That sticky tape.... Tricks for getting it off??

Question

Ok, I'm in the middle of an unexpectedly massive overhaul/repair/gutting of my 'new' old RV. The more we dig, the more find wrong, and the more we find poor repair jobs.

We are completely stripping down the roof to repair and reseal, and we need to get all the old tape off so we can prime and seal. There's a good amount of that tape that was used to "fix" big gaps and cracks, and some of it is proving rather difficult to get off because it's still very sticky in some areas.

Any tricks for that adhesive?? Heat it? Freeze it? Soak it in something? I don't want to take a razor scraper to it for fear of damaging the already dinged up roof. Is there any kind of solvent or trick to help break down that stickiness? Baking soda? Vinegar? Anything??

Help!!

PS any tips for getting it off of the skin would be cool as well. it took some serious scrubbing last night....

agesilaus · Answer

Methanol may work if not then Acetone. However acetone may damage the gel coat. Gasoline is a possibility too. I don't know if Goo-Be-Gone would work but it might be worth a try.

drewe · Answer

If the roof is that dinged up, it would seem to me the proper repair would be to replace the fiberglass or whatever sort of membrane it is entirely. In that case, it hardly matters if it gets dinged up a little in removing the tape.

Eternabond is tough stuff to remove (and I'm guessing that's what this is). Lots of stretching and pulling has worked for me sometimes. I'd guess heat in moderation would be better than cold, but I don't speak from experience there. Excess heat will damage fiberglass, of course.

rambleonrose · Answer

DrewE wrote:If the roof is that dinged up, it would seem to me the proper repair would be to replace the fiberglass or whatever sort of membrane it is entirely.  In that case, it hardly matters if it gets dinged up a little in removing the tape.Eternabond is tough stuff to remove (and I'm guessing that's what this is).  Lots of stretching and pulling has worked for me sometimes.  I'd guess heat in moderation would be better than cold, but I don't speak from experience there.  Excess heat will damage fiberglass, of course.Yeah the next step is the fabric strips, then Kool seal base coat and then sealant. There isn't much fiberglass on it where the tape is, mostly metal. There are already so many tiny holes that you're right, what's potentially a few more? This roof is pretty blasted. Years of no sealant = massive pitting. Almost all the holes are very small, but many potential spots could break through (and might, when we pressure wash...) It's been pretty hodgepodge repaired, but we're completely restructuring the inside with aluminum square tubing and across supports, and beefing up low spots, so even if the overall integrity of the roof is weak, it will be extremely structurally sound, and hopefully coated well enough with two coats of sealant.

john_wayne · Answer

If it is eternabond you can go to there web site and they will tell you how to remove it.

doxiemom11 · Answer

Try WD-40 , works well for many things like that.

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That sticky tape.... Tricks for getting it off??

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