New Roof - TPO vs EPDM vs PVC

If you REALLY want the "longest lasting", skip the soft kids stuff "membranes" and go all in on a once piece ALUMINUM roof.. Most likely it will out live you.

Aluminum roofs got a bad rap from being much more expensive and often when RV companies cheaped out, they would just piece together short sections instead of buying a long one piece roll..

All of the soft roofs will tend to fail every 10-15 yrs and need replacement often..

Now days kind of tough to find anyone willing to ship a big roll of aluminum, will be truck freight, will be on a large skid and will need some means of meeting up with the truck and get it off the truck safely..

You asked for a "better" opinion..

why not one of these...

https://rv-masters.com/rv-roof-replacement/?utm_source=ppc-google&utm_medium=flexarmor_rv-service&utm_campaign=ppc-google&gclid=Cj0KCQjw9YWDBhDyARIsADt6sGYDD7GO6lp6Gm3aD8xbFfqbiTNGU78ZTdpZcn98nrWGRY2q5aDPXRcaAqhUEALw_wcB

Gdetrailer wrote:
If you REALLY want the "longest lasting", skip the soft kids stuff "membranes" and go all in on a once piece ALUMINUM roof.. Most likely it will out live you.

I can't argue ! Aluminum is great, but probably not DIY. The problem with all "rolled" roofing is penetration. Some items have to exit the roof and that is where the problems usually occur. In general, I think TPO is the second best option behind aluminum, but it depends on what grade TPO you use !

First, I doubt that Dicor actually manufactures their own TPO rooking. They just don't have the volume of sales to justify the facility to make it. Second, TPO usually comes in several different grades/thicknesses, 45 mil, 60 mil and 80 mil. You definitely want want 60 or 80 mil. I could NOT find the spec on the Dicor TPO thickness.

TPO does take some special tools to "weld" the seams (no lap sealant or tape required). You should watch some videos from RV Roof Install. Building "curbs" for roof penetrations and then use pre-formed pieces of TPO to weld to the rest of roof seems to be the secret.

I wish I could afford those high priced upgrades on the roof like RV Masters and RV Armor and aluminum. The quote I received from RV Armor scared me for the rest. $7k. I felt bad asking for an estimate after seeing that. I'm sure it's worth it, but not for a 15 yo camper that probably doesn't break $10k value.

I also don't have a lot funds to have professionals do the work. I'm getting better quality materials because I'm providing the labor. I'm very handy, and often times, can learn by studying others.

Anyone have an idea where to get the 60 or 80 mil TPO? I can't find an online distributor. I've almost settled on the Dicor DiFlex II tpo.

I've watched a lot of RF ROof Install videos. That's primarily the reason I'm thinking TPO and been watching a buttload of welding videos. I want to do the curbs and the heat gun can be bought for "only" $120.

Thanks for the info. :)

For the record, Dicor DiFlexII is 25 mils.

If it were me I would just put an EPDM roof on. It is cheap compared to Al, FG or TPO. The EMDM roof will last you 20 plus years with some maintenance and will be a lot easier to work with than Al, FG or TPO. Think about how you will cut holes in these materials.

Gjac wrote:
If it were me I would just put an EPDM roof on. It is cheap compared to Al, FG or TPO. The EMDM roof will last you 20 plus years with some maintenance and will be a lot easier to work with than Al, FG or TPO. Think about how you will cut holes in these materials.

For some reason folks seem to be under the impression that aluminum is hard to work with..

Aluminum actually is very easy to work with, cuts far easier than steel, bends easy.. Hardest part is getting up on the roof and getting it lined up straight before unrolling.

Pair a decent "tin snips" a drill and a few drill bits (locate the roof openings with a drill from the inside then you can use the drill hole to start the tin snips and go to town.

On the sides, just bend the aluminum down over top of the siding and replace the trim/drip edges.. Finish off with caulking.. Gets you a 50+ yr roof and you will never need to mess with it other than checking the caulking periodically.

The downside to aluminum is the upfront cost and the hassle to get it shipped but it will easily outlast 4 or more soft roofs.

My current TT had a aluminum roof, however as I was rehabbing it I discovered the previous owner had shot thousands of tiny nails through the roof when they attempted to remodel it.. Yeah, they used a pneumatic air nailer!

I went the soft roof route and have regretted that choice ever since. When new, it is soft, tears easily and when it gets old, shrinks, gets hard/brittle and you still have the caulking going bad which is the same as aluminum. So to me the only "advantage" to a soft roof is lower upfront cost, but with that lower cost you also get far less "life" from it.

Gdetrailer wrote:

Gjac wrote:
If it were me I would just put an EPDM roof on. It is cheap compared to Al, FG or TPO. The EMDM roof will last you 20 plus years with some maintenance and will be a lot easier to work with than Al, FG or TPO. Think about how you will cut holes in these materials.

For some reason folks seem to be under the impression that aluminum is hard to work with..

Aluminum actually is very easy to work with, cuts far easier than steel, bends easy.. Hardest part is getting up on the roof and getting it lined up straight before unrolling.

Pair a decent "tin snips" a drill and a few drill bits (locate the roof openings with a drill from the inside then you can use the drill hole to start the tin snips and go to town.

On the sides, just bend the aluminum down over top of the siding and replace the trim/drip edges.. Finish off with caulking.. Gets you a 50+ yr roof and you will never need to mess with it other than checking the caulking periodically.

The downside to aluminum is the upfront cost and the hassle to get it shipped but it will easily outlast 4 or more soft roofs.

My current TT had a aluminum roof, however as I was rehabbing it I discovered the previous owner had shot thousands of tiny nails through the roof when they attempted to remodel it.. Yeah, they used a pneumatic air nailer!

I went the soft roof route and have regretted that choice ever since. When new, it is soft, tears easily and when it gets old, shrinks, gets hard/brittle and you still have the caulking going bad which is the same as aluminum. So to me the only "advantage" to a soft roof is lower upfront cost, but with that lower cost you also get far less "life" from it.

I worked for an aircraft company for 30 years and have cut a lot of Al and made a lot of airframes from Al and for a 15 year old TT worth less than $10 k I would not spend that kind of money on it. For the average rver I think it easier to use a razor knife on rubber than to mess with an Al sheet 8 ft wide an 20 some ft long. However if the OP is young enough and plans to keep the trailer for 50 years that is another story. At my age every thing I buy now comes with a lifetime warranty.