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Old 05-21-2018, 11:11 AM   #1
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Penny Wise or Pound Foolish - Roof Coatings

Okay folks...I don't want to be a penny wise and a pound foolish in regards to re-coating the fiberglass roof on my 21 year-old rig, so here’s my question(s):

I saw on a previous thread a recommendation of Dicor Corp. RP-FRC-1 RV Trailer Camper Sealants Fiberglass Rv Roof Coating (On Amazon it’s $99.95 for 1 gal) and the accompanying clean and prep product - Dicor RP-FCP-1 Fiberglass Roof Coating System (On Amazon it’s $42.76 for 1 gal).

Here’s a link to Dicor’s description: https://dicorproducts.com/product/fi...-roof-coating/

I was all set to pull the trigger and I started thinking about how much would 1 gallon cover. It looked like I would need at least two gallons and then things started to go south when I thought about how much this all was going to cost.

So I started searching my local stores for roof coatings and came up with a few options that are MUCH cheaper and more easier to get:

A product at Home Depot made by Gardner Coatings: Eterna-Kote S-100 Silicone+, for a 5 gal bucket it’s $72.00 and I’ve contacted their support to see if there is a prep/clean product I should use.
https://gardnercoatings.com/products...s-100-silicone

When looking at the Home Depot reviews I see many folks who are RV owners are very happy with their results.

So…foolish or wise?

Thanks for your input in advance.

PS: My roof is in good shape, I have no leaks, this is a preventative maintenance task.
PSS: Although...I did notice some surface cracks on the 'curved edges'. Can I put this coating on the curved sections or do I have to do something different there?
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Old 05-21-2018, 11:21 AM   #2
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well..not sure which is "better" but I can address the coverage rating calculation.
theoretical coverage is at 100% solids by volume (not by weight) = 1604 SF @ 1 mil Dry film thickness assuming (no thinner) per gallon

adjust by total thickness needed (see data sheet) and multiply times %sol by volume (on data sheet) and figure 10% waste factor as typical average. Hope that helps your comparison to determine how many gallons of each you would need.
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Old 05-21-2018, 12:53 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by masdixdragon View Post
well..not sure which is "better" but I can address the coverage rating calculation.
theoretical coverage is at 100% solids by volume (not by weight) = 1604 SF @ 1 mil Dry film thickness assuming (no thinner) per gallon

adjust by total thickness needed (see data sheet) and multiply times %sol by volume (on data sheet) and figure 10% waste factor as typical average. Hope that helps your comparison to determine how many gallons of each you would need.
Hmm, you lost me at 'theoretical'...sigh..sorry, amazing that you know that. I'm thinking your background has something to do with this? And I bet you knew this right off the top of your head, eh? wow...Love people that really KNOW there...stuff! THANKS!
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Old 05-21-2018, 12:57 PM   #4
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if it were me... I would buy a 5 gallon pail of gacco at your local roofing supply house. I would put as many coats as needed to empty the bucket. This is done AFTER all your seams are sealed.
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Old 05-21-2018, 01:03 PM   #5
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So I sent an email to the Gardner folks and another one I found called "Black-Jack-Ultra-Roof 1000 White Siliconized Elastomeric roof coating (say that 5x's fast!) and about 3 minutes later I got a call from Danny out of Tampa, FL (with a Bronx accent...LOVED THAT!) and it turns out Gardner / Black-Jack, are the same company.

Anyway, I asked about cleaning and prep products and if it would work on my fiberglass roof and the best answer was (Said in a Bronx accent), "Well, I'd just try a 5"x5" test spot, let it cure, then scratch with dah finga nails". LOL!

So great. Don't you love America's melting pot? Lived in MA for about 10 years, and all our kids were born there. One day my wife and I came home and heard our baby sitter teaching the kids how to say and spell CAR. (Remember, they don't say their "R's" in Massachusetts) "CAR - C A aaaahhhh". We rushed in and said, "Oh, thanks, we'll teach them to spell" LOL!

