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best way to recover a roof

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
Hi,

The RV is from 2004. What is the best way to recover the roof. It is some sort of flexible material.

Bed liner over what is there?

New material?

Remove old material and use bed liner?

I won't be doing this myself.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.
24 REPLIES 24

valhalla360
Nomad
Nomad
How long do you want the refurbished roof to last?

If you are just trying to get an extra 2-3 yrs out of it, paint on products can be a good option but they are very much buying time not a long term solution.

If you are looking at another 15-20yrs, probably best to do it right and rip off the old rubber and put down new.
Tammy & Mike
Ford F250 V10
2021 Gray Wolf
Gemini Catamaran 34'
Full Time spliting time between boat and RV

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
udidwht wrote:
Wonder if anyone out there has ever sprayed their roof with something like Line-X?


Not first hand experiance, but I do know that a few Hunters have done that on their OLD junky Deer Lease trailers and motorhomes, which are not worth enough to put on a new roof. Doug

udidwht
Explorer
Explorer
Wonder if anyone out there has ever sprayed their roof with something like Line-X?
1994 Fleetwood Southwind Storm
P-30 chassis 7.4L 454 TBI 58,301 miles and counting....(as of 06/08/19)
VIN# 1GBJP37N4R3314754
Flight System Generator man 360 (PM me)

dougrainer
Nomad
Nomad
ktmrfs wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
Gdetrailer,

Is your roof flat? Mine is curved. I like the aluminum idea.

dougrainer,

Redecking sounds expensive. But I do value your advice.


Well, You CANNOT install EPDM or TPO over the existing EPDM/TPO. You CANNOT install new EPDM/TPO over the existing wood subdeck after you remove the OLD EPDM/TPO. You HAVE to redeck. You overlay the new decking with Wood Glue/screws. Doug


Never heard of needing new decking for a new roof, nor have I ever seen any shops put on new decking unless the old was rotted. Nor have I ever seen this requirement in the instructions from EPDM roof suppliers either.

Where is a reference to needing new decking??


When you remove the old EPDM/TPO, you have gobs of old glue and debris stuck to the Old Decking. NEW glue will not adhere correctly to the old glue. Unless you sand the complete roof, (messy dirty and time consuming), and IF you use the original gummed up surface and apply new glue, once you roll out the EPDM/TPO you will have ALL those bits and pieces under the new rubber. IT WILL show thru. Will look like s**t. Now, I only have 43 years of replacing roofs on RV's, so maybe you have more knowledge. Installing new deck over the old only takes about 2 to 3 hours and you now have a NEW/CLEAN/DRY surface to glue and roll out the new rubber. This is not done because the old deck was rotten or bad. You do it because you want a GOOD clean adhered job. Now, what may be stated in the instructions assumes you KNOW what you are doing. I DO. Maybe the shops you have used are just plain lousy and don't care about quality. BUT TO DO A CORRECT ROOF EPDM/TPO REPLACEMENT REQUIRES NEW OVERLAYED DECKING. PERIOD. Doug

98coachman
Explorer
Explorer
ktmrfs wrote:
dougrainer wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
Gdetrailer,

Is your roof flat? Mine is curved. I like the aluminum idea.

dougrainer,

Redecking sounds expensive. But I do value your advice.


Well, You CANNOT install EPDM or TPO over the existing EPDM/TPO. You CANNOT install new EPDM/TPO over the existing wood subdeck after you remove the OLD EPDM/TPO. You HAVE to redeck. You overlay the new decking with Wood Glue/screws. Doug


Never heard of needing new decking for a new roof, nor have I ever seen any shops put on new decking unless the old was rotted. Nor have I ever seen this requirement in the instructions from EPDM roof suppliers either.

Where is a reference to needing new decking??
. Xs2. I am redoing a trailer as we speak and there is nothing wrong with the decking. You just need to be sure everything is clean and prepped properly before installing new membrane! Where did you get your info???

ktmrfs
Explorer
Explorer
dougrainer wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
Gdetrailer,

Is your roof flat? Mine is curved. I like the aluminum idea.

dougrainer,

Redecking sounds expensive. But I do value your advice.


