Coating a TPO (vinyl) Roof

[TeryT]

Our TT is 13 years old. The vinyl TPO roof is still in decent shape, even though it sits out in the Phoenix heat (mostly) year round. Lately I've been wondering what to do when the vinyl starts going south.

From what info I've gathered, it looks like replacement would be in the $3-4k range for this trailer, which is 7.5' x 20'.

I then got excited because I read about people using "Liquid Rubber" (or Liquid Roof?) by ProGuard. Has anyone used this product on a TPO RV roof, and what has been the result? (somewhere I read that TPO roofs might require a special version of this product . . .)

Also, what is the coverage rate?

Thanks!

[TeryT]

Here's the email I got back from LiquidRoof:

Hello terry not familiar with those but the liquid roof is the only liquid EPDM rubber product in the world. Most other rv coatings are urethanes or elastomerics; acrylics

The product has been around for over 20 years and here are the benefits

Thank you

The only LIQUID version of epdm in the world
18-20 Year life expectancy
Only ONE coat needed! (must use primer with TPO)
Proven to last 3X longer than standard elastomerics
Waterproofs immediately upon application
Can be applied easily with a paint brush or roller.
As a liquid, it can conform to any shape of surface, horizontal or vertical
Self-levels
Not water based (100% catalyst based system)
Elongation longer than other elastomers
Very broad temperature tolerance range - from 300 degrees F to minus 62 degrees F
Acid and alkali resistant
Liquid Rubber can be applied to hot roof surfaces encountered during the summer
Long Pot Life
Product is Tintable

A few characteristics from their website:
680 psi tensile
62° F brittle point
180-200% elongation
Tear resistance - fair to good
Resilience - fair to good
Abrasion resistance - good to excellent

My thoughts on this product is that it would be better than elastomertic latex products (Hengs, et. al.), which as he states in his email, is a solvent based rubber. However, it needs to be compared with other solvent based rubber products like Inland Coatings RC2000 and Superior RV Liquid Rubber coatings. When compared to them, I think LiquidRoof might not come out as good. But this is just my humble, unwashed opinion. (If I could figure out how too do it, it might be interesting to do a little grid comparison of these three products on here . . .)

[TeryT]

I received an email and spoke with the lady below, Sandra, whose company has the Superior RV Liquid Rubber Roofing product. She said she didn't want to get into direct comparisons with other products (LiquidRoof & Inland Coatings SC2000), but they believe theirs is the best - as stated in her email which I have copied below.

Sandra said it was brought over from their commercial division, which has used the same basic product on commercial roofs in Canada for many years. It is a SBC based product, if that means anything to you. (FYI - LiquidRoof can claim they are the only EPDM based liquid product; Inland Coatings SC2000 is a SEBS based product - all three are technically artificial rubber, just with different chamical bases, which have different properties. WHICH RUBBER BASE IS BEST? Yes, that is THE question!)

Also, this product, along with the Inland Coating product, do not require a primer over TPO, as does LiquidRoof. And neither uses a catalyst (as does LiquidRoof). Both the Inland & Superior products actually have pretty similar characteristics on paper it seems (to my non-professional eye), which characteristics I would say seem superior to LiquidRoof.

Email from Superior RV Liquid Rubber wrote:

[TeryT]

Bumpyroad wrote:

TeryT wrote:
FYI - I have contacted three recoat manufacturers which have solvent-based products good for TPO and that I'd like to find out more about. They are:

> Inland Coatings RC-2000 (no primer - 15 year)
> LiquidRoof (needs primer - 10 Year)
> Superior RV Liquid Rubber (no primer - 15 year)

I asked each to tell me why their product is superior or how they are different from the other two. (I heard back from Superior already, but all they really gave me was what was already on their website.)

what does the warranty cover? materials/labor/etc.???????
bumpy

I think with all of them it is just materials.

[Bumpyroad]

TeryT wrote:
FYI - I have contacted three recoat manufacturers which have solvent-based products good for TPO and that I'd like to find out more about. They are:

> Inland Coatings RC-2000 (no primer - 15 year)
> LiquidRoof (needs primer - 10 Year)
> Superior RV Liquid Rubber (no primer - 15 year)

I asked each to tell me why their product is superior or how they are different from the other two. (I heard back from Superior already, but all they really gave me was what was already on their website.)

what does the warranty cover? materials/labor/etc.???????
bumpy

[TeryT]

FYI - I have contacted three recoat manufacturers which have solvent-based products good for TPO and that I'd like to find out more about. They are:

> Inland Coatings RC-2000 (no primer - 15 year)
> LiquidRoof (needs primer - 10 Year)
> Superior RV Liquid Rubber (no primer - 15 year)

I asked each to tell me why their product is superior or how they are different from the other two. (I heard back from Superior already, but all they really gave me was what was already on their website.)

[TeryT]

TeryT wrote:
UPDATED LIST - So here are the products I've heard about so far here and on other threads, and basic comments:

APPLIED BY PROS
Rhino Liner - Pricey, not great adhesion over non-metal & flexible surfaces (as reported by one person on another thread & others)

FlexArmor - Pricey, lasts 10-15 years & lifetime leak guarantee

Latex Elastomeric types DIY
Hengs - one source says OK over TPO, another says no. May need a recoat 3-4 years in desert

Elastomeric (Henry 287, 687, et. al.) - recoat every 4-5 years. Actually not recommended for RV roofs (but some have used it for that)!

Solvent Based DIY
Inland Coatings RC-2000 Found this on the web - ANYONE USED? (one person on another thread also recommended this) Says good for TPO and all RV roofs and without primer. 15 year guarantee (for techies - SEBS based)

Silicone (e.g., Henry's 887 Tropi-Cool) - ANYONE USED THIS ON AN RV? Henry says it's 887 can do RV roofs including TPO. Limited lifetime warranty with one coat. I wonder how this is to walk on or to repair (will anything other than silicone stick to it for repairs, like Eternabond Tape). . .?

Superior RV Liquid Rubber - Good for TPO with no primer. Someone in another thread recommended this product. Appears to be similar to the Inland Coatings product, but has different composition. 15 year guarantee (for techies - SBC based)

LiquidRoof - must use primer over TPO (product also requires catalyst). They give a 10 year warranty (but someone said about 5 year longevity before a recoat is probably needed). (Moderator Extraordinaire Barney gives a real nice report of applying this product in the 2nd thread below also linked here!) (for techies - EPDM based)

Some other good threads on this topic:
One recent RV roof thread

In-depth RV roof recoat thread started in 2011

Just quoting myself as I made extensive updates to this list and wanted to make it more visible in this discussion. Let me know if you see any changes or additions to this list. Thanks!

[TeryT]

suprz wrote:
I called Hengs directly when i was looking to recoat my Alpha brand TPO roof. ( yes some liquid roof manufacturers are very specific on the BRAND of TPO roof you have) i was informed by their tech dept that it was NOT to be put on a TPO roof. I called Dicor about their 2 part coating and was advised that a primer must be applied first and that if you had any ponding water on the roof it would NOT stand up to that and it was only a acrylic coating and not a liquid rubber .

I called many manufacturers before I finally found a product called Superior RV Roof, it is formulated for TPO rubber AND EPDM rubber roofs. It is a one part system that you put on with a roller. Now again, this is where it pays to do your homework. I checked the product out and it said not to be used on Alpha brand epdm roofs.. BUT i have a Alpha brand TPO roof ( it has a textured feel to it isnt of the reg TPO roofs which are mostly smooth, and i called my coach manufacturer also and checked with them to confirm) I confirmed with the manufacturer of the Superior RV Roof product that if it was a TPO roof it could be applied and it will stand up to ponding water unlike the dicor "Coating" i cleaned my roof with water with plain blue dawn dish soap ( no perfumes etc...) and let it dry, brushed the liquid rubber along the edges of the roof, around vents etc, and then just rolled it out.. I put 2 coats on the roof within a 72 hour period ( with this product you can go as long as a week or more) and so far it is very nice. I can feel a difference in the coach as far as heat build up ( due to reflectivity of the product). And i can tell that it also keeps the roof looking cleaner also.. I noticed that where i brushed it on the flat parts of my roof ( i wanted extra coverage on a few spots) the roof material did "pucker" a bit and then once dry laid flat again. I dont know if that is just due to poor adhesion from the factory, or the product itself. But for now all is well.

Thanks for sharing that & should probably add that to the list! This product looks somewhat similar to the Inland Coatings RC-2000 product in a number of respects.

And it would seem that EPDM Coatings Co. claim that their LiquidRoof is the only rubber coating is not entirely accurate (unless I'm missing something . . .)!

[suprz]

I called Hengs directly when i was looking to recoat my Alpha brand TPO roof. ( yes some liquid roof manufacturers are very specific on the BRAND of TPO roof you have) i was informed by their tech dept that it was NOT to be put on a TPO roof. I called Dicor about their 2 part coating and was advised that a primer must be applied first and that if you had any ponding water on the roof it would NOT stand up to that and it was only a acrylic coating and not a liquid rubber . I called many manufacturers before I finally found a product called Superior RV Roof, it is formulated for TPO rubber AND EPDM rubber roofs. It is a one part system that you put on with a roller. Now again, this is where it pays to do your homework. I checked the product out and it said not to be used on Alpha brand epdm roofs.. BUT i have a Alpha brand TPO roof ( it has a textured feel to it isnt of the reg TPO roofs which are mostly smooth, and i called my coach manufacturer also and checked with them to confirm) I confirmed with the manufacturer of the Superior RV Roof product that if it was a TPO roof it could be applied and it will stand up to ponding water unlike the dicor "Coating" i cleaned my roof with water with plain blue dawn dish soap ( no perfumes etc...) and let it dry, brushed the liquid rubber along the edges of the roof, around vents etc, and then just rolled it out.. I put 2 coats on the roof within a 72 hour period ( with this product you can go as long as a week or more) and so far it is very nice. I can feel a difference in the coach as far as heat build up ( due to reflectivity of the product). And i can tell that it also keeps the roof looking cleaner also.. I noticed that where i brushed it on the flat parts of my roof ( i wanted extra coverage on a few spots) the roof material did "pucker" a bit and then once dry laid flat again. I dont know if that is just due to poor adhesion from the factory, or the product itself. But for now all is well.

[Bumpyroad]

TeryT wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:

TeryT wrote:

FlexArmor - Sprayed on by pros, costly, lasts 10-15 years & lifetime leak guarantee

how does this differ from rhino/linex?
bumpy

As stated and quoted before, someone else on here reported they used Rhino and it didn't adhere. (see earlier above post for mention of this)

that didn't answer the question. is flexarmor any different from either rhinp lining or linex? this "someone else" is sort of like the millions of winnie roofs that keep flying off. was it done professionally by an applier that had experience in surface prep etc? or was this the first RV they did?
I find it hard to believe that it will stick to a smooth/painted/metal truck bed and can't adhere to a "porous" plywood one.
bumpy

[TeryT]

Bumpyroad wrote:

TeryT wrote:

FlexArmor - Sprayed on by pros, costly, lasts 10-15 years & lifetime leak guarantee

how does this differ from rhino/linex?
bumpy

As stated and quoted before, someone else on here reported they used Rhino and it didn't adhere. (see earlier above post for mention of this)

[Bumpyroad]

TeryT wrote:

FlexArmor - Sprayed on by pros, costly, lasts 10-15 years & lifetime leak guarantee

how does this differ from rhino/linex?
bumpy

[TeryT]

So here are the products I've heard about so far here and on other threads, and basic comments:

APPLIED BY PROS
Rhino Liner - Pricey, not great adhesion over non-metal & flexible surfaces (as reported by one person on another thread & others)

FlexArmor - Pricey, lasts 10-15 years & lifetime leak guarantee

Latex Elastomeric types DIY
Hengs - one source says OK over TPO, another says no. May need a recoat 3-4 years in desert

Elastomeric (Henry 287, 687, et. al.) - recoat every 4-5 years. Actually not recommended for RV roofs (but some have used it for that)!

Solvent Based DIY
Inland Coatings RC-2000 Found this on the web - ANYONE USED? (one person on another thread recommended this) Says good for TPO and all RV roofs and without primer. 15 year guarantee

Silicone (e.g., Henry's 887 Tropi-Cool) - ANYONE USED THIS ON AN RV? Henry says it's 887 can do RV roofs including TPO. I wonder how this is to walk on or to repair (will anything other than silicone stick to it for repairs, like Eternabond Tape). . .?

Superior RV Liquid Rubber - Good for TPO with no primer.
Someone in another thread recommended this product. Appears to be like Inland Coatings and perhaps also LiquidRoof. 15 year guarantee

LiquidRoof - must use primer over TPO (product also requires catalyst). Looks like about 5 year longevity before a recoat is probably needed. (Moderator Extraordinaire Barney gives a real nice report of applying this product in the 2nd thread linked here!)

Some other good threads on this topic:
One recent RV roof thread

In-depth RV roof recoat thread started in 2011

[Bumpyroad]

does LIne-x have better adhesion? what surface preparation is done/needed?
bumpy

[marininn]

I would recoat it with your choice of the liquid roof coatings, this will protect what is left of the good roof you currently have.
It is easy to apply with a paint roller, just clean the roof well.
Your seams and those from roof to siding need attention every year or two, re-caulk those (though not caulk, use the specific camper product for that).

I have an aluminum roof with small holes, and used the Eternabond tape on the holes and coated it twice with the liquid. Looks great and no leaks.

A new roof on an old camper sounds like a bad idea money-wise. Extend the life with the coating, and maybe the roof outlives the camper.