Community Forums

glfprncs · 01-26-2008, 10:58 AM

Hello everyone! Previously I asked a question on here regarding repairing roof seams on my 1995 Safari Sahara. Since that questions was posted, I have learned that the roof on my MH is a type of 'textured fiberglass,' and is not made of a rubber material. I was planning on using the Eternabond tape over the seams that run hortizontally across teh roof (from side to side), as there has been an excessive piling of 'goop' on the seams that I feel needs to be removed, cleaned up and replaced. My question is, do you believe the Eternabond tape would be a good choice on the fiberglass roof, or would you recommend something else? My worry is that the roof has a midly rough texture, and that the tape may have 'issues' since the surface of the roof that it would be adhering to is not truly flat.

Thoughts, comments and suggestions? Thanks to everyone in advance! You all make my life so much easier (even though I still consider myself to be a complete and total Motorhome moron!).

glfprncs · 01-26-2008, 10:58 AM

Hello everyone! Previously I asked a question on here regarding repairing roof seams on my 1995 Safari Sahara. Since that questions was posted, I have learned that the roof on my MH is a type of 'textured fiberglass,' and is not made of a rubber material. I was planning on using the Eternabond tape over the seams that run hortizontally across teh roof (from side to side), as there has been an excessive piling of 'goop' on the seams that I feel needs to be removed, cleaned up and replaced. My question is, do you believe the Eternabond tape would be a good choice on the fiberglass roof, or would you recommend something else? My worry is that the roof has a midly rough texture, and that the tape may have 'issues' since the surface of the roof that it would be adhering to is not truly flat.

Thoughts, comments and suggestions? Thanks to everyone in advance! You all make my life so much easier (even though I still consider myself to be a complete and total Motorhome moron!).

JerryForwood · 01-26-2008, 11:11 AM

Good on Rubber, Fiberglass, or Metal!

David K · 01-26-2008, 11:43 AM

Trust me -- the Eternabond will stick to that surface. Just make sure you clean it real well prior to putting it on. When you do put it on, make sure you follow the instructions and rub it down real good -- the rubbing action heats up the Eternabond which in turn activates the glue on the tape. I am sure it will work well for what you are contemplating to do.

sparetire · 01-26-2008, 01:45 PM

Hi glfprncs,

I have a '94 Safari Sahara and started to get a few roof leaks in places where I walked or sat, to put in a new A/C unit and do maintenance on other roof-mounted items. I had noticed the little glass fibers glinting in the sun more and more, and I could feel them when sitting on the roof in shorts when putting in a new solar panel this summer. I had fibers in the backs of my thighs that itched for days. The weather and time crack and flake away the resin between the fibers and the roof becomes porous, it also cracks in places where we walk or sit.

I went to Lowes and bought a 5-gallon pail of "Duralite White Elastomeric Roof Coating," made by Kool Seal. It was about $60.00, and I used less than 50% of it, using two coats. The Monaco service reps told me that most any decent white elastomeric roof coating would work well although they liked Kool Seal products because they were familiar with them. DO NOT use rubber roof coating; the Monaco guys said that it will peel off of this type of roof. I removed all of the old and patched-up sealant from the front and rear cap seams. Prior to my ownership, somebody had used a bunch of silicone which stuck poorly to the roof-meets-cap seams, and didn't stick to the original seam sealant either. Safari's original Dicor lap sealant comes off easily with a putty knife and some patience. That original Dicor was still pliable after all of these years.

I used Dicor Non-sag Lap Sealant, (they make self-leveling also but it is for a different type of job) which I bought, at Camping World and I wouldn't use any other kind of caulk for this job, it is phenomenal; it costs about $7 a tube. I talked with Monaco Coach service reps and this is what they recommended I buy. I bought the type packaged for a caulking gun (it comes in cans too) and used almost 5 tubes to re-seal the whole roof. You can use a putty knife to smooth it and form it. After caulking, I used a 4" wide paintbrush to apply Duralite overlapping the caulking and around places where I couldn't get a roller. I had no problem painting the Duralite right over the freshly applied Dicor sealant after it had skimmed over a bit. Following the Duralite directions, I rolled on one coat of Duralite from front-to-back of the coach; I let it dry and then rolled on the next coat in a side-to-side pattern (90 degrees over the first coat). You can buy Kool Seal at Camping World too, but they want $30 a gallon!

My coach has been in several big rainstorms, lasting days at a time, since that repair.
I have had zero leaks since, the roof is a bright white that reflects our hot Southwestern sun, and I can now sit my butt on the roof and have no itches afterward. I can now walk on the roof without hearing that crunching fiberglass sound, and the elastomeric coating stretches and remains pliable so no leaks occur. I am very pleased with the combination of the two products. I can always re-coat if I need to. I too have heard good things about Eternabond, but I wanted to re-do my roof and not just patch it. Eternabond would have been more expensive for my project. I hope my experience will help you with your project.

Good luck,
Spartire

antlerz · 01-29-2008, 04:59 PM

I have used the White Elastomeric Roof Coating, Kool Seal, it also helps keep temps lower the MH in summer heat.

It seems to last quite some time has been on ours for 3 yrs now.
I just chk once a year for wear. if so recoat it with a brush or thick nap roller.

and it looks good too.