Anyway, I see good reviews over at Lowes on this product so I'm think I might just give it a try....unless someone here tells me otherwise.
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Old 05-21-2018, 01:16 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TriMoot View Post
So I sent an email to the Gardner folks and another one I found called "Black-Jack-Ultra-Roof 1000 White Siliconized Elastomeric roof coating (say that 5x's fast!) and about 3 minutes later I got a call from Danny out of Tampa, FL (with a Bronx accent...LOVED THAT!) and it turns out Gardner / Black-Jack, are the same company.

Anyway, I asked about cleaning and prep products and if it would work on my fiberglass roof and the best answer was (Said in a Bronx accent), "Well, I'd just try a 5"x5" test spot, let it cure, then scratch with dah finga nails". LOL!

So great. Don't you love America's melting pot? Lived in MA for about 10 years, and all our kids were born there. One day my wife and I came home and heard our baby sitter teaching the kids how to say and spell CAR. (Remember, they don't say their "R's" in Massachusetts) "CAR - C A aaaahhhh". We rushed in and said, "Oh, thanks, we'll teach them to spell" LOL!

Anyway, I see good reviews over at Lowes on this product so I'm think I might just give it a try....unless someone here tells me otherwise.

Sounds like a plan...at a minimum Id recommend a thorough brush scrub wash and rinse followed by solvent wipe (acetone or iso alcohol) just prior to coating...mostly trying to minimize/remove any loose chalking going on before attempting to overcoat it. Let us know how it goes
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Old 05-21-2018, 02:00 PM   #7
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Somebody please explain why you need to do anything to a fiberglass roof?

When we got our first HR MH after we retired I looked into roof coating based on having a galvanized steel roof on camping trainers a long time ago. The first issue was determine what kind of roof we had. When I inspected the roof I figured out it fiberglass with taped seams. I went to a local RV place. If the very expensive seam tape is in good condition, the only thing that need to be done a little caulk around the vents.

We also have in Louisiana galvanized steel roof on a storage shed (with pin hole leaks), camping trailer, and mobile home. I used a white roof coating from Lowe's. I cleaned the roofs with a pressure washer and TSP

The shed roof is still not leaking. I pressure washed the camping trailer (mold is the state flower) which restored the roof from black to while again.

Our present HR MH also has a fiberglass roof. It is in good shape. If a roof coating is needed to keep it that way, I will do it.

At this point in my life I think fiberglass roof on the MH and fiberglass hull on the sail boat will out live me.
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Old 05-22-2018, 05:10 AM   #8
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Here is a good write-up from the Beaver Ambassador Club

Protecting Your RV’s Roof – RV Roof Coating | Beaver Ambassador Club
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Old 05-22-2018, 11:19 AM   #9
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Originally Posted by masdixdragon View Post
Sounds like a plan...at a minimum Id recommend a thorough brush scrub wash and rinse followed by solvent wipe (acetone or iso alcohol) just prior to coating...mostly trying to minimize/remove any loose chalking going on before attempting to overcoat it. Let us know how it goes
Well I did a high pressure wash and it's REALLY clean. It has an orange peel texture on it which of course gathers ALL sorts of dirt and debri, but I was able to get it sparklingly clean last weekend with the high pressure wash.

Hmm, sigh..really? Acetone or alcohol? I don't suppose drinking a beer or two would accomplish the same thing? Dang...

Well, that certainly makes sense, I will 'add' that to my already mounting project list for this memorial day weekend work. Thank you SOOO much MasDixDragon!!!

My list for this weekend:
Crawl under the front porch and apply powder to kill the carpenter ants
Sand and stain the back porch. (Already pressure washed it last weekend)
Touch up balcony paint (Will require some sanding in spots)
Seal RV roof.

Sigh..yeah..I think selling the S&B house and going full time RVing would be LESS work.

Oh, did I mention mowing and week whacking?
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Old 05-22-2018, 04:04 PM   #10
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Our fiberglass roof was oxidizing badly. My knees would turn white whenever working on the roof. The white "chalk" would also wash down the sides and discolor the paint.
Several of us have cleaned and painted the roof with Rustoleum Marine Top Side Deck Paint:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I applied 2 coats and used 2 quarts with a long handle paint roller.

