over the existing finish.

You don't mention year of trailer, or how much invested already, but those things would help to decide how much work you want to put into it.

Jerry