Search the Community

Refinish roof: Well on this low mile coach that is supposed to have been stored inside the roof looked a bit weather worn. It needed a good scrubbing to get rid of the algae microbes or whatever those little black goobers are that are imbedded in the texture of the fiberglass roof. It did not take too long, with a couple different stiff bristled brushes, one of them with a long handle to do this scrubbing, never the less glad it is done. I did the cleaning with TSP and water. I pulled the AC units, the refrigerator vent and gave those areas a good cleaning as well. I pulled the frige vent because I wanted to install a cover that had some aerodynamics to it. I have a large shed next to where I am working on the coach. I placed a couple of 2 X 12 fir boards across to it so I could get the ACs and other stuff out of the way and off the coach. It also provided a getaway for when I painted myself off the coach. When I removed the AC units I discovered, that they were like many other items on this BARN find coach that they were not tight, at all. It is amazing that they were not leaking. The seals are in pretty good shape and it might take me longer to remove the seals that it will to paint the roof itself. The paint I have chosen is not the standard Dicor roof paint at 86 bucks a gallon. It works pretty well and two coats last fairly well. I used this on the Safari Zanzibar. Instead at the advice of another DP coacher on the West coast and located in a very hot climate area of Northern California, I used an elastomeric white paint with the 3M hollow micro-sphere ceramic balls incorporated into it. This material, SUNSHADE and others like it are being used extensively in California and New York to combat heat infiltration and heat loss in commercial buildings. It is being incorporated into the green building codes being implemented. This product was produced with co-operation with NASA for use in space exploration. It is also suitable for use on EPDM rubber roofs. The elastomeric paint with the micro-spheres is anti-microbial, it offers superior UV protection and has superior reflective properties. It is fire retardant, sound absorbing, and water proof if applied in accordance with the directions. I takes a five gallon pail to achieve what they are looking for in a finished mill thickness of somewhere between 5 and 7.5 mills dry. It is purportedly to be very scuff resistant. It is not glossy as I had hoped. I may look into doing something about that. Any input would be appreciated. I have put two coats on at this writing and have put it on thickly, I thought, and yet it will take one more pass tomorrow morning to apply all five gallons. Cost for the material will vary but expect something in the area of $250 for a pail plus shipping. I see that Home Depot offers a similar product on their website. I am the least politically correct and really not all that prone to follow the environmental movement, however where it may affect my wallet and comfort dry camping and there is a track record to lean on, I will give it credence and try to use it. The testimonial from a fellow that has commercial real estate worked pretty good. It looks amazing as it is REALLY white. http://www.isbu-info.org/ot http://www.isbu-info.org/all_about_ceramic_insulation.htm Bill Edwards