Several others on this forum have had great results with marine deck paint.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/reco...of-372752.html
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Old 05-22-2018, 05:51 PM   #11
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VeraKen & Vito.a, Thanks folks! I ordered the paint from Amazon and along with a LOT of other things! Should be here Friday, just in time for the BIG weekend!

Thanks for all your help. I will try and do some before and afters, although I should have done that before I pressure washed...I thought about it while I was in the middle of the job but just didn't want to have to climb down the ladder and back up, then back down, just for a picture....yes..I was being lazy!

But I'll endeavor to get some pics this time.
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Old 05-22-2018, 06:24 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by vito.a View Post
Our fiberglass roof was oxidizing badly. My knees would turn white whenever working on the roof. The white "chalk" would also wash down the sides and discolor the paint.
Several of us have cleaned and painted the roof with Rustoleum Marine Top Side Deck Paint:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I applied 2 coats and used 2 quarts with a long handle paint roller.

Several others on this forum have had great results with marine deck paint.
http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/reco...of-372752.html
Vito, this looks like an EXCELLENT product!! I'm saving it to my wish list on Amazon. I also saved the matching Primer and Anti-Slip product as well. When it comes time to do my roof, I'll be using these Marine products from Rustoleum. Thanks!
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Old 05-23-2018, 10:35 PM   #13
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Okay..I'm getting set to paint the roof this weekend and just went out and took some pictures as I have MORE questions...(Sorry..I know I 'could' be wearing out my welcome here, but I just want to be sure about things).

I am planning on using the Dicor 501LSW-1 Lap Sealant on all the joints and edges as needed before painting.

There are two different paints I'm using. On the front 'cap', the part over the drivers and passenger seats I'm using the Rust-Oleum Marine paint. On the flat part of the roof I am using BLACK JACK Ultra Roof 1000 White Siliconized Elastomeric Reflective Roof Coating.(Otherwise know as white goop)

So here are some pics and questions:

1. On the front of the MH is a 'cap'. It's a very flexible part of the roof and I never walk on it. I had it waxed last year(?) in hopes it would help with the window streaks and it's very shinny. However, it has some 'spiderweb' type cracks. (See pic #1). What's the right way to prep the whole area? Someone mentioned acetone, is that right? Perhaps take one of those red scrubies along with the acetone? Or should I use an electric hand sander to get the shine off to ensure the paint sticks? I'm assuming I would have to use 200 grit paper, or better..400?

2. The 2nd pic is of the rounded edge. There are spiderweb cracks but only on the drivers side, which is probably the side that's been in the sun the most. I'm pretty sure the paint should be enough to 'fill' these as they are not wide nor deep. Again, sand it with a hand sander?

3. The 3rd pic is the worst of the cracks on the rounded edge. Should I sand and then fill it with something? Bondo? The place I took it to get it waxed suggested just putting some clear caulk on it...I'm not liking that idea. Also, on all of the rounded edges, since they are so shinny...acetone or sand paper?

4. The 4th pic is of the joint between the front cap and the flat part of the roof. You can see that definitely needs some caulking....or, should I use that 4" Tape to go over it and then paint it?

5. Last pic (Sorry!). This is the joint between the side wall and the rounded roof edge. As you can see it needs some caulking. So two part question. (a) Do I use the Dicor? I'm nervous it would run down the side. (b) Do I need to remove the screws and trim? (Gosh I hope not..I'm afraid that rounded roof would just spring right off!)

The more I look, the more pictures I want to put up and ask about, but I'm sure these are too many already.

Any help is GREATLY appreciated.

PS: (After reading all this I'm thinking I might just do the flat part this weekend and then maybe come up with a better plan for the rounded edges and cap. The RV is only 1 of FOUR projects I have planned for this weekend...ugh)
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Old 05-24-2018, 08:57 AM   #14
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4th picture I would use eternabond seam tape. Also replace any screws that have rust on them and put those nice screw cap washers before you cover up.



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