Have you recoated your Fiberglass roof?

[beamisl]

Hello,

I have a 2004 Winnebago MH with a Fiberglass roof. The roof is starting to chalk and has very slight cracks in it. I do NOT want to wait until I have a leak to do something.

Have any of you recoated your roof, with what product, and how has it worked?

Thank you, Lynne

[SarahW]

Hi Lynne. We have not had any experience recoating our roof, but I imagine someone here has and hopefully will chime in. I found this Youtube video that seems fairly straight-forward. Are y'all planning to do this yourselves or find a service to do it? Good luck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_aEmUCa5Hw

[Teamfoxy]

The chalking is probably not of concern, but the cracking is and you should have it checked out by a competent fiberglass repair person.

I have heard of about four accounts of the fiberglass roof pealing off and one of them was from the previous owner of our current 2005 motorhome during hurricane Irma. the insurance company denied their claim because, according to them, it was a common defect and not a consequence of the storm. They chose to have it replaced with a TPO (rubber) material. The new roof was installed by a well regarded mom & pop RV service facility near us and they seem to have done a very good job of it.

[beamisl]

Hi Sarah,,

Yes, I have seen this and it is one consideration. Whether I would do this myself or not, not sure yet. Going out to Yuma this winter so might look for someone out there to do it.

There are several companies who guarantee your roof for life if you have them do it. Very costly but then so is a bad roof leak. I am meticulous about caulking my roof and vents and a/c units and I keep the roof clean. Just want to make sure it does not deteriorate more.

RV Armor is one of the companies who do the roof and guarantee for life.
RV Armor | The Ultimate RV Roof

Just thought someone on here would possibly have done their roof and had an opinion of the process they used.

Thank you, Lynne

[BobC]

A bit of Googling will return tons of info on this topic. The Dicor product looks pretty straightforward, no more difficult than painting a floor.

As with any coating, the critical part is a good prep, nothing will last if the prep isn't done well. Some of the negative comments I've seen mention peeling, which is likely due to poor prep. I once painted my kitchen ceiling with latex paint without properly cleaning it and, the next morning I had a 6' bubble hanging down from the ceiling! That wasn't the paint's fault.

A number of the postings you'll find mention Mop-and-Glow and similar products. The simplicity of this is attractive but I wouldn't recommend using it or similar products if there's any chance you'll end up coating it. They're just going to complicate the prep and lessen your chances of getting a good result. A weathered, un-treated fiberglass roof, after cleaning, should give you a good bond. If you do have to try something else first, I'd tape out a small test section and see how it works over a month or two. That way you won't have to deal with removing it from the whole roof.

I have no personal experience with the Dicor or any other such product but I come from a sailing background and have had experience (with mixed results) in renewing fiberglass on boats. The big advantage of an RV roof is you don't have the cosmetic concerns that you have on a boat. I really don't care how my RV roof looks as long as it's sound. No one sees it but me and that's only a few times a year.

[SarahW]

I hope someone who has recoated their fiberglass roof will see your post, Lynne. I have seen several "professionally" done roofs that certainly turned out well but cost big bucks and you'd probably have to travel a ways to get it done. (One place is in Florida, IIRC.)

We are experiencing the breakdown of our "ultra leather" FlexSteel furniture (fake leather is cracking and peeling) and it really steams me that we will be looking at a big upholstery bill-- but I know I can't do that myself!! It's always something.

[BobC]

I noticed in the Dicor video that the presenter made more references to making the roof look good than he did about protecting and sealing. I hope that this isn't indicative of it's effectiveness.

[LarryW]

The “need” to have a pretty roof is mystifying to me.

[SarahW]

The OP says her roof is showing chalking and minor cracks, and she's concerned about leaks developing. I doubt that having an attractive roof is her primary objective. Hopefully someone with actual experience with roof coatings will see this thread and contribute.

[powercat_ras]

Chalking, just an appearance issue. If it bothers you you can give the roof a good cleaning and a coat of marine (boat) wax and repeat yearly. Slight surface cracking - if the cracking is in the radius bends near the sidewalls then one solution is to buy a Eternabond Tape and run a strip of tape down both sides. Comes in 4" and 6" widths and various roll lengths.

[LarryW]

Good ideas, powercat. Never leave home without Eternabond!

[Turtle94]

I used Flexarmor out of Denton, TX. expensive but guaranteed. No more caulking.

[Oldchinahand]

Welcome Lynn, not specifically recommending any particular solution, as we are not there to look at it. Will share our experience.

Like you our chalking roof was embarrassing. the hairline cracks in the roof radius was concerning. We wrapped the radius from front cap to rear cap with eternabond. Then when we removed the decals and had the rig shot with new clearcoat, we painted the radius to match original. Read literally hundreds of ads, suggestions, and YouTube videos regarding the roof. Finally settled into the ZEP floor wax camp. We applied the High Traffic version. Three coats. We are coming up on two years since application. Roof still has a nice sheen. More importantly, we have had zero chalking. Also, the roof is not as slippery as it was "naked".

We assisted our neighbor ZEPing his camper. About six months later we helped him remove it in order to paint the camper a different color. The ZEP came off easily with the dedicated ZEP stripper.

Just our experience. No, we are not brave enough to ZEP the sides. Yet.

Fair Winds and Following Seas.

[beamisl]

Thank you for all the answers!

I am not concerned about the chalking other than is it the roof deteriorating? The cracks are very fine but will eventually become a problem. I have them caulked for now. I hand wash the roof and rig twice a year. Sides more often if necessary. I keep the rig clean and in good condition.

I have seen the Dicor process but cannot find if it has any guarantee or life expectancy. It is a lot of work if they don't even guarantee the product for a year or two. The life expectancy is more important to me. If it said "You can expect this product to last 2 to 4 years depending on weather conditions I would look at it more. This is what I was hoping to find. Did someone do the dicor system four years ago and it still is working well for them.

Just wondered if anyone has done something to their roof and how they felt about it.

I have Zep wax on my sides. Put four coats on 3 years ago after deoxidizing it twice and it will need another coat this summer but going to paint the decals first. Then will recoat it. It looked beautiful and shiny and the water beaded off really well so I am very happy with the Zep wax.

The sides still shine, just needs another coat. I will remove the Zep from the decals prior to prepping for the paint. I like the rig to look clean and well cared for.

We will be going to Texas 2019 so that may be an answer. Would rather fix it before it becomes a problem. Do not want any leaks.

Thank you, Lynne

[beamisl]

Originally Posted by LarryW

The “need” to have a pretty roof is mystifying to me.

Larry,

My concern as stated was about future leaking. I want to seal the roof BEFORE there is a problem.

I don't see the problem with having a "Pretty Roof" in the process but that was NOT what I originally asked about.

What was the purpose of your comment?

Lynne

[BobC]

Originally Posted by beamisl

Larry,

My concern as stated was about future leaking. I want to seal the roof BEFORE there is a problem.

I don't see the problem with having a "Pretty Roof" in the process but that was NOT what I originally asked about.

What was the purpose of your comment?

Lynne

I may have started this with my comment about the presenter in the video focusing more on appearance than protection, which raised some concerns in my mind about the Dicor product.

[LarryW]

"I have seen the Dicor process but cannot find if it has any guarantee or life expectancy.

Few RVers will not recommend Dicor for any product they make.

[beamisl]

LarryW,

OK, thank you, was not sure about the comment. I saw the Dicor video a month or so ago when I first started looking for a solution. I was not impressed with the lack of guarantee or how long it could be expected to last. I don't mind doing the work but expect it to last a while.

Lynne

[BobC]

I don't think any manufacturer is going to give any kind of guarantee or estimate of life expectancy for a product like this since it's too dependent on preparation and application. Before I went this route, I'd investigate some of the marine paints intended for fiberglass sailboat "topsides" and decks. It's up to you if you want to use one of the the nonskid versions.

They might be more expensive but there's a lot more market competition and boaters tend to be pretty discriminating about what they put (or have put) on their boats. A sailboat is going to have to endure much harsher treatment than an RV roof.

There are also a lot of how-to videos except you don't need to worry about having a mirror smooth result so pay most attention to the prep. A roller will be fine.

A good place to get an overview of what's available is West Marine:

https://www.westmarine.com/boat-paint-solvents

Note: You don't want bottom paint!

[LarryW]

BobC’s comment about not needing a mirror finish is good. I’m not looking at your “pretty” roof.