Dicor or Eternabond Tape -Which is Better

[Christl]

Hi Folks: Looking for recommendation on which is better to use on covering the seam along the top flat edge of an aluminum roof - eternabond tape or re-caulking with Dicor? The white aluminum roof has a orange peel surface to it. It looks like the original sealing compound is Dicor. I have cleaned the surface of the Dicor caulking and aluminum roof well and could apply a 2 inch strip of Eternabond tape covering the seam and the old Dicor so that the edge of the tape was also on new clean aluminum roof. The alternative is to re-caulk with Dicor? Does anyone have experience with which will provide the better longer lasting seal? thank you for your input. I have used Geocel ProFlexRV and got good results on vertical seams and around lights etc. but have not use Eternabond tape or Dicor yet.
Here are some pictures of the cleaned section of the roof edge.

[Bob__B]

Has anyone tried the 3M 4200 or 5200 marine sealants?

[HMS_Beagle]

My view of it is that Eternabond may fail, while Dicor will fail.

Every RV I have had with Dicor on the roof has had the Dicor harden, crack, peel, and fall off. OK product I guess if you don't mind redoing it year after year.

I view Eternabond as a band aid, but with a roof seam designed to leak like the one pictured you are stuck using band aids. If you use it, make sure you roll it down very firmly. A hard narrow roller works best, you can burnish it with a spoon in a pinch.

[NRALIFR]

Mello Mike wrote:

pjay9 wrote:
interesting!

Yes, it is. Unlike most of the responses on this thread, the reviews and feedback on Eternabond Tape is overwhelmingly positive.

Amazon.com Eternabond Reviews

I did apply Eternabond tape around my Fantastic Vent last November, but it hasn't been on a year yet. So far, so good, but we'll see how it holds up after three or four years.

How many Eternabond users peel it off after a year or so to see if it's actually dry under the tape? I had to peel some off because of something I was working on in the area and was surprised to find water under it. Before I peeled it off it looked just like the day I put it on. That's why I said "it gives you a warm fuzzy", because as far as I'm concerned looks are deceiving with this product. If water can get under the tape, it's not a seal.

:):)

[Mello_Mike]

pjay9 wrote:
interesting!

Yes, it is. Unlike most of the responses on this thread, the reviews and feedback on Eternabond Tape is overwhelmingly positive.

Amazon.com Eternabond Reviews

I did apply Eternabond tape around my Fantastic Vent last November, but it hasn't been on a year yet. So far, so good, but we'll see how it holds up after three or four years.

[pjay9]

interesting!

[Christl]

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments. I have found out that for cleaning the old Dicor bead and surrounding area to a nice white finish using a brush and a rag with Coleman Camp Fuel works real well and evaporates quickly and does not leave a residue like Varsol. Whizbang thanks for tip on removal of old Dicor. Where I am concerned that the old Dicor is in real bad shape or I don't want any more build-up of Dicor I will remove it using that method. I have such a place on the skylight that I want to check more carefully before re-caulking that area. By the way, curing time for Dicor is 5 minutes to skin over, 4 hours to become waterproof but experience suggests up to 12 hours to withstand a real heavy prolonged rain without damage, and 48 hours for 80% cured and 30 days for 100% cured so chose your time interval to apply the Dicor carefully. The information is not on the caulking tube. Their website indicates the following - Lap Sealant Cure times.
5 Minutes - Skins over
4 Hours - Waterproof
48 Hours - Cure 80%
30 Days - 100% Cure
I will provide pictures of finished job when done. Thanks again everyone.

[whizbang]

Dicor is the way to go.

However, you are only half prepped. The really cool thing about Dicor is that the old caulk comes off real easy with a heat gun.

Get yourself a heat gun and a plastic scrapper and get off as much of the old stuff as you can without working too hard. Really, it comes right up. It is not a big job. The new caulk will stick much better.

[Bumpyroad]

NRALIFR wrote:
I've had much better luck using Dicor or Koolseal on roof seams than Eternabond. I used Eternabond once, and will never use it again. It gives you a warm fuzzy that everything is sealed up tight, but if you ever have to peel any off, don't be surprised if you find water under it.

:):)

somehow I feel that slapping some scotch tape on it as a permanent fix is iffy.
bumpy

[bighatnohorse]

jbbrick wrote:
What about a bead or thin coat of Dicor right into the seam, then Eternabond over the top? It'll stick well if you stick it only to the roof and put the seam in the middle of the tape.

Yup. That's what I did. Dicor with Eternabond over it.

[jbbrick]

What about a bead or thin coat of Dicor right into the seam, then Eternabond over the top? It'll stick well if you stick it only to the roof and put the seam in the middle of the tape.

[Cobra21]

I have had really good results with the eternabond tape I put on 3 years ago.
Front and back seams, and around roof vents.
Brian

[therink]

For front and rear roof seams, I prefer Eternabond. If the area is prepped and it is applied properly, it will outlast your ownership. The tape gives me a good peace of mind. All other roof areas, I prefer Dicor.

[Peg_Leg]

I painted the roof on my old popup TC with a paint that was supposed to seal small holes. Can't remember if it was Rustoleum or a Tractor Paint that I used. Scrubbed it with TSP then painted it, worked good and looked great.

[Victory402]

PO of my TC used Eternabond on my roof seams. It has not held up well and I'm currently filling in the gaps with proflex, dreading the inevitable removal of it. I recently replaced the hatch and used Dicor. Time will tell if its better or not.

[allygerry]

I have used both Dicor and Eternabond prefer Dicor. Dicor lasts longer and no bubbling after its applied. If you have to remove Dicor its a lot less work involved than removing Eternabond. Like others have mentioned Eternabond does allow some water infusion no matter how well you prep the area. Gerry