I like Eternabond and have been gradually replacing caulked seams with it. Now, after 15 years the rubber roof itself is starting to go; the white is wearing off in places and the black shows through.They make Eternabond in 12" widths and even wider. How about I cover those spots with wide Eternabond strips? And as the roof continues to age, cover those new spots, etc., until eventually the entire roof may be covered with overlapping Eternabond?Advantage: I can do it gradually, and it is within my skill level. Replacing the entire roof is a huge job, lots of upfront cost, and I would probably screw it up.

MY take on this is - Why place a band aid on something that needs fixing ? The money you will end up spending in the long run will be FAR GREATER than doing it right the first time I think.. I know that I have purchased 6" x 25' rolls and have paid $50-$75 per roll.. Sure it would work, I guess..??

Clean the roof and coat it with something like Heng's Rubber Roof Coating.I restored the roof on our 1996 Southwind. After applying Eternabond to the seams and roof edges, it took 2 1/2 gallons of Heng's to coat 30' of roof with two light coats. It's easy to apply and does not need a primer.

solis, I see your point. The last 2 TT's we bought, and now our new C, first thing I did was buy a roll or 2, and cover ALL cut openings in the roof. Around skylights, vents, antenna, etc. Even though there is caulk covering the screws and such, I feel better after a bad leak some years ago. We always seemed to have issue with the cap meeting the roof (last 2 TT's) as far as leaks go. Yeah, it's probably expensive to do but I guess it would work. I agree with the others that thought should be given to doing the job right (roof replacement) but it sure seems there has to be better way to do a roof.

gbopp wrote:Clean the roof and coat it with something like Heng's Rubber Roof Coating.I restored the roof on our 1996 Southwind. After applying Eternabond to the seams and roof edges, it took 2 1/2 gallons of Heng's to coat 30' of roof with two light coats. It's easy to apply and does not need a primer.Ditto on the Hengs. Probably not a permanent fix but good for several years anyway. I used it on our old fiver, it went on easily after I cleaned the roof. I think I used 2 gallons on a 35 ft fiver and that was for two coats. You get a nice smooth white finish no brush or roller marks.

EternaBond can be ordered in a roll that is four feet wide.

Keep using Eternabond until entire roof is covered?

17 Replies

chuckbear
Explorer
Oct 19, 2019
minnow wrote:
Will that Hengs adhere to Eternabond ?

If you buy the correct one. Chuck
minnow
Explorer
Oct 19, 2019
Will that Hengs adhere to Eternabond ?
beemerphile1
Explorer
Oct 19, 2019
ScottG wrote:
beemerphile1 wrote:
solismaris wrote:
...after 15 years the rubber roof itself is starting to go; the white is wearing off in places and the black shows through....

Purely cosmetic, you don't have to do anything with it.

While the white is cosmetic, it keeps the UV off the black rubber that would otherwise break it down very quickly.
So it is important to keep something over the black part.

I retired from commercial building management. There are millions of commercial roofs using the same EPDM roofing that RVs are using. The white layer is purely cosmetic.
chuckbear
Explorer
Oct 17, 2019
We recoated ours 4 years ago and it is just fine. I agree with others that this is your best and easiest option. Probably the least expensive also. Chuck
pianotuna
Nomad III
Oct 17, 2019
Having used the 4 foot wide EternaBond I was surprised that it was not too difficult to apply.
ScottG
Nomad
Oct 17, 2019
beemerphile1 wrote:
solismaris wrote:
...after 15 years the rubber roof itself is starting to go; the white is wearing off in places and the black shows through....

Purely cosmetic, you don't have to do anything with it.

While the white is cosmetic, it keeps the UV off the black rubber that would otherwise break it down very quickly.
So it is important to keep something over the black part.
solismaris
Explorer
Oct 17, 2019
noteven wrote:
pianotuna wrote:
EternaBond can be ordered in a roll that is four feet wide.

piano - why do I see the person stuck to the roof like flypaper...? :B

Yeah. A piece that big would be hard to manage. And mistakes could be very costly!
But that suggests to me that the the manufacturers may well intend it to be used for large jobs, possibly including a complete roof recover.
noteven
Explorer III
Oct 17, 2019
pianotuna wrote:
EternaBond can be ordered in a roll that is four feet wide.

piano - why do I see the person stuck to the roof like flypaper...? :B
beemerphile1
Explorer
Oct 17, 2019
solismaris wrote:
...after 15 years the rubber roof itself is starting to go; the white is wearing off in places and the black shows through....

Purely cosmetic, you don't have to do anything with it.
Lwiddis
Explorer II
Oct 16, 2019
Like gbopp, I suggest using Heng’s.