Well, You CANNOT install EPDM or TPO over the existing EPDM/TPO. You CANNOT install new EPDM/TPO over the existing wood subdeck after you remove the OLD EPDM/TPO. You HAVE to redeck. You overlay the new decking with Wood Glue/screws. Doug


Never heard of needing new decking for a new roof, nor have I ever seen any shops put on new decking unless the old was rotted. Nor have I ever seen this requirement in the instructions from EPDM roof suppliers either.

Where is a reference to needing new decking??
2011 Keystone Outback 295RE
2004 14' bikehauler with full living quarters
2015.5 Denali 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison
2004.5 Silverado 4x4 CC/SB Duramax/Allison passed on to our Son!

SJ-Chris
Explorer
Explorer
pianotuna wrote:
Hi,

The RV is from 2004. What is the best way to recover the roof. It is some sort of flexible material.

Bed liner over what is there?

New material?

Remove old material and use bed liner?

I won't be doing this myself.


How bad is your roof? What issues are you having? Is it leaking, or does it just look old?

Not sure if it is beyond this simple life-extending idea, but I have used Dicor Roof sealant on 3 of my RVs. It goes on like thick paint. Filled up cracking old dicor around vents/etc nicely. Total cost was about $250 and a few hours of my time. Important to clean the roof beforehand obviously, but that wasn't hard either. My roof was about 7 years old when I did it. It probably didn't need it, but I figure giving my roof extra protection/life is a good idea since water leaks is one of the biggest killers of RVs. Here's a link to the project I did: https://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/30201452.cfm

Any pics of your roof?
San Jose, CA
Own two 2015 Thor Majestic 28a Class C RVs

PButler96
Explorer
Explorer
Slownsy wrote:
Gdetrailer so what you are saying is that it is a waste of time painting anything as it will not stick and wash off. I hope you didnโ€™t pay for paint on your vehicle or your home. Yes there is prosesses for applications of most coatings and everything has a limited lifespan but maintenance do extend this.
Frank.


Reading through his posts it sounds like he threw down some FRP, an interior product meant to be applied to interior walls with no UV inhibitors, over an existing roof composed of who knows what. When that band aid failed he tried painting over it with some unknown roof paint, probably not intended to be applied to FRP, then that sheet the bed. Then he scraped or ground that mess off, and applied bed coating, which was not meant for a roof application either. About the only things he did not give a shot was asphalt roof shingles, standing seam steel, or some miracle product endorsed by Phil Swift. He created his own disaster.
I have a burn barrel in my yard.

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
I found the RV Armor pricing estimate. Since I'm 28'5" it would be $4785 USD IF the deck needs no repairs. I.E. Roughly $165.00/Linear Foot. $3,950 Minimum Job Total.. Plus I'd have to drive to USA.
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

Slownsy
Explorer
Explorer
Gdetrailer so what you are saying is that it is a waste of time painting anything as it will not stick and wash off. I hope you didnโ€™t pay for paint on your vehicle or your home. Yes there is prosesses for applications of most coatings and everything has a limited lifespan but maintenance do extend this.
Frank.
Frank
2012 F250 XLT
4x4 Super Cab
8' Tray 6.2lt, 3.7 Diff.

Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Explorer III
pianotuna wrote:
Alan_Hepburn wrote:
We just had our roof done by the folks at RV-Armor earlier this year - it costs a bit more, but it's one that has a lifetime warranty tied to the vehicle's VIN so it's transferable. It took a total of 3 days to complete the job, and they came out to where we were parked. Very happy with the results so far.


Hi Alan,

May I ask what size / type your RV is?

What was the approximate cost?


Be aware, "RV-Armor" is nothing more than another rolled on paint system..

See HERE


Click For Full-Size Image.

While the offer a "lifetime" warranty, I am highly skeptical of any "lifetime" warranties..

Lifetime as in the person's lifetime?

Lifetime as in the lifetime of the RV?

Lifetime as in the lifetime of the company?

The claim up to 30%-50% lower cost than a tear off and new roof material..

Sounds like a deal but the thought of paying half as much for a new roof for some rubberized paint splattered onto an old wornout and cracked roofing membrane doesn't really make for a good long lasting roof..

Adhesion and thickness of the coating is going to be a huge factor in whether it lasts a couple of yrs or 10 yrs.. Unless they apply multiple layers (coats)it will never have the thickness of the original wear layer and no matter what is done will never have the adhesion bond of the original wear layer.

