Exterior Sealant

[chiefw]

Well, through a set of unfortunate circumstances I pulled the lag screws out of the mounting brackets on my awning, stripping the holes. I have some slightly larger ones to put back in. The instructions for the bracket says to use silicone on the threads and run them in. I know that some say regular exterior caulk wont work right on RV's so what is the best sealant and where is it available. I only have 1 local RV place and they don't carry too much. Thanks for your help and experience.

[Cat320]

Find a marine store (such as West Marine) and check out their caulk/sealant. The marine environment is much harsher than RV environment.

[sgrol]

Get yourself a roll of Eternabond tape. It will fix all your exterior sealing problems. Great stuff.

[woodburner]

I have and would use a good butylrubber/ silicone caulk. Very flexible and the stuff lasts, and for the application you describe it fills the bill. Home Depot or Lowes. No need to pay extra because it says Marine or RV on the label.

[Rv'n]

Bought a tube of some stuff at Lowe's that is tan in color that is the strongest stuff I have ever used and was recommended by a salesperson. If I think of the name I will post back but I believe it is in with the wood glue area. Had to use it on my last rv just to keep it together long enought to make it to the dealer for a trade in.

[Midniteoyl]

The 'stinky' silicone... stinkier, the better...

[LadyFitz...]

I would avoid anything with silicone in it. While it does seal for quite a while, there are products that last longer. Also, if you ever have to break the seal (or it fails), nothing will stick where the silicone was. Removing all traces of it is a bear.

Just about any of the marine sealants will work well. 3M 5200 has ferocious sticking power; it's pretty much permanent. However, it isn't UV protected and can deteriorate if exposed to sunlight. In your case, it probably will work OK. 3M 4400 is less tenacious (it can be removed) but is UV protected so it will fair better when exposed to prolonged sunlight. One or both can often be found in home centers and hardware stores.