The Rudy RV Improvement Report - Dicor Products

Coating an RV roof is one of the best ways to bring “new life” to a well-used RV. One of the reasons for that is not just the bright new glow from above, but the prep work involved in repairing, cleaning and preparing the surface to create a resilient bond with the coating material. This prep work is what ensures that you have done everything necessary to, in effect, give yourself a new roof.

Just keep that in mind as you work your way to the “fun part” of actually changing the look of the roof with your coating material. Although there’s some time and time management involved, what you do in prep work will pay many dividends in terms of your RV investment.

That's why Dicor refers to its roof coating material as “a system.” Because it really is a process that requires more in material and technique than rolling a single can of goopy stuff on your roof.

But even before you get to the “system,” prep work begins with repair work. Typically this will mean using lap sealant to cover cracks and other deteriorating sealants around the sides of the roof as well as the appliances on top.

We generally recommend you tackle these repairs a couple weeks before you plan to recoat the roof so the sealant has plenty of time to cure.

The other typical repair is to cover a hole or gouged area in the roof with Coating Ready Cover Tape. Coating Ready Cover Tape is a peel and stick repair product. The bottom layer is a specially formulated adhesive layer that bonds to the cleaned rubber surface, while the top layer contains fleece like fibers that the coating material bonds to. Unlike the lap sealant, the timing for this kind of repair should be right before you begin applying the coating. Should too much time elapse between placing the tape and coating it, moisture and dirt can get on it and reduce its bonding properties.

For any roof, preparation begins with sweeping or blowing away whatever dirt or debris you can see on the roof. And although it may take a bit of time, we also highly recommend masking off the sides and front and rear caps with plastic, to avoid chemicals and dirt from your rinse-off from affecting the sides of your RV, causing streaks or damaging graphics.



Rubber roofs

For cleaning rubber or TPO roofs click here, Dicor offers a two-step system that provides a specially formulated cleaner-activator for the prep phase. This can best be applied using a garden sprayer, and then let to sit for 15 minutes. During this time the cleaner is loosening up the dirt while the activator is opening up the microscopic pores in the roofing material. Once thoroughly rinsed with either a power washer or with brush and regular hose, these pores will dry and remain open for a period of hours, providing the ideal window of time in which to apply the coating material for an especially tight bond.


Metal roofs

For metal roofs click here, another multi-step system includes a rust inhibitive primer. Prepping metal roofs calls for first addressing any corroded areas by eliminating loose rust with either sandpaper or a wire brush and then cleaning the area to eliminate as much residue as you can. The rust inhibitive primer is then brushed over the corroded spot. This will serve o prevent further corrosion, stop bleed through, and create a strong bond with the coating material.

Fiberglass roofs

For fiberglass roofs click here, we use another two-step cleaner-coating combination, starting with Dicor’s Fiberglass Clean & Prep. This can be brushed in with a medium bristle brush and rinsed off with a garden hose. After drying, there is an additional prep step for the fiberglass – scuffing the surface lightly with sandpaper to dull the gelcoat finish and create more surface for the coating to stick to. For safety from fine pieces of fiberglass, we recommend eye protection, a painter’s mask and leather gloves. After the scuffing, a second wash is done again with the special fiberglass prep cleaner.

A one-day job

Although each of these prep steps take time, start your coating/restoration job early, each system is designed to be completed in one day. A leaf blower can serve as a handy aid to help dry the roof more quickly between the prep and coating stages.

Watch out for moisture

Adequate drying time and keeping the roof moisture-free (including morning dew) throughout the prep and application process is critical. Moisture will undermine whatever bond you are trying to create and will inhibit the cure time needed for your coatings to stick. Should your project be caught out in any kind of rain, your coating can wash right off the roof and down the sides of your RV. Curing time typically takes 24 t o 48 hours, so it’s best if you can avoid any kind of rain for this period. Here again, scheduling your time so the entire coating project can be done in one dry, sunny day, with moderate temperature and humidity, produces the best results.

See videos and more about RV roof care by visiting
dicorproducts.com/resources/rudys or Click Here


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