What kind of caulking do I need?

[albow]

I need to replace the baggage door latches (the little things that hold the compartment doors upright when opened) in several places. I know if it were the roof, that I would need lap sealant, but this is the side and one is under the front opening under the tongue (5th wheeler). Is a good silicone caulking what I'm looking for? Also, I have a few spots where the caulking is no longer intact on the side, particularly where the sidewall meets the bottom lip on the forward side of the trailer where it starts curving down from the tongue toward the ground. Silicone caulking here too I guess? As anyone knows, it's very hard to get old caulking off, but I guess that's what I have to do as well? THanks.

[albow]

westend wrote:
Save yourself the scraping. Buy a small bottle of 3M caulk remover. Put it on the caulk you want to remove and cover it overnight with Saran wrap. The next morning it will come off with a rag.

Remove the residual silicone film with mineral spirits and a rag.

Just saw this post on my next page. Sounds just like what I need. I assume it won't damage the painted surfaces adjacent to the caulk, as I don't see how I could be exactly that neat, right? THanks.

[albow]

Got a little work done today and boy, was the old stuff hard to remove. It wasn't to some degree, as it pulled off in a string pretty well. But, the full width of it usually didn't pull up, thus leaving some on one side and some on the other side to be scraped off and it wanted to come off in itty bitty pieces for the most part. Sometimes it came off easier with my fingernail than trying to scrape it. I wonder if I'm trying to get the surface TOO clean? A 9 ft. section took over an hour to remove. If I have it where each side of the surface can get fresh caulk, is that sufficient or will any remaining old caulk on the outer edges keep it all from adhering? Also, I may have put the proceal on a little too thick, but on places where it looked like I moved a little too fast and thus a thinner/narrower bead, it looked like it wasn't enough/almost like I was seeing the edge through it. I know it's hard for anyone to say without seeing it. I may try to mask off the borders when I work on it again.

[RVcircus]

+1 on proflex. I also put butyl tape behind anything that I screw to the outside of the trailer and then seal with proflex.

[westend]

Save yourself the scraping. Buy a small bottle of 3M caulk remover. Put it on the caulk you want to remove and cover it overnight with Saran wrap. The next morning it will come off with a rag.

Remove the residual silicone film with mineral spirits and a rag.

[DrewE]

It's not always easy to predict how easy it is to scrape off the old sealant. I doubt you'll have to get a five-gallon tub of elbow grease for the job, though. On the other hand, a good fresh blade for the razor scraper would not be a bad idea.

Most of these sealants are not recommended for indoor applications for whatever reason, I assume in many cases because of nasty fumes. Plumber's putty is suitable for indoor use, but is not at all appropriate for shower surrounds or similar things as it never really sets up but stays in a clay-like consistency. (It's intended primarily for jobs like setting drains in bathtubs where it's basically enclosed by the parts its sealing.)

For specific details, nothing beats reading all the manufacturer's info on the packages.

[albow]

So, Drew, when I go out to scrape this old off, it's not going to be that bad? My only real reference is the silicone from my shower I've had to do a couple of times, which was a bear. Sounds like these sealants would be good for that job next time, huh? Are they mildew resistant like silicone shower caulk (which still mildews on the floor portion darnit)?

[DrewE]

There are other sealants that are similar to ProFlex...OSI Quad is one that (at least from reading the tubes) is similar and is readily available at big box stores for less money than ProFlex.

I've heard of (and used, with success thus far) plumber's putty for these sorts of small exterior bits and pieces. It's readily available, easy to work with, and easy to rework if needed. You don't need huge gobs of any sealant.

Avoid silicone. It's not that it is particularly bad at sealing, so much as nothing (including more silicone) will stick to it, and eventually you will need to replace/touch up any caulking. If you use silicone, you'll then be in for a very long and annoying cleaning/scraping process to get it all off.

[albow]

Thanks for all the help. Any tips for getting old caulk off other than scrape scrape scrape carefully? Also, please feel free to see my post I'm about to make about a gap around my window.

[westend]

Geocel ProflexRV, a polymer sealant.
Dicor non-leveling is also a polymer sealant, urethane, IIRC.

Don't use any silicone on your RV. It won't hold up.

[albow]

So, what actually is Dicor? And proflex? Do I need to go to an rv place to get them?

[WyoTraveler]

Dicor non leveling or Proflex. Proflex does come in a few colors.

[JonArmstrong]

You might search for boat caulking. Heavy duty and can take a pretty good beating from mother nature.

[downtheroad]

I'm not in favor of silicone on the exterior of an RV.

I like Dicor or Proflex...for seams, etc. (not the self-leveling formula which is for roofs).