Sorry but, with all elastomeric finishes, it boils down to scraping. Great ol RVs require excellent ol effort. Utilize a chemical paint stripper for around roofing components and locations you can't get it all off. You could use it over the entire roofing however, the question is ... would you desire to? The things is just nasty to deal with and very unhealthy to breathe and don't let it get in contact with your skin.
Sta-kool Elastomeric White Reflective Roof
This Link: roof coating contractors - DC Roofing of Arizona
If (like me) you are the kind of person who applies caulk with the objective of getting professional-looking, smooth joints, then the application and appearance of lap sealant on a camper roofing will throw you for a loop. Lap sealant looks more like somebody was attempting to put icing on a cupcake.
And if somebody has actually recaulked a location, there are a lot more blobs on top of the older blobs. It appears counter-intuitive to the goal of preventing water invasion since the application does not always encourage water to recede. Even a professionally used application of lap sealant around an air vent looks more like a tiny retention pond after a rain.
If you require to recaulk on location on your camper's roofing, you first have to clean up all those dirty mounds and, per the producer, apply more mounds of caulk on top of the old caulk rather than eliminating it. You are expected to examine your roofing system at least as soon as a year and apply caulk as needed.
The previous owner might not have actually cleaned the old caulk before plopping more mounds of brand-new caulk on top. We've eliminated old caulk that peeled off quickly due to the dirt and gunk below. We've discovered air pockets between layers of caulk. We have actually even found caulk mounds that seeped out tiny water beads when pushed, most likely due to pinholes.
When you're ready to inspect your roofing, begin by providing the roofing and the caulk an excellent cleansing. Here's a link to our DIY roofing cleaner. After washing whatever off, take note of where water may be pooling; particularly around the caulk. Once it's dry, utilize chalk to draw a circle any locations that have poor drain.
Roof Coat Elastomeric Coating Product Data Sheet
Try to find signs of brittleness, fractures, pinholes, small cratering, or edges that quickly raise. Once again, use the chalk to draw circle those locations that require attention. Air pockets, cracks and crevices within a number of layers of old lap sealantI choose to get rid of old caulk instead of blob more on top.
To prevent tearing a rubber roofing system membrane or scratching an aluminum roofing, shimmy the tool around the edge of the caulk up until it begins to lift. It's most convenient to do this when outdoor temperatures are above 80 degrees, otherwise you could utilize a hot air weapon or blow dryer to carefully heat the caulk.
The is to get the old caulk as flush to the rubber surface area as possible. Have a small tub, denatured alcohol, and rags close by to clean up as you go. Store the can and rags in the small tub. Avoid letting the denatured alcohol reach the rubber roof for too long.
Have a tub helpful for all the old sealantOnce the majority of the old caulk has actually been gotten rid of and the surface area has actually been cleaned up and dried, utilize painter's tape to define the perimeter of the location to be caulked. All the old sealant has been removedSelf-leveling lap sealant truly does not level itself out to a good finish.
Being specific about how caulk looks, and that it promotes correct drainage, I utilize a modified application procedure. It's great to understand ahead of time how the caulk will behave. A tube of caulk that is more than one years of age can be harder to feed utilizing a caulk weapon and might not self-level as efficiently as a freshly produced tube of caulk.
Less than 6 months is great. If there's no date, simply avoid the tubes that have dust on them or worn bottom edges. Use a piece of cardboard and lay a small things like a screw or bolt in the middle of the cardboard to test out your caulk. Use a 3/8 inch bead of sealant in a straight line down the length of the cardboard, making sure to also cover the screw or bolt.
The Ultimate Guide To Rv Roof Coating
The sealant should start skinning over in 5 minutes. Older tubes of sealant may not self-level as nicely or they may skin over much more rapidly. Repeat this test for each tube of sealant as you are prepared to utilize it. Once you know the how your tube of sealant will perform after application and how rapidly it will develop a skim coat, you can start applying beads of sealant.
10-year Premium White Elastomeric Roof Coating
Keep the sealant beads roughly 1/2 inch away from the painter's tape (or whatever range your tube test spread suggested). Within 5 minutes of application, dip your fingers or a plastic putty knife into the water/Dawn mix, then "assist" direct the sealant leveling by utilizing light pressure to push the bead flow into the wanted slope or shape.
Use the exact same method to produce a feathered edge towards the painter's tape. As quickly as the sealant establishes a skin coat, remove the painter's tape. Lap Sealant Treatment Time5 Minutes Skins over4 Hours Waterproof48 Hours 80% Cure30 Days 100% CureAnother option is to avoid utilizing lap sealant entirely and utilize roof sealant tape rather.
The cost of the tape is equivalent to using lap sealant (and perhaps a little cheaper). We used Beech Lane tape, which we picked up at Amazon for under $35 (here's the link if interested). Rubber Sealant Applied To Camper Roofing System CleanedAnd here's a photo after using a fresh coat of rubber roof finishing.