Escapees March-April 2019 Vol 40 Issue 5

              

      

is removed producing a crisp, sharp edge. Painter’s tape was also applied around the perimeter where the coating was to end. Since my old roof was still in good shape, no decking needed to be replaced. New vinyl inserts were placed in the termination strips along both sides, and new plumbing and attic vents and new gutter spouts were installed. The old rubber roof material was not removed. In order to guarantee that the new spray-on roof product would adhere to the old rubber roof, it was meticulously prepared using special proprietary products and methods. The prepping was finally complete. It had taken almost two full days. Lee Ives, who had gone through special training, arrived to spray on the new roof coating. DeWayne assisted him with the hoses and as a second pair of eyes to ensure that everything was evenly coated. Both wore respirators and protective suits. This was definitely not a “do it yourself” project. The spray-on roof coating is a pure polyurea. It takes a special machine to evenly and properly apply this product to the RV. It is an extremely tough material. They claim that, even though it is applied to be only 3/16 of an inch thick or 187 mils,

it has a tensile strength of +-3500 psi and over 600 percent elongation. This roofing material is designed to move and twist with the RV as it travels down the road regardless of temperature changes. They claim that it is virtually indestructible. Lee started by spraying the base coat along the entire perimeter of the roof and all roof penetrations. Once it is sprayed on, it dries to touch in seconds and can be walked on. Then he sprayed the rest of the roof. A third and final even coat was sprayed on the entire roof. All the tape was then quickly pulled off. The result was a monolithic, grey coating that covered every seam and pene- tration of the roof to a thickness of 3/16th of an inch. While that doesn’t seem like much, it is much thicker than the original EDPM rubber roof. DeWayne then climbed up on the roof to apply a cosmetic, white topcoat with an airless spray gun. This top coat is specially formulated to work with the base coat. It is only cosmetic and not necessary to waterproof the roof. It also provides a UV protection for the base coat that is supposed to last for 20 years. This top coat required several hours to cure. Then any remaining tape and plastic were removed.

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   