For short term ownership to make it look pretty for the next owner it might make financial sense since you could perhaps squeeze a few more bucks out of the novice newly minted RV owner.. But to me that would be untruthful and unethical..

pianotuna
Nomad II
Nomad II
Alan_Hepburn wrote:
We just had our roof done by the folks at RV-Armor earlier this year - it costs a bit more, but it's one that has a lifetime warranty tied to the vehicle's VIN so it's transferable. It took a total of 3 days to complete the job, and they came out to where we were parked. Very happy with the results so far.


Hi Alan,

May I ask what size / type your RV is?

What was the approximate cost?
Regards, Don
My ride is a 28 foot Class C, 256 watts solar, 556 amp-hours of Telcom jars, 3000 watt Magnum hybrid inverter, Sola Basic Autoformer, Microair Easy Start.

Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Explorer III
theoldwizard1 wrote:
First, I commend you for "doing the right thing", a complete re-roof ! It is the only way to know if there is damage to the roof deck and/or the supports. Any flexible roof covering has a life of about 10 years. UV (sunlight) is the enemy. Biannual washing and treatment with a UV protecting will help extend the life.

EPDM or TPO are the only realistic options. TPO comes in different grades/thicknesses. TPO does require some special tools to weld the TPO.


Washing, scrubbing, painting and such does not "extend" the life of a membrane roof. It can actually reduce the overall live by removing the wear (white) layer at a faster rate. Any soap or detergent strong enough to remove dirt will remove layers of the white wear layer, heck even the rain and snow remove microscopic particles of the wear layer.

Painting the roof only covers and hides the fact that the roofs life is over..

Many "products" that claim to rejuvenate or prevent UV exposure must be water based to prevent damage to the membrane, guess what happens when the very first rain hits that product.. It runs right off and you must apply again when dry.

Once the white wear layer is gone, the roof simply needs replaced anything short of replacement is a temporary bandaid that you must keep reapplying.

Have owned cars with vinyl roofs and I know quite few folks who have convertible top roof cars and replacing the soft roofs is part of the life of ownership of those cars. Once it starts going, it is done and nothing short of replacing will fix that.

Gdetrailer
Explorer III
Explorer III
pianotuna wrote:
Gdetrailer,

Is your roof flat? Mine is curved. I like the aluminum idea.

dougrainer,

Redecking sounds expensive. But I do value your advice.


My roof has the typicalRV slight curve so it is about 1 inch higher in the middle than the sides. It actually started out it's life with a aluminum roof, but the previous owner tragically shot thousands of little tiny air nails through the roof as they attempted a repair/remodel that was a epic fail. Moral of story, don't use powered nailers when remodeling a RV, you can't tell if you hit the narrow studs or blew through them..

5 yrs ago I did entertain covering with aluminum roofing, but as with even the membrane roofs the issue became finding a place that was willing to order and have the capability of receiving over sized freight via semi trailer.. Basically has a shipping dock.

I had neither a means to be at home at time of delivery or a shipping dock which would make life easier at the time. I was working at a place which has a shipping dock, but management frowned on having personal non business shipping hit the docks and working there for many yrs had to deal with a lot of materials that got lost on the dock or damaged on the dock..

Both aluminum rolls and roof membrane large enough to cover in one piece (too make for a seamless roof) requires truck shipping and consider that the roofing will mean at a minimum of 9ft wide roll I found that Peel and Stick to be a good compromise which allows for normal carrier shipping and handling.

Right now, I would hate to see what a large one piece run of aluminum roofing would cost :E

The Peel & Seal is designed to be applied to flat or pitched roofs, it works so well for us that when we needed our house reroofed, the roofers mentioned that our dormer had too small of pitch for shingles.. They recommended a "cousin" of the Peel & Seal which is a self stick black rubber/asphalt membrane system that is then covered with a second self stick membrane which has the roof gravel on.. The beauty of the self stick is there is no nails, screws or any fasteners needed to go through it. Has another benefit, it is "self healing" if one needs to run a screw or nail through it, the rubber/asphalt makes a water tight seal around the screw or nail.

I have also used Peel & Stick as a "flashing" and seam sealer on my metal garage roof which started leaking at the seams in places..

I would prefer something a bit more lifetime permanent like one piece aluminum, but so far the Peel & Seal is working great for me.