EPDM roof coating: Project notes
It is funny to recollect, but when I bought a 19 year old Class C I did not pay much attention to the roof. Right on time at 20 years, the roof began to leak in spots. Well, it had leaked for the prev...
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== Applying the EPDM ==
Items needed:
. Throw-away clothes
. Cartridge respirator highly recommended!
. Paint thinner
. Many rags
. Box of disposable gloves
. Drop cloth to cover entire mixing area
. 1/2-inch drill. IMPORTANT: Buy or rent a 1/2-inch drill. A smaller drill will burn up. (I destroyed a nearly new Dewalt 8.0 Amp 3/8-Inch drill in just a few minutes mixing: $60)
. 4 inch mixer paddle: do not attempt to use a smaller mixer
. Squeegee is absolutely essential
. 4 inch brush for behind fridge vent and other narrow areas
. Rope to pull up sealant bucket: it is heavy
At about 40 hrs the primer was finally sticky but now walkable.
I wore shorts and stocking feet, so that knees and socks could be carefully unpeeled when they got slightly stuck.
If you were fortunate enough to not use primer, be sure to apply blue masking tape around the entire perimeter of the roof. This will greatly reduce the drips down the side.
Mixed the two parts. Super-thick. Smoke came out of drill, so I took it really easy and got it mixed. But the 8.0 Amp 3/8-Inch drill was destroyed in minutes!
The bucket is very heavy and everything sticks to the primer coat. I mostly set the bucket on the AC unit. If I had set it down on the primer, it would have pulled up the primer within a few minutes.
This stuff is THICK like concrete. The roller and brush were completely unusable, except in the narrow slot behind the fridge vent. The squeegee was perfect.
As advised on the can, I poured out "serpentine" lines of coating then moved it around and spread it out with the squeegee. It is really more like finishing concrete than painting.
I was soon concerned that I would not have enough coating. But it worked out reasonably well. I had enough to put it on heavily in the walk area near the ladder.
My exit down the ladder was really messy. I had to wipe drips off the ladder, the rear of RV, and motorcycle rack even with a dropcloth.
Applying the EPDM took about 2 hrs.
After 24 hrs the coating was sticky but still too soft to walk on. The covers are still off and I am worried it will rain.
After 3 days: Dry but still soft where thick. I was able to remove some pine needles that had stuck to the coating. Installed AC cover and fridge vent cover. Two spots were missed, will coat w/Dicor--I am not going to buy more gallons of EPDM.
After 5 days: Cut and scraped off masking tape along left side, then right side. Left had flopped over and I did not really cut it right so I ended up breaking the seal along the edge. Installed vent covers.
I decided to cover the whole left edge with EternaBond tape. I did not buy a metal roller, just used a plastic hammer end to rub the tape firmly down. Be careful not to put the Eternabond roll down on anything... the tape edge bonds quickly.
I stored the EternaBond in plastic food wrap, then aluminum foil, then in a freezer bag, and stored it in the RV. I hope this expensive roll will last for many years and that I will not have to use it much.
== Summary ==
It was quite a project. Challenging but fun and satisfying. I expect that the coating will last for many years, especially because I now cover the RV except when on the road.
Cost: About $600 and 12 hours time.
One thing I would do differently is the roof exit process:
1. Tape and drape a drop cloth down the center 6 feet of one side of the RV
2. Put another drop cloth on the ground especially if it is a driveway
3. Set up an aluminum extension ladder so it extends 3 feet above the RV roof, in the area where there is nothing on the roof (probably across from the AC unit)
4. With rope, tie the base of the ladder to the frame or axle
5. Apply coating to each end of the RV, working back towards the ladder
6. Attach bucket to ladder with rope or cord
7. Stand on ladder and finish the last part of the roof
8. Untie bucket and carefully retreat down the ladder
I would also be more prepared for rain with a large tarp and a plan for getting it on fast. Even if the tarp stuck in spots it could still save most of the project depending on the state of drying of the primer or coating. Also I would consider pausing and putting the covers back on as soon as I had coated near them.
Hope these notes help others contemplating reroof options or a recoat project.
Items needed:
. Throw-away clothes
. Cartridge respirator highly recommended!
. Paint thinner
. Many rags
. Box of disposable gloves
. Drop cloth to cover entire mixing area
. 1/2-inch drill. IMPORTANT: Buy or rent a 1/2-inch drill. A smaller drill will burn up. (I destroyed a nearly new Dewalt 8.0 Amp 3/8-Inch drill in just a few minutes mixing: $60)
. 4 inch mixer paddle: do not attempt to use a smaller mixer
. Squeegee is absolutely essential
. 4 inch brush for behind fridge vent and other narrow areas
. Rope to pull up sealant bucket: it is heavy
At about 40 hrs the primer was finally sticky but now walkable.
I wore shorts and stocking feet, so that knees and socks could be carefully unpeeled when they got slightly stuck.
If you were fortunate enough to not use primer, be sure to apply blue masking tape around the entire perimeter of the roof. This will greatly reduce the drips down the side.
Mixed the two parts. Super-thick. Smoke came out of drill, so I took it really easy and got it mixed. But the 8.0 Amp 3/8-Inch drill was destroyed in minutes!
The bucket is very heavy and everything sticks to the primer coat. I mostly set the bucket on the AC unit. If I had set it down on the primer, it would have pulled up the primer within a few minutes.
This stuff is THICK like concrete. The roller and brush were completely unusable, except in the narrow slot behind the fridge vent. The squeegee was perfect.
As advised on the can, I poured out "serpentine" lines of coating then moved it around and spread it out with the squeegee. It is really more like finishing concrete than painting.
I was soon concerned that I would not have enough coating. But it worked out reasonably well. I had enough to put it on heavily in the walk area near the ladder.
My exit down the ladder was really messy. I had to wipe drips off the ladder, the rear of RV, and motorcycle rack even with a dropcloth.
Applying the EPDM took about 2 hrs.
After 24 hrs the coating was sticky but still too soft to walk on. The covers are still off and I am worried it will rain.
After 3 days: Dry but still soft where thick. I was able to remove some pine needles that had stuck to the coating. Installed AC cover and fridge vent cover. Two spots were missed, will coat w/Dicor--I am not going to buy more gallons of EPDM.
After 5 days: Cut and scraped off masking tape along left side, then right side. Left had flopped over and I did not really cut it right so I ended up breaking the seal along the edge. Installed vent covers.
I decided to cover the whole left edge with EternaBond tape. I did not buy a metal roller, just used a plastic hammer end to rub the tape firmly down. Be careful not to put the Eternabond roll down on anything... the tape edge bonds quickly.
I stored the EternaBond in plastic food wrap, then aluminum foil, then in a freezer bag, and stored it in the RV. I hope this expensive roll will last for many years and that I will not have to use it much.
== Summary ==
It was quite a project. Challenging but fun and satisfying. I expect that the coating will last for many years, especially because I now cover the RV except when on the road.
Cost: About $600 and 12 hours time.
One thing I would do differently is the roof exit process:
1. Tape and drape a drop cloth down the center 6 feet of one side of the RV
2. Put another drop cloth on the ground especially if it is a driveway
3. Set up an aluminum extension ladder so it extends 3 feet above the RV roof, in the area where there is nothing on the roof (probably across from the AC unit)
4. With rope, tie the base of the ladder to the frame or axle
5. Apply coating to each end of the RV, working back towards the ladder
6. Attach bucket to ladder with rope or cord
7. Stand on ladder and finish the last part of the roof
8. Untie bucket and carefully retreat down the ladder
I would also be more prepared for rain with a large tarp and a plan for getting it on fast. Even if the tarp stuck in spots it could still save most of the project depending on the state of drying of the primer or coating. Also I would consider pausing and putting the covers back on as soon as I had coated near them.
Hope these notes help others contemplating reroof options or a recoat project.
