roof coating?

[oldtrojan66]

I hope this is the right place for this question. I was wondering if anyone had used the bed coating material for pick-ups on the roof of their RV. I have seen companies like Rhino liner and another one I can't think of right now, can do this operation.

I really don't like the black streaks from the rubber roof, and if I can eliminate them DIY, then I would give that a try. It's just a coating, so if it sticks, then it should provide the same protection as to a truck bed. The plus would be, no oxidation! I can't think of a downside, but I am the eternal optimist! Even if the coating needed to be re-done every three or four years, the lack of having to clean off the streaks would win, hands down for me! Any thoughts?

[Wishbone51]

I see.. Thanks! 🙂

[Gdetrailer]

Wishbone51 wrote:
Silly question: What does the rubber roof have to do with black streaks? I thought that it was the dirt on the roof (any roof) that caused the streaks.

Think of a rubber roof a bit like your own skin.. It has layers of material..

The very top is white and the base is black.

Just like you lose the top layer of skin these roofs will also lose "layers" over time.. Unlike human skin rubber roofs do not grow new replacement cells and eventually the base material starts to show through..

In the meantime the white top layer oxidizes and when it rains that layer flows down the sides of the RV creating grey to black streaks..

As far as bedliner goes, there has been a few people on the forum that has done it.. Not sure as to what material they have put it on and how well it is doing..

Myself, I have a fiberglass roof and decided last fall after finding a crack in the fiberglass while winterizing I decided to try bedliner and top coat the bed liner with white rustoleum oil based paint..

I used Harbor Freights Bedliner with 20% off coupons ($48 per gal-20%=$38.40 per gal), took 3 1/2 gallons of bedliner for two coats on a 26ft TT. Took less than a quart of Rustoleum for one coat..

We had a brutal winter, this year from early Jan until a week ago we didn't ever get above 32F and had many nights well below 0F. Plus at one point I removed 1.5' of snow and ice off the roof!

So, far the bedliner is doing a pretty nice job staying together and stuck down!

[oldtrojan66]

The rubber roof oxidizes as it weathers as a protective action. The streaks start out as white or grey and the turn to black as they age. I don't clean them off each time it rains, but waxing does not seem to slow them down or make cleaning them off easier. I have waxed the sides, before, and within just a few days of rain, the streaks are noticeable. I would like to eliminate the cause of the oxidation all together.

[Wishbone51]

Silly question: What does the rubber roof have to do with black streaks? I thought that it was the dirt on the roof (any roof) that caused the streaks.

[mlts22]

I have read various things about this, from extremely successful to the truck bed compounds cracking, splitting, and causing untraceable leaks. I've been following this for a few years now because there are a few promising things that I've seen. Both Dave's Permanent Coatings and Rhino Liner offer epoxy elastomer spray-on applications... but you have to drive to Florida for rvroof.com, and Rhino Liner only has a very few shops... for me, it would be a 500+ mile drive.

If some company like Line-X could get this available in most major cities, they would have a bonanza on their hands, just because it would pretty much cure the #1 cause of RV destruction out there... water damage.

[oldtrojan66]

Thanks, guys, I will look harder.

[gbopp]

Here's one Post on coating your roof.

There are many posts available to read. Use the search block.

[Bumpyroad]

there have been previous posts of folks who have used rhino lining, line X, etc. several folks have put down their own coating also.
